This authoritative historical volume meticulously examines the expansion, governance, and conflicts of the British colonies in America between sixteen eighty-nine and seventeen sixty-three. The author details the transition from the old colonial charters to royal governance under William and Mary, tracing how local assemblies skillfully preserved their financial leverage against royal governors. A central focus is the chronic border warfare between New England and New France, marked by brutal frontier raids and the persistent threat of French expansion in the St. Lawrence and Mississippi river basins.
The narrative covers the middle and southern colonies, detailing the distinct political structures of New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, the Carolinas, and Georgia, alongside their complex relationships with neighboring Indian confederacies. Special attention is given to the economic struggles, paper money inflation, and trade restrictions imposed by the mother country, which fostered a spirit of local independence. The unfolding argument highlights how the French encirclement of the interior through a chain of forts inevitably precipitated the French and Indian War, setting the stage for the final expulsion of French power from the North American continent. The volume concludes with detailed critical essays and cartographical studies documenting the evolution of colonial boundaries.
