Analyze+the+role+the+French+and+Indian+War+played+in+the+American+Revolution.++JZ

 The French and Indian War, also known as a part of the greater Seven Years War, was the first global conflict to have a portion of it fought in the New World. It would forever shape the colonists' lives and swung the pendulum of power even further towards the English people in the colonies. Bad relationships between the English and the colonists, a new found sense of colonial independence, and newly acquired American military experience all discovered during the French and Indian War paved the way for the American Revolution and for the colonies to assert themselves as a growing power.  The colonists began to assemble a militia throughout the time of the war and many grew to be strong leaders. However, when the British army came over to fight alongside the colonists, they automatically assumed that they were superior to the country bumpkin colonial militiamen. Captains in the American militia were reduced to at best colonels alongside the British army. Americans were also infuriated by heavy taxes imposed by the English to help pay for the war, a theme that would become quite common during the American Revolution. Upon the war's completion, the British put forth the Proclamation Line of 1763, decreeing that the colonists must stay east of the Appalachian Mountains. The colonists felt that because they had shed blood, they deserved to be occupy the land they had fought for. The British felt that the colonists should mind their own business and stay in places that were known to be secure, rather than having to worry about defending helpless colonials.  A fresh sense of American independence was beginning to emerge among the citizens of the New World. France having been expelled from Canada and Louisiana and Spain ceding Florida to Britain left the New World controlled singularly by one European power, the English. Most of the major Indian nations were also defeated, leaving the colonists sitting much more comfortably than before. They would no longer need to rely on the British to save them from enemies, as there were virtually none left.  Perhaps the most important thing that came as a result of the French and Indian War is the fact that the colonists now had military experience. Fighting along the Iroquois taught the colonists the concept of guerrilla warfare. Fighting beside the British gave the colonists a sense of British war tactics and also taught them that the British had no idea of the concepts of guerrilla warfare, something that would prove invaluable time and time again during the Revolutionary War. Natural leaders arose during the war and these leaders would go on to become heroes of the revolution. Most importantly, it taught the colonies how to band together, raise a militia, and fight a foe.  In a sense, the French and Indian War was like a practice trial for the colonists. They gained valuable experiences that would prove to be quite beneficial during the time of the American Revolution. It soured the relations between the colonists and the English, gave the colonists a newfound sense of independence, and also taught the Americans invaluable military experience.