104                         New York
 

CHAPTEE IX.

THE UNREST BEFORE THE REVOLUTION.   1764-1774.

No sooner was the long succession of French wars closed
by the conquest of Canada, than American history
entered on a new stage. Hitherto the contests had
been waged between European powers for the posses¬
sion of the various colonies, both the interests and the
efforts of these colonies being of secondary importance.
From this time on, however, the American settlements
became themselves the chief factors in solving the
problems of their own future, and the questions of
policy hinged on the issues between them and the
mother country.

The colonial system, which at this time was common
to all seafaring European nations, was essentially vicious,
and could not possibly last when the colonies grew in
strength. England did not treat her colonies excep¬
tionally ill; on the contrary, she behaved much better
toward them than the other European nations of that
day did to theirs. If she had not done so, the re¬
volt against her power would have come far sooner;
for no other nation had planted beyond the seas such a
race of freemen as was growing up on the North Atlan¬
tic coast of America. They came from a people long
accustomed to a considerable mensure of liberty, and all
their surroundings in their new home tended to foster