French and Indian War
1754-1763
Background of the War - 1750
• Population
increase leads to
expansion
• Disputed territory
between colonial
America, colonial
France, and Native
Americans
• Spill over of
European conflict
French POV
• Trade is everything
• Trade with the American Indians is the
basis of France's North American
economy, and they think British trade
and settlements are encroaching on this.
In order to protect the Ohio Valley for
trade, the French build forts in the valley
to try to expel British traders.
British POV
• Land is opportunity
• The British colonies in America are
growing fast, and to them, land means
wealth and opportunity. British settlers
want to settle the Ohio Valley, and seek
more farmland in addition to lucrative
trade with the Indians.
Indian POV
• A lifestyle to protect
• The American Indians had a strong trading
relationship with the French, and also
traded with the British. In addition to
wanting to maintain their way of life in the
Ohio Valley, the Indians had become
dependent on European goods like
weapons, rum, metal tools and cloth, and
needed to protect their trade relationships.
The Albany Plan of Union - 1754
• Proposed by Ben Franklin
• Attempt to unite the colonies
under one gov’t, primarily for
defense purposes– called for
unity in the face of the coming
war with France
• Also included 6 Iroquois
Nations– sort of modeled
after Iroquois Confederacy
• Plan never accepted
• The Albany Plan of Union called for a Grand Council with
representatives from each colony.
• The Grand Council would:
- make laws
- raise taxes
- defend the colonies
• None
of the colonies approved the plan out of fear of losing
power.
* The Albany Plan of Union set an example that would
later be followed by such gatherings as the First and
Second Continental Congress.
1754 – Conflict Begins
• VA governor sends George
Washington to warn French
about settling Ohio Valley
• French ignore warning
• Washington attempts to
force French out but fails
miserably
• Humiliating for Brits
• Key Cause: Britain began to
compete with France over
the fur trade in the Ohio
Valley
1756 – Seven Years War
• The British declare war in
colonies.
• Becomes part of a series of
conflicts known as the
Seven Years War
• Colonists hesitant to fight
– Feel risk outweighs benefits
• 1758 – William Pitt
– Sec of State then P.M.
– Promises colonists
compensation for
cooperation
French and Indian War: Alliances
Alliance - a formal agreement by two or
more nations to act together in a cause
• France, Spain
(1762),
Algonquins, and
Hurons
versus
• Great
Britain
(with their
colonists) and
the Iroquois
Where does
most of the
fighting
take place?
What do
you notice
about who
is present?
The Death of General Wolfe by Benjamin West, 1770
1763 – Treaty of Paris
• Thanks to Pitt’s
promise, war
shifts in British
Favor
–Take several forts
around Great
Lakes and in
Canada
French and Indian War: Effects
• The Treaty of Paris was signed in 1763, ending the
war.
The Treaty of Paris
• Britain gained Canada and all of the French land
east of the Mississippi River.
• Spain gained all of the French land west of the
Mississippi River, but gave up Florida to Britain
• France gave up most of Canada and Ohio Valley
Area to British
**Effects of War**
• 1. British Debt
• 2. Natives lose
French allies
• 3. Increased
tension b/w British
and Natives
Pontiac's Rebellion (1763-1766)
• This unrest culminated in a
rebellion by Pontiac, a
Native American leader
who united various tribes
with the goal of expelling
the British.
• Massacres and atrocities
occurred on both sides—
most notably, British
General Jeffrey Amherst
gave the Native Americans
blankets infested with
smallpox.
Chief Pontiac: Address to Ottawa, Huron, and
Pottawatomie Indians
(May 5, 1763)
• “It is important … that we exterminate from our lands this
nation which seeks only to destroy us. You see as well as I do
that we can no longer supply our needs, as we have done
from our brothers, the French. The English sells us goods
twice as dear as the French do, and their goods do not last.
…
When I go to see the English commander and say to him that
some of our comrades are dead, instead of bewailing their
death, as our French brothers do, he laughs at me and at
you. If I ask for anything for our sick, he refuses with the
reply that he has no use for us. …
Are we not men like them? … What do we fear? It is time.”
The Royal Proclamation of 1763
• Violent incidents such as
Pontiac's Rebellion
prompted the English crown
to attempt to mandate an
end to encroachments on
territory promised to the
Indians.
• Settlers were not to move or
settle west of the
“Proclamation Line.”
• The effort was unsuccessful
and is viewed by many to be
a leading cause of the
Revolutionary War.
British Regulation of the Colonies Before and After the
French & Indian War
Before the French & Indian War
• Mercantilism: Britain was very
strict on colonies- especially by
regulating who the colonies
could trade with. They relaxed
this as the war between Britain
and France was looming
(wanted to make colonists
happy to keep them on the
British side)
• Salutary Neglect: Britain’s
unofficial policy throughout the
late 1600s and early 1700sRelaxed enforcement of strict
regulations on the colonies
After the French & Indian War
• Britain was in debt
(even though they won,
the Seven Years War
was expensive)
• Britain also felt the
need to tighten controls
on their empire
• Began taxing the
colonies and imposing
strict regulations once
again!
Crash Course Video
• Link to video