Final answer:
By the mid-1700s, British mercantilist policies and post-war financial strains led to stricter control over the North American colonies, provoking tensions that contributed to the colonies representing British control. The Navigation Acts and prohibitions on westward expansion, coupled with taxations without representation, fueled colonial discontent and the subsequent desire for independence.
Step-by-step explanation:
The colonies began to represent British control over North America by the mid-1700s due to a combination of mercantilist economic policies, political changes, and the aftermath of the French and Indian War. The British government implemented the Navigation Acts to maximize profits from the colonies, restricting trade to England or its possessions and unsettling the colonial economy. Tensions rose when the British sought to recover war debts and maintain a military presence, leading to unpopular taxation without representation and restrictive controls on westward expansion.
The escalating costs and financial burdens post the French and Indian War compelled Britain to impose stricter control and regulations over its North American colonies. The mercantilist approach, through the Navigation Acts, made clear that colonies existed for the economic benefit of the mother country, with trade laws ensuring that certain goods, such as sugar and tobacco, only circulated within the British Empire. These restrictions on trade, coupled with a prohibition on settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains through the Proclamation Line of 1763, spurred colonial discontent.
As British enforcement of trade regulations and imposition of taxes became more aggressive, colonial resistance grew. The colonists' desire for self-governance and rejection of new taxes without their consent were at the heart of the growing schism. These disputes would eventually culminate in the Declaration of Independence and the American Revolutionary War, as the colonies sought to free themselves from British rule.