AMERICAN HISTORY
FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR
FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR
Starting in 1689 and for the next 75 years, England
was almost constantly at war in Europe; always against
France. Americans were involved in these wars because
the French had also become a colonial power in North
America.
The purpose for which the French made settlements
in this country was quite different from the purpose which
the English had in mind when they made their
settlements. The English settlers were usually farmers
who established a home in one place and remained
there. The French were interested in the profitable fur
trade with the Indians; and in order to engage in this,
they had to lead a roving, adventurous life. In building up
this trade, the French erected and maintained a chain of
trading posts and forts which extended from the mouth of
the St. Lawrence River to New Orleans by way of the
Great Lakes and the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. The
French expansion might have proved a great danger to
the Dutch and to the middle English colonies if it had not
been for the Iroquois Indians, who were unfriendly to the
French. Another difference between the English and
French colonists was in the way in which the colonies
were governed. The English colonies gradually
developed a system of self-government but the
government of the French colonies was paternalistic-ruled by the French king.
Whenever war broke out in Europe between England
and France, French and English colonists
fought in America. It was difficult for them to get at each
other because their posts and settlements in America lay
far apart in the wilderness. Most of the battles consisted
of sneak attacks and raids on frontier outposts.
Relatively few colonists actually took up arms. Much of
the fighting was done by Indians allied with one side or
the other. However, a life and death struggle between
the English and French colonies in America was
inevitable. The location of the chain of French forts was
such that there was no opportunity for the English to
expand their possessions by moving west of the
Appalachian Mountains. Another reason was that the
French were constantly stirring up the Indians against the
English.
There were four wars which are commonly referred
to as the French and Indian Wars. The name is a little
misleading because all these wars were conflicts
between the French and the English, although there
were some Indians on both sides, too. The four wars are
known by the following names:
King William's War (1689-1697)
Queen Anne's War (1712-1713)
King George's War (1744-1748)
The Seven Year's War (1756-1763)
Though considerable blood had been spilled
between 1689 and 1748, neither England nor France had
gained much from the other in America. In 1752 the
French governor of Canada, the Marquis Duquesne de
Menneville, ordered the construction of a new chain of
forts running from Lake Erie south to the Ohio River, in
what is now western Pennsylvania.
These forts,
Duquesne believed, would keep English fur traders and
setters from crossing the Appalachian Mountains into
territory claimed by France.
Duquesne's action alarmed many people in the
English colonies, none more so than Lieutenant
Governor Robert Dinwiddie of Virginia. Dinwiddie, a
Scot, had served in Barbados, Bermuda, and other
colonies before being assigned to Virginia. He was very
interested in buying land beyond the frontier, which could
later be sold to settlers at a big profit.
When Dinwiddie learned what the French were
doing, he sent a young planter and land surveyor named
George Washington to warn them that they were
trespassing on Virginia property. Washington was only
21 years old, but as a surveyor he knew the western land
well. In November 1753 he set out with a party of six to
find the French commander. After weeks of tramping
through the icy western forests, Washington delivered
Dinwiddie's message. But Duquesne rejected it with
contempt.
In the spring of 1754, Dinwiddie sent another group
of Virginians to build a fort where the Monongahela and
Allegheny join to form the Ohio River. He also appointed
Washington as lieutenant colonel of the Virginia militia
and ordered him to lead a force of 150 soldiers to protect
the new post against possible French attack.
Before Washington could reach the Ohio River, the
French drove off the construction party and completed
the post on their own, naming it Duquesne. They
occupied it with a force of about 600 men.
Washington should have turned back at this point or
at least called for reinforcements. But he was young,
ambitious, and headstrong. He marched straight toward
Fort Duquesne. On the way he surprised a small French
scouting party, killing their leader. The main French force
then advanced against him. He set up a defensive post,
Fort Necessity, but the French easily surrounded it. After
an all-day attack Washington had to surrender. The
French commander then allowed him and his men to go
free. They returned to Virginia, leaving the disputed
territory to the French.
With Washington's retreat the war began in earnest.
In all North America there were no more than 90,000
French settlers. The population of the English colonies
was about 1.5 million. Thousands of British soldiers took
part in the struggle. Yet for about two years the
outnumbered French won all the battles. They were
experts at forest (guerrilla) warfare. Most of the Indians
sided with them, for unlike the English, the French
colonists were mostly interested in the fur trade. They
did not try to force the Indians to give up their lands or
abandon their ways of life.
In 1754 the British government asked for a colonial
conference to make a firm treaty of alliance with the
powerful Iroquois Indian nation. Representatives from
New
York,
Pennsylvania,
New
Hampshire,
Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island attended
the conference in Albany, New York.
The Iroquois had long maintained a seldom broken
peace with the English.
Now, however, they had
complaints over land and trade agreements that were
being violated. It was vital to the British government that
the Iroquois remain their allies. If the Iroquois joined the
French, it would be disastrous for the British.
