Milestones: 1750-1775
1750-1775: Diplomatic Struggles in the
Colonial Period
Colonial era diplomacy focused on two issues: the European balance of power and
the colonists' appropriation of land from the Native Americans. Rivalry in
Europe, between the French and the British in particular, often influenced the
course of events in their North American colonies.
French and Indian War
In an effort to increase their political and economic power, the British and the
French competed to acquire the better share of the available land and control
over the new trading opportunities the colonies presented. At the same time, the
European colonial governments tried to find ways to coexist with the original
inhabitants of North America, often by making alliances with some tribes while
alienating others. Sometimes, as in the case of the French and Indian War (which
in Europe was referred to as the Seven Years' War), European balance of power
politics resulted in conflict in the colonies. As wars in Europe became more
heated, fighting broke out between the French and the British in the American
colonies. Both sides called upon Native American allies to assist them,
exacerbating tensions between the tribes, as well as those between the tribes
and colonists. Ultimately, the British Government found it necessary to pour
additional troops and resources into protecting its possessions in the Americas
and taxed their colonists to pay for it. These taxes eventually became the
rallying cry for the American independence movement.
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