lonies both physically and spiritually separated from the New World. The colonies knew that distance weakens authority, but great distances weaken authority even more. The American environment also nurtured the feelings of independence because of the unchanging surroundings of England, coming to the New World offered a change of pace for the colonies because they now had their own world to make anew. Finally, many of the colonies joined together in the common sense of individuality that Britain was unfit to govern them and that the colonies were now Americans. For many reasons, tension grew in the relationship between Britain and America. Tensions first arose when the London government issued the Proclamation of 1763. This proclamation prohibited settlement in the area beyond the Appalachians, by the colonies. This angered many Americans because they felt that the land was their birthright, but this document was not drawn up to oppress the colonies, but it was made to work out the Indian problem to prevent another uprising like Pontiac's. Mercantilism also added to the tension between Britain and America. Tension arose from mercantilism because Americans were not at liberty to buy, sell, ship or manufacture under conditions that they found most profit. The Boston Gazette explained how the colonists felt about mercantilism by stating, "A colonist cannot make a button, a horseshoe, nor a hobnail, but some snotty ironmonger of Britain shall bawl and squall that his honor's worship is most egregiously maltreated, injured, cheated, and robbed by the rascally American republics," proving that the colonists were very upset about England's new laws of mercantilism (22-23). Also, many Virginian planters were plunged into a dept by the falling price of tobacco, and were forced to buy their necessities in England, by mortgaging future crops. Mercantilism also showed favoritism for the southern colonies over the northern colonies, chiefly because t...
