Final answer:
In 1763, the British tightened control over the American colonies and imposed new taxes to recover war debts following the French and Indian War, igniting colonial opposition and setting the stage for the Revolutionary War.
Step-by-step explanation:
In 1763, the British changed toward the colonies due to several strategic and financial reasons following the end of the French and Indian War. The British victory had been costly, leaving the Crown with a substantial war debt. To address this, the British government decided to tighten control over its American colonies, instigating a shift from its previous policy of salutary neglect. One significant act that exemplified this change was the Proclamation of 1763, forbidding colonial expansion west of the Appalachian Mountains, aimed at preventing conflicts with Native American tribes. This, along with the implementation of taxes like the Sugar and Stamp Acts to raise revenue, signaled a departure from the more autonomous relationship the colonies had experienced and sparked a debate about the rights of colonists under the British constitution.
The colonies argued against 'virtual representation' and asserted that they could only be taxed by their own elected legislatures. Measures like the Declaratory Act and the Intolerable Acts further escalated tensions. As conditions worsened, a spirit of inter-colony cooperation developed through bodies like the Committees of Correspondence and the Continental Congresses. The First Continental Congress drafted a statement of rights, and the Second Continental Congress would eventually conduct a war and draft the Declaration of Independence—the 'cause of America' was becoming a broader rallying cry for liberty.
Amidst these challenges, back in Great Britain, the reactions of the colonists were making the political situation volatile. British merchants pressured Parliament to repeal taxes that were hurting their businesses, as colonial non-importation measures were effective. Nonetheless, the response in Britain varied, as some Britons sympathized with the colonists' defense of liberty. This period, therefore, marked a departure from the mutual beneficial economic relationship, under the mercantilist system, and erupted into conflict, sowing the seeds for the Revolutionary War.