<span>The relationship between Great Britain and its North American Colonies began to show signs of strain in the early 1700s. Until then, England's preoccupation with civil conflict and ongoing war with France allowed the Colonies to carry on domestic and foreign trade with little interference from British authorities. In addition, since their founding, the Colonies had been managing many of their own affairs. The Colonists, as a result, developed a sense of independence. When England began enforcing restrictions on Colonial trade and taking other actions that suggested Colonists did not have the same rights as British citizens in England, the Colonists began to take stock of their own identity and question Great Britain's authority over them.</span>
