The Making of the British Atlantic

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

This year marks the 300th anniversary of the Treaty of Utrecht and the 250th anniversary of the Treaty of Paris. Both treaties reshaped the world and had profound consequences for the future of Britain and North America, as Jeremy Black explains.

Benjamin Franklin's 1763 appeal to British colonies in North America to unite against the threat of France.The 18th century was crucial to both the development of Britain and of North America. Naval mastery and the commercial dominance of the North Atlantic that came with it were central to the growth of the British economy, to its focus on trade – especially long-range trade – to export opportunities, jobs, liquidity, investment income and customs, all set against the background of the Industrial Revolution.

The eventual defeat of France in North America, moreover, ensured that British culture, ideology and religion prevailed there, with major consequences for world history. It remains true that many political, social and cultural aspects of the modern US and Canada can be traced to the history of the 19th and 20th centuries; but what came earlier was also important, especially to the future political direction of the US.

Thus, the wars and treaties of the 18th century matter. They ensured an outcome that was far from inevitable in 1690 when France, with the largest navy in the world, won mastery of the English Channel at the battle of Beachy Head and backed James II against William of Orange for control of Ireland. Britain’s security was precarious, as can be seen in numerous panics – some justified, others less so – about reported French invasions. Even in 1759, Britain’s ‘Year of Victories’, when the French were beaten at Minden (by combined German and British forces) and Quebec, a serious French invasion plan was halted only by major British naval victories: in August at Lagos in Portugal; and in November at Quiberon Bay off the coast of France near St Nazaire.

Read the full text of this article in the May issue of History Today, which is out now, or get the digital edition for your iPad, Android tablet or Kindle Fire.