Unit 6: Conflict Over Land
Name ______
S.S., Per. ___
Date _______
I. French and Indian War Synopsis: Guided Notes
I can understand the causes and outcome of the French and Indian War.
The French and Indian War: Synopsis
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 British, with 13 colonies along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, were not the only Europeans who claimed territory
in North America. Spain claimed modern-day Florida, California, and Mexico. France held large claims of land west of
the British colonies all the way west to the Colorado River, north to the Great Lakes, and northeast through modern-day
Nova Scotia. French claims included land in the agriculturally valuable Mississippi and Ohio River Valleys, which
France controlled with a series of forts, trading posts, religious missions, and settlements.
For a couple of reasons, English settlers were eager to expand westward. High birth rates and low infant mortality
combined to create dramatic increases in population – it was doubling every twenty-five years. Colonists argued that if
additional land was not opened for settlement, the colonies would begin to deteriorate. English farmers were also
anxious to move west. Their farming practices tended to “wear out” the soil. English Farmers hoped to leave their worn
out land in favor of more fertile land in the Ohio River Valley region, an area controlled by France.
The British did not want their colonies encircled by French settlements along the Mississippi Valley and Canada. The
French did not want British colonists to share in the profitable fur trade with Native Americans. Eventually, an open
conflict erupted between the French and British. They fought over resources and land. They clashed over the fur trade
and the rights to rich fishing waters of the North Atlantic. The colonists called the conflict the French and Indian War
because they were fighting two enemies: the French and the French’s Native American allies.
Both the British and French knew that whichever side received the best trade terms with the Native Americans and the
most help in war from the Native Americans would probably win control of North America. The British won some
Native allies because with its stronger economy, it could offer the Natives more and better goods.
The French won other Native American allies for different reasons. For one thing, the French were interested mainly in
trading for furs, not in taking over Native American land like the British had been doing. The French were also more
tolerant than the British of Native American ways. French trappers and fur traders often married Native American
women and followed Native customs. While French missionaries converted many Natives to Catholicism, they let
Natives maintain their own cultures. The British, however, often attempted to destroy Native culture. During the war,
Native Americans often helped their French allies by raiding British settlements.
The British regiments were commanded by General Braddock. He was experienced in European warfare, but not in the
type of fighting that took place in the forests of North America. The French and their Native allies used all available
cover to conceal themselves, sneak up on and fire on the enemy. Braddock was never able to counter these guerrilla
tactics. With the help of their Native allies, the French took an early lead in the conflict.
Eventually, though, Britain gained the upper hand. Britain brought in its navy, which blocked France from reinforcing
its troops with food and supplies. Poor harvests had made French troops particularly dependent on supplies brought in
from elsewhere. Also, Britain increased its fighting force by impressing, or forcibly enlisting, colonists into the army
and navy. British forces also benefited by taking supplies from colonial farmers and businessmen, usually without
compensation, or pay. Also, Britain forced colonists to provide shelter for British troops, again without being paid.
These measures strengthened the British war effort but angered the British colonists.
Another British advantage in the war came when the Iroquois Confederacy, which included the Mohawk, Seneca,
Cayuga, Onondaga, and Oneida nations, became British allies. For years, the Iroquois had remained independent of
Britain and France by trading with both and skillfully playing them off each other. As the British moved into the Ohio
River Valley, however, the Iroquois came under increased pressure to join the British. Their alliance with Britain tipped
the balance of power in the war toward the British. Eventually, Britain defeated France and its Native allies in the
French and Indian War.
Directions: Copy and complete the note stems below. When you are finished, you will have a concise summary of the
French and Indian War.
1. The three European countries that claimed territory in North America were ___ (¶1)
2. English settlers wanted to expand westward because 1) ___, and 2) ___ (¶2)
3. British and French fought over resources such as ___, ____, and ___. (¶3)
4. The conflict is called the French and Indian War because ___ (¶3)
5. Some Natives allied themselves with the British because ___ (¶4)
6. Some Natives allied themselves with the French because ___, and ___ (¶5)
7. The French took an early lead in the conflict because ___ (¶6)
8. The British Navy was brought in to ___ (¶7)
9. Britain angered British colonists by ___, ___, and ___. (¶7)
10. With help from the Iroquois Confederacy, Britain eventually defeated ___ (¶8)