In this episode, John discusses the first measures taken by the British government in the aftermath of the French and Indian War and how they created a rift between Britain and the colonies. John goes over the Proclamation of 1763 first and explains what it was and why it upset those in the colonies. He then talks about the Sugar Act and the Currency Act and how those were perceived as over-stepping British authority.

John then spends a while talking about the Stamp Act and why it created such an uproar and how it fundamentally and irreparably harmed the relationship between Britain and the colonies. Finally, John covers the Townshend Acts and how they led pretty directly to the first major violence of the American Revolution: the Boston Massacre.

In this episode, John explains the numerous ways in which the French and Indian War (or Seven Years War) contributed to a growing divide between Great Britain and the 13 colonies of British North America. John talks about how the experience of the war, which ended the period of Salutary Neglect, brought the British and the colonists into much greater contact with one another and how that did a lot to damage their views of each other. John also discusses the massive amount of debt the British government took on to fight the war, how that pushed the British government to pursue policies that alienated the colonists, and how conflict with Native Americans exacerbated already existing tensions between the two sides.

In this episode, John explains the factors that began to drive a wedge between the 13 British North American Colonies that would eventually become the United States and Great Britain. John details the economic, political and geographic elements of the relationship between Britain and the colonies that made it increasingly difficult for the two to coexist as they had up through the mid-18th century. Land disputes, arguments over trade and mercantilism and strained relations with Native Americans are all contributing factors to the deteriorating relationship that culminates in the French and Indian War, which John also discusses.