The Crisis of the British Empire Starting in 1754, two years later, the war between France and India gave rise to what is known as the Seven Years' War in Europe. Attempting to gain control of the fur trade on the Ohio River, the French colonies of North America, in alliance with the American Indians, attacked British troops along the western frontier. The war ended in 1763, forcing France and Spain to cede their regions of North America (namely Canada and Florida) to the British Empire. This acquisition and the resulting withdrawal of Spanish troops weakened the defense of escaped slaves in the refugee camps stationed in the United States. Florida bayous. By 1768, the British Parliament had established multiple taxes on trade in the North American colonies and restrictions on expansion west of the Appalachian Mountains. Discontent in the colonies peaked in 1770 when five people were killed by British troops in the Boston Massacre, including a black dockworker named Crispus Attucks. The Tea Act of 1773, resulting in the introduction of the British East India Company as a tea monopoly in British North America, fomented revolutionary undercurrents among the colonists. The Declaration of Independence and African Americans The revolutionary ideology of the Patriots that: “All men are created equal. . . that among these [rights] are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” belied the actual conditions of the enslaved population. In turn, this fostered hope among African American slaves that they too could claim equality. 1690, enacted middle of paper ......y and New York — began a gradual process of abolition. It is estimated that around 100,000 slaves escaped their southern masters during this time, some arriving from America. with the British and others who resettled to the North. The autonomy African Americans gained in the postwar North allowed them to pursue skilled trades or form isolated communities in the South. The Revolutionary PromiseChesapeake contained the largest number of free African Americans. , but the Northern States were moving towards processes of emancipation and abolition during the revolutionary period. By comparison, the number of free African Americans living in the Southern states remained small. Cities were the primary destination for newly freed slaves and their families. However, the move to independence has often been hampered by a lack of economic resources and stability...