That is one of the lessons of history.
Competition– and global empire rivalry– between the British and the French was a key dynamic emphasized in the recent Ken Burns series on PBS as a major factor in the Revolutionary War. Below is a great video that details the French and Indian War– a bit murky to most of us– and how it ultimately led to the American Revolution. It is described as the first world war:
Excellent and understandable presentation. Prager does great videos.
Yes, Fred, I thought this was a good one also. Glad you enjoyed it…
“The war was fought for them.” The French & Indian War wasn’t fought for the British colonists. The French weren’t threatening them. The war was fought for expansion of the British empire. That justification for raising taxes on the colonists is weak. The British monarchy didn’t take on all that debt for the sake of the colonists.
Good point, J. Sobran. It is pretty interesting to consider how much the British empire had, and how it slipped through their fingers because of mistakes made. Their antagonizing the colonists was perhaps the first step in their prolonged demise.
In 1754, there was little sense by the British colonists of being confined by France. There were only 1.5 million colonists in the entire 13 colonies (including their slaves)! The piedmont areas of Virginia and NC were only very sparsely populated. Confined they weren’t.
Washington’s interest in land speculation came subsequent to his war-related trips into western Pennsylvania and easter Ohio.
This isn’t very careful history, and that isn’t unusual for Prager.
Thanks for that clarification. Perhaps this is analogous to Ken Burns’ demonization of Washington, albeit less blatant. I was certainly unaware of the colonists’ interest in westward expansion prior to Burns’ series, and it appears Prager jumped aboard somewhat.