s were in favor of their independence by the time the declaration had been written. Most American colonists viewed themselves as being very much British up until the Seven Years War and were proud of their role in the British Empire. They soon realized they weren't really British they were developing their own identity. This was evident in their relationships with British soldiers that viewed the Americans as lewd and inappropriate, while the Americans viewed them as savage and inhumane because of the practices they used in order to keep soldiers in line. They were slowly beginning to understand that they weren't really British anymore. The British officers looked at the Americans as "the lowest dregs of the people, both officers and men" . The arrogance of British officials was only one reason why the colonists quickly developed a nationalistic attitude.
             The French and Indian War incurred major debts on Great Britain because of the massive amount of manpower that had to be sent overseas in order to insure that the French were not allowed to win the land dispute. The British thought since they were fighting the war in order to protect the land from the colonists what better way to raise revenues than to tax the colonists? So in late 1764 the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Greenville made two of the biggest mistakes of his life. He first passed the Sugar Act, which according to professor Zaccarini was not a big blow to the majority of the colonists. It had its largest affect on traders. Then in 1765 he instituted the Stamp Act which taxed goods that were common to nearly all the colonists. This act of belligerence by the British parliament infuriated the colonists. Many colonists complained of being "miserably burdened and oppressed with taxes" . The colonists were being oppressed by their "own" mother country, whi!
             ch contributed to their feelings of nationalism and a sens...