Transcript The French and Indian War (1754-63)

The French and Indian War
(1754-1763)
The Final Colonial War
England vs. France
 Both sought
control of Europe
+ commercial
supremacy
 Colonial wars part
of larger conflicts
in Europe
 Fought mainly at
sea & in colonies
 Ohio Valley main area of
conflict
Ohio Valley Claims
 English, French, &
Indians had
competing land
claims in lands
west of
Appalachians
 VA formed Ohio
Co. & speculated in
land & fur trade
 Competing with
France for Indian
fur trade
 French built chain
of forts to halt
English expansion extended into PA
territory
French & Indian War
 VA colonial
militia under
Col. George
Washington
sent to evict
French
forces
(1754)
 Built Fort Necessity near
strategic French Fort
Duquesne (Pittsburgh)
 Washington forced to
abandon Necessity facing
superior French troops
(7/4/1754)
 Indian support faded with loss
Albany
Conference of
1754
 Delegates of 7
colonies met with
Iroquois chiefs to
discuss mutual
defense
 Plan of colonial union
proposed by Ben
Franklin
 A Grand Council
would oversee
defense, Indian
relations, trade,
taxation & westward
expansion
 Would have a royally
appointed executive
with veto power
Albany Plan
 1st plan of Inter-
Colonial Union
 Albany Plan rejected by
colonies & Parliament
 England feared colonies
would become too
strong
 Colonies refused to
surrender control over
own taxation
 Even in face of real
danger
Early British Failures
 Braddock
underestimated French
& unfamiliar w/
wilderness warfare
 1755 - French & Indians
ambushed Braddock’s
force of British &
Colonial soldiers near
Ft. Duquesne
 900 incl. Braddock die
vs. 23 French Washington leads
survivors home
 1756 - Montcalm (FR)
invades NY
British Failures
 Most British
regulars
committed to
European
fighting
 Bulk of early
fighting done by
colonial militia
 Poorly
coordinated gave French &
Indian allies an
early
advantage
 Only early
British victory
was in Nova
Scotia (1755) expelled the
Acadians
French Advantage
 Anglo-Americans
outnumbered
French forces 20:1
 but were ill-trained
 Colonies resisted
providing more
troops
 Most enlisted for
short time
 French well-trained
& led
 Fought hard
 Canadians
recruited in large
numbers
The Tide Turns
 1757 - English Prime
Minister William Pitt
took control of fighting
forces
 Sent troops, able
leaders & supplies
 Greater support for war
in England & colonies
 Raised # of colonial
troops by promising
that England would pay
for the war
 21K colonial troops in
1758
British Offensives
 Led by British generals Jeffrey Amherst & James Wolfe
 Amherst took Ft. Duquesne & Louisbourg in 1758
 Louisbourg guards entrance to St. Lawrence River
 Drive French from northern NY & Lake Ontario region in 1759
British-American invasion of Canada
 Turning point of
the war
 1759 - Wolfe
captured
Quebec -Capital
of New France &
a military
stronghold
 Decisive battle
of the war
 Montcalm &
Wolfe killed
 1760 - Montreal
fell, effectively
ending French
resistance
Treaty of Paris of 1763
 France cedes Canada
to England
 England gave French
back the islands of
Guadalupe &
Martinique + 1/2 of
Hispaniola
 France gave Spain
New Orleans & all land
west of Miss. River
 England kept Florida
 Havana & Manila
returned to Spain
 England took India
Results and Consequences of the War
For England:
 England dominant
in N. Am.
 National debt in
England doubled
as a result of the
war
 Parliament looked
to the colonies for
additional money
 Would begin to
tax colonies for
the purpose of
raising $

Wanted Americans
to pay 1/3 of cost of
their defense
Results &
Consequences
For the Colonies:
 French threat removed
 Colonists less dependent
on England for defense
 Valuable military
experience for soldiers
 Learned importance of
unity & cooperation
 Colonials resent change
in economic & trade policy
 English ideas, language,
& institutions survive
Residual Friction
 Colonists resented
lack of credit given to
militias
 British officers
complained about
quality of militia men
& lack of civilian
support
 Ex: supplying food
& shelter
 Colonist resented
arrogance of British
officers
 British citizens
resented higher
taxes to pay for war
 Pitt promised to
cover cost
Residual Friction
 Colonial expansion
into west angered
Native Americans
 Some (e.g. Pontiac)
led anti-British
movements
 Attacked frontier forts
 Fighting cost
England $
 Indians eventually
make peace
 Brit govt. issued
Proclamation of 1763
to appease Native
Americans
Proclamation of
1763
 England took control
of western lands
 Settlement, trade,
etc.
 Goal - organize
expansion
 Recognized Indian
claims west of
proclamation line
 Colonist thought they
needed western land
to prosper
 Saw British troops
who enforced Proc.
Line as hindering
needed expansion