The civil-military conflict in British West Florida, 1763-1783

After the Seven Year's War, the British government decided to keep a large military force in North America. To coordinate these forces, the Crown decided to continue the office of Commander in Chief. The Commander in Chief had broad authority over the military in the American colonies. This authority, however, conflicted sharply with similar prerogatives granted to royal governors. With neither side willing to surrender any of their power or authority, a series of battles broke out over the supremacy of the army in almost every colony where royal troops were stationed. West Florida, a British colony established after the Seven Years War from captured French and Spanish Territory, provides an excellent example of how the civil-military conflicts could cripple royal government in a colony. Many historians have failed to assess adequately the impact these disputes had on colonial government in America. The purpose of this thesis is to show that the civil-military disputes disrupted colonial governments, and was one of the forces that led to the breakdown of British rule in North America during the 1760’s and 1770’s.