After discussing relations with the Iroquois, the
Albany Congress took up the questions of general
colonial defense. Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania and
Thomas Hutchinson of Massachusetts presented a plan
of union for the colonies. "The Albany Plan of Union"
called for a "Grand Council" which would have the
power to maintain an army, deal with Indian
problems, regulate expansion westward, and levy
taxes. This plan did not gain support either among the
colonies or in Parliament. Even in time of war, each
colony had tended to act alone.
Jealous of its
independence, each colony pursued whatever course its
leaders and people thought would be in their own best
interest. The British government was not enthusiastic
about Franklin's plan or any other sort of colonial union.
If the colonies united on any basis, they threatened
British control of them.
The first political cartoon in America by Benjamin
Franklin:
Early in 1755 Major General Edward Braddock
arrived in Virginia with two regiments of red-coated
British soldiers. His orders were to drive the French out
of Fort Duquesne. Braddock was a veteran with over 40
years in the British army. But his long military experience
proved a disadvantage in America. Instead of moving
swiftly along forest trails, guided by Indian scouts, he
carved a road through the wilderness so that he could
haul heavy cannon for the attack on the French.
Under such conditions surprise was impossible. As
the troops approached Fort Duquesne, the French were
ready for them. When Braddock's force of 1,400 men
was passing through a narrow gulch about 8 miles from
the fort, the woods suddenly exploded with gunfire.
Redcoats fell by the hundreds. Panic spread among the
survivors. Braddock fought bravely but finally went
down, a bullet through his lungs. In the long run,
however Braddock's campaign might be considered a
success because his road became the means by which
English settlers moved into and conquered the entire
Ohio Valley.
Colonel Washington, who was serving under
Braddock, miraculously escaped injury. A big man, well
over six feet, he must have presented a tempting target
as he tried to rally and organize the British soldiers. Two
horses were shot from under him. After he had finally
led the 500 survivors back to safety, he discovered four
bullet holes in his coat.
The British were not easily discouraged. The tide
began to turn after a brilliant English politician, William
Pitt, was elected Prime Minister of England and took
over management of the war effort. He sent over more
troops and supplies. In 1758 English troops finally
captured Fort Duquesne. They changed its name to Fort
Pitt, which is why the modern city on the site is named
Pittsburgh.
Gradually other key French posts were taken. The
most decisive battle occurred at the city of Quebec in
1759. Quebec is located on a cliff overlooking the St.
Lawrence River. The British attack force, led by General
James Wolfe, could not at first find a way to get up the
cliff without being exposed to murderous fire.
Then one day Wolfe noticed some women washing
clothes on the bank of the St. Lawrence. The next day
he saw the same clothes hung out to dry on the cliff
above. There must be a hidden path up the cliff! Wolfe
investigated, found the path, and in the dead of night
moved his army up to the city. There on a field called the
Plains of Abraham, the battle took place. Both Wolfe and
the French commander, General Louis Joseph de
Montcalm were killed.
This fight ended with the
surrender of Quebec to the English.
By this time the conflict had spread through the
world, including Europe, where it had been called the
Seven Years' War. Everywhere the British were
victorious. French outposts in Asia and Africa were
captured. Spain entered the conflict on the side of
France in 1761, only to see its colonies in Cuba and the
Philippine Islands overwhelmed by the British.
When the war ended in 1763, the British were able to
redraw the map of the world. Outside of North America
they were remarkably generous. The Treaty of Paris of
1763 stated that the British would return most of the
lands they had conquered. France gave up all the
territory east of the Mississippi River except New
Orleans. France also ceded Canada and the region
south of the Great Lakes. Spain, who had allied with
France, gave Florida to Britain. France gave Spain New
Orleans and all the land west of the Mississippi.
Nearly everyone in the English colonies in America
was delighted with the outcome of the war. The French
threat had been removed. Spain had been pushed back
from the southern frontier. The way to the West lay open.
Although some of the colonies had contributed men
and money to the conflict, British soldiers and sailors had
done most of the fighting. The royal treasury paid most of
the bills. Never did Americans feel more loyal to the king
or more grateful to England than in 1763.
QUESTIONS
Answer these in your Cornell notes notebook. Title
the page “French and Indian War Reflection
Questions”
1. ANALYZE Franklin’s “Join or Die” cartoon.
Explain the message Franklin was trying to
send to his fellow colonists? Explain how British
officials may have viewed/interpreted this
cartoon?
2. EXPLAIN how the French were able to win the
majority of the battles during the first 2 years of the
war even though the British had more soldiers?
3. Identify the group in North America that would not
have been “delighted” that the British colonists had
access to the lands in the west.
4. Explain the economic benefit that the winner of the
French and Indian War received and how this
caused France and England to commit so much of
their financial and military resources to fighting in
North America.