British reactions to the colonies wavered throughout the colonial era, from the policy of salutary neglect to the tightened controls of King George III. The Crown faced a dilemma: to allow the colonies to develop thriving commercial enterprises in the hopes of a trickle-down benefit for Great Britain; or to tighten the leash on the colonial governments to demand more regular tax revenues. In light of the thriving colonial economies in Massachusetts, Virginia, and Maryland, King George III opted for the latter, imposing tariffs on the colonies. Britain's policies toward the New World colonies remained, therefore, primarily economic: the Stamp and Sugar Acts exemplify the Crown's interest not so much in the development of colonial culture as in the colonial economy.
Friction between English settlers and Native Americans also impacted the development of colonial life and of Crown policies. Infiltration into lands inhabited by the indigenous Americans led to numerous skirmishes throughout Virginia and Massachusetts Bay. The economic success of the colonies depended on the acquisition of as much territory as possible; Indian rebellions occasionally dampened colonialists' efforts but rarely succeeded in the long run. Broken promises were a major source of conflict. For instance, at Chesapeake Bay Virginian settlers initially worked with Native Americans, capitalizing on the indigenous people's knowledge of local lands and crops. Virginia colonialists under the
French colonialists had bonded with Native American tribes in what is now Canada. French and British settlers clashed over land holdings in the Great Lakes region, and the French, unlike the English, were aided by Native Americans.
At times, relations between colonialists and Native Americans proved peaceful. Just as the British Crown depended on the economic success of the colonies, so too did Native tribes, as Indians frequently engaged the colonialists in mutually beneficial trade. However, colonialists vied continually for more land and more control over the indigenous populations.
References
An Outline of American History." Embassy of the United States, Stockholm. Retrieved Sept 12, 2006 at http://stockholm.usembassy.gov/usis/history/chapter2.html
Colonial Settlement, 1600s-1763." The Library of Congress. Retrieved Sept 12, 2006 at http://memory.loc.gov/learn/features/timeline/colonial/indians/indians.html
From Revolution to Reconstruction." Retrieved Sept 12, 2006 at http://www.let.rug.nl/usa/H/1994/ch1_p9.htm
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