VI. French and Indian War: Results
I can understand the main results of the French and Indian War.
Directions: read the attached article. Then, copy and complete the statements below.
1. Because ___ lost the war, France lost most of its American land. (¶1)
2. Spain lost Florida because ___. (¶1)
3. France gave some of its American land to Spain in order to ___ (¶1)
4. Four reasons the outcome was devastating for Natives: 1)___, 2)___, 3)___,4)___ (¶2)
5. Benefits to Britain from the war: increased ___, ___, and ___. (¶3)
6. Negative consequence to Britain: huge ___ (¶3)
7. The Proclamation of 1763 prohibited colonists from ___ (¶4)
8. Purposes of Proclamation of 1763: ___, ___ (¶4)
9. Britain thought American soldiers were ___. Britain was angry that the colonies had ___ (¶6)
10. Colonists were angry with Britain because ___, ___, ___. (¶7)
Results of the French and Indian War
Ms. Ellison
(Sources: Appleby, J., Brinkley, A., McPherson, J., The American Journey, NY: Glencoe, 2002
Moore, G., “French and Indian War,” Dictionary of American History, NY: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 2003.)
The French and Indian War had far-reaching consequences. The British victory marked the end of French
power in North America. North America was now divided at the Mississippi River between Great Britain and
Spain. France lost all of its American land claims except the small strip of land on the northern coast of
Newfoundland and some of its sugar producing islands in the Caribbean (including modern-day Haiti). Because
Spain had taken sides with the French during the war, Spain was forced to give up its territory in modern-day
Florida to Britain. To pay Spain for its support during the war, France gave up all of its claims west of the
Mississippi to Spain.
For France, of course, the results of the war were disappointing. For the Native Americans who had sided with
the French, the loss of the war was devastating. They lost important allies and trading partners in the French.
Now, they were forced to deal with the British, whom they still considered enemies. The British raised the
prices of goods that were now necessities for Natives (iron tools, guns, textiles, etc.) and refused to pay Native
Americans for the use and settlement of their land.
For Britain, the results of the war were a mixed bag. The clear benefit to Britain came from the increased
resources, power, and prestige that winning the war brought. But like all wars, especially wars fought away
from home, the French and Indian War was extremely costly. Britain was left with a huge war debt.
As a result of the British victory, British territory in America more than doubled. In terms of land and resources,
Britain clearly benefitted. However, the cost of maintaining Britain’s enlarged empire also doubled. The money
Britain spent to keep its American holdings secure was added to its already tremendous war debt. To ease some
of this financial burden, Britain limited the territory it would maintain and protect to lands east of the
Appalachian Mountains. The British government declared that land west of the Appalachians was off limits to
American colonists. Britain hoped that by limiting the areas where colonists could settle, conflicts with Native
Americans would end. The Proclamation of 1763 made the Appalachian Mountains the official western
boundary for all colonists.
Britain also had twice as much territory away from home to try to govern. In the past, supervision of the thirteen
colonies was rather loose and minimal. Now, British officials realized that it would need to monitor its
American holdings much more closely. Authority over the American territory would be much stricter than in
the past. Also, the British began to expect the American colonists to take on some of the financial burden of
running the British Empire.
The war itself had created some tensions between Britain and the American colonists. Britain felt that American
soldiers had been incompetent. The British were also angry that the colonies had provided so little financial
support for the war, when Britain saw the war as one fought primarily for the benefit of the colonists.
Americans were also resentful toward the British. They were still angry about having been forced to supply
British troops with food, supplies, and shelter without being paid. Also, American colonists were still perturbed
about Britain having impressed, or forcibly enlisted, American colonists into the war. Furthermore, the colonists
were irate about the Proclamation of 1763. Some colonists had already bought land west of the Appalachians.
They were furious that the British had taken away their right to live on land they had purchased. Other
Americans simply disliked the Proclamation of 1763 on principle. They wondered what right the British
government had in telling them where they could and could not settle. In short, colonists believed that Britain
was interfering with their lives and futures too much.