From the start of the French and Indian War in 1754, tensions grew between American colonists and the English government over the role England could play in colonial affairs, which ultimately catalyzed into a war within the colonies. The French and Indian War forced King George III and Parliament to incur large debts, which they mitigated by taxing the American colonies through laws such as the Townshend and the Stamp Act, as the colonists were the primary benefactors of the war. Furthermore, Parliament justified the government's action by stating that all English subjects had virtual representation, where everyone is represented by representatives of Parliament despite not participating in the voting process. Colonists, already angry at the King's Proclamation of 1763, which limited people east of the Appalachian Mountains, did not take kindly to these laws or the logic behind them. These events, as well as other developments such as the Committees of Correspondence, the Boston Tea Party, and the Intolerable Acts, helped unify the colonists in opposition to Great Britain. It took just one instance of violence, such as the Boston Massacre or the destruction of Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Hutchinson's home, to ignite the flames of revolution. Although the Patriots and non-land owning freemen supported the Revolution, there is no clear answer as to where the allegiance of the plantation merchant class lies. Support for the American Revolution originated from economic and political issues that concerned or affected the Patriots quite deeply. The economic relationship between America and England provided that the former exported raw materials to the motherland, which returned manufactured goods such as fabric and furniture... in the middle of paper... the articles were fundamental to the war because if they were the ones that made tip the scales in favor of one side, which would have ended the stalemate. They did not favor either side as neither presented any significant advantage or disadvantage. However, through some political coercion, many of the neutrals sided with the revolutionaries. Loyalists were supporters of the British and they, like the Patriots, believed that people had rightful lives, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, but felt that these rights had not been significantly violated to justify a rebellion. The revolution would not advance these rights, but would instead create disorder and chaos. 30,000 Loyalists were farmers who needed the British navy to protect their goods exported to England. The lack of an American navy meant that under a new country their lives would be constantly at risk from pirates.