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Looking West

During the 18th century the British Empire consisted of 13 colonies on the east coast of North America, and territories in Canada, next to French Quebec. Between 1756 and 1763 Britain fought the Seven Years’ War against the French in Europe and all around the world in different colonial areas: the Caribbean, North America and India.

When the Seven Years’ War ended with the Treaty of Paris in 1763, Britain had secured the whole of the Atlantic coast of North America, and had also triumphed in India and the Caribbean.

In 1773, George Macartney, who was from an Ulster Scots family, described Britain’s new power after the war as "this vast empire on which the sun never sets, and whose bounds nature has not yet ascertained." This idea of the sun never setting over the British Empire became an important saying throughout the next 200 years. This enlarged empire meant that Britain had to defend far more territory and spend more of its tax revenue on the Royal Navy and the army. Britain still had to contend with other nations who wanted to compete with her for colonies, but also had to make sure that the people in the new colonies remained obedient to British authority.

In spite of the victory, the cost of the Seven Years' War had been enormous and Britain’s National Debt had increased from £74 million to £133 million during the war. In addition to repaying the debt, Britain had to try to ensure that she kept control of trade between the colonies and the ‘mother country’. Britain wanted to have exclusive control of trade within her empire, but this would require more supervision across the oceans, which ultimately meant more expense.