People of the American Frontier: The Coming of the American Revolution

By 1760, with the alleviation of the French threat to the western frontier, colonial fur traders headed west to reap the bounty of trade with the local tribes. However when dissatisfied French interests conspired to instigate a revolt, the resulting Pontiac uprising would force the British to rethink colonial trade policy. The fur traders, who had considered the British government their ally in exploiting the west, now saw the British allying themselves with the French and local tribes to keep colonists out of the region. The prominent merchants who suffered financially and received no compensation would soon come to oppose British rule.