The Conquest of New France
Causes of the Conquest
The Rivals: Britain and France
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In the 1700’s, Britain and France were the major powers in
Europe
The French (Fre) wanted control over Europe
The English (Eng) wanted a world empire
They both wanted power, so there was conflict!
First Intercolonial War 1689-97
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French raided villages in Thirteen Colonies
(1690)
English forts were captured in Acadia and
Newfoundland (Nfld.) 1694-97
Treaty of Rijswijk – no territorial change and
the French gave back the forts to the English
Second Intercolonial War 1702-13
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French raided the Thirteen Colonies,
captured forts in Nfld. and Hudson Bay
English captured Port-Royal (Nova Scotia)
Treaty of Utrecht – the Fre. ceded Acadia,
Nfld., and Hudson Bay
Both sides constructed forts:
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France – Louisbourg (to protect St.Lawrence)
England – Fort William Henry
The French fort at Louisbourg
Third Intercolonial War 1744-48
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Colonists from the Thirteen Colonies
captured Fort Louisbourg (1745)
Treaty of Aie-la-Chapelle – Louisbourg
returned to the French
Renewed conflict (1748-55)
British deport 6, 000 Acadiens
Seven Years War 1756-63
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French victorious at first
British regained Fort Duquesne, victory at
Oswego, Frontenac, Louisbourg (1758)
Seige of Quebec in 1759…
Wolfe (English) vs. Montcalm (French) at the
Battle of the Plains of Abraham.
James Wolfe
Marquis de Montcalm
Battle of the Plains of Abraham (1759)
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Wolfe wanted to draw Montcalm into a fight before
winter – he decided to attack at Quebec City
Wolfe led elite troops up the cliffs outside Quebec to
the Plains of Abraham
Instead of waiting inside the fort for Wolfe, Montcalm
led his men out on the plains to meet Wolfe
Montcalm’s men were tired, the Fre. were defeated,
they lost Quebec
Wolfe died during the battle, and Montcalm died from
a wound the next day
Battle of the Plains of Abraham (1759)
The End of New France…
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Montcalm and the French defeated at Quebec
(1759)
Montreal surrenders and succumbs to British rule
(1760)
War is over in N.A.
Treaty of Paris (1763) – France gives up all territory
in N.A except St. Pierre and Miquelon. Britain
controlled all territory east of the Mississippi River
The Differences Between France and
the Thirteen Colonies
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The population of New France grew slowly – there
were 70,000 people in 1760
The population was much higher in the Thirteen
Colonies, the population was 1, 500, 000.
The economy of New France was based on the fur
trade – dependent on France
The economy of the Thirteen Colonies was more
diverse – independent and prosperous
Differences continued . . .
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New France had a Royal Government –
power was centralized in France
In the Thirteen Colonies, there was a
different administration for each colony (this
made it difficult to make unanimous
decisions
However, people had a say in the
government of the Thirteen Colonies
The Conquest in New France
Fighting in North
America
The Introduction
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British settlers wanted the Ohio Valley to themselves
The Fre. wanted to keep it because it was a good
area for furs
The two sides wanted the same thing, so a conflict
was inevitable
For a while, the Fre. and their Native allies had kept
the settlers out
War broke out in July 1754 – The Seven Years War
The Rising Action
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The two empires, France and Britain were at war in
Europe
When they were at war, most of the colonies were at
war
In Europe, Britain made an alliance with Prussia –
this helped them in Europe, so they could
concentrate on fighting in the colonies
The British Prime Minister wanted New France
because he thought it could give Britain commercial
supremacy
Rising Action--continued
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The administration in the American colonies decided
to unite against the Fre. in North America
The British lost some battles at the beginning of the
war
The Fre. didn’t have a good navy, they had fewer
soldiers and the Fre. commander’s (General
Montcalm) defensive strategy was ineffective
General Wolfe (British commander), to get Montcalm
to leave his defensive positions, adopted a
“scorched earth” policy – burn everything: towns,
villages, etc. – the Fre. wouldn’t leave
Montcalm & Wolfe
The Falling Action
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In the spring of 1760, the Fre. Won a battle at
Sainte-Foy, but it didn’t have a huge impact
The British fleet arrived in New France, the
Fre. retreated to Mtl.
The British (General Murray, Brigadier
Haviland, General Amherst) surrounded Mtl.
The French surrendered to avoid more
bloodshed