In the aftermath of the French and Indian War (1754–63), part of a larger conflict known in Europe as the Seven Years’ War, Great Britain was faced with a financial crisis. The government had borrowed heavily to finance the war overseas, and ordinary taxation from the British people would not cover the costs of repaying all the loans. In addition, the British government won a huge territory from France at the war’s end, which would require a permanent force of 10,000 soldiers to police. How were those soldiers to be fed, housed, and clothed, let alone armed and trained?