Question

How did politics in Europe affect the American colonies? Give two examples.

Answer 1

Answer:

The Seven Years War and The American Revolution

Explanation:

The american colonies were the jewels in the crown of the British and French Empires. Therefore, by definition the politics going on in Europe significantly impacted the decisions made in the American Colonies.

The Seven Years War was a major European conflict that had political consequences for the colonies. The North American extension of the war is termed the French -Indian War and was fought by the French and British colonists, supported by Native American allies. The war was very important  for the colonies as they provided the majority of the fighting force. The british political decision to provide significant resources to the North American theatre had profound consequence. Not only did it increase american unity, it also increased the martial skill of the colonial troops. Men like George Washington were trained by the British in order to fight the war. Furthermore, there were also the change of territory as a result of the war. The political shift in Europe of French dominance to British dominance resulted in the increase of territories in the america. This not only included land in Canada becoming British but also Florida.

The American revolution is another example of how European Political changes affected the colonies. Obviously the outcome of the revolution was a huge change for the 13 and led to the establishment of the United States of America and the establishment of the presidency, congress and Supreme Court.  The political decision of Britain to tax its North American Colonies in order to pay off the debt that it had accrued defending and enlarging them directly led to the revolution. The chant of the Americans was "No taxation without representation" and that can be traced back to a political decision by Britain to continue to tax its colonies without giving them sufficient representation.