A. French and Indian War ( ) - war between France and England for control over North America
1. France - fur trappers; many French fur trappers married Indian wives & adopted Indian culture - most Native Americans join the French - New France has a low population (80,000)
2. England - mainly farmers = want new land claimed by France - farmers ignore Indian land rights - large population (over 2 million English colonists) - Iroquois Confederacy joins the English
3. Albany Plan (1754) - Ben Franklin’s plan to unite the colonial militias (join or die) - wanted to form an army to fight the French - militia = common men who train to fight as soldiers during an emergency results = Albany Plan fails because colonial assemblies refuse to give up any power = colonies refuse to unite
4. French and Indian War Starts - both France and England claim the Ohio Valley (Western Pennsylvania) - French build a line of forts along the Appalachian Mountains - France’s center of defense line is Fort Dusquesne (now Pittsburgh) result = British (England) send an army to attack New France
5. British Attack the French (1754) - Braddock’s Defeat - British send an army under General Edward “Bulldog” Braddock to capture Fort Dusquesne and the Ohio Valley results = Braddock refused to listen to colonial leaders like young George Washington = his army is ambushed and nearly wiped out = he tries to fight like he is in Europe, not the forests of America = for the next 2 years the British are defeated often
6. William Pitt (1756) - elected prime minister of England - he is a great leader = British begin to win
a.Pitt makes an alliance with Prussia (today Germany) results = Prussia has the best army in Europe and attacks France = France stops sending troops to America because of the Prussian invasion
b. England is an Island results = England has the best navy in the world = Pitt sends some of his best troops and generals to attack French in America
7. General Wolfe (1759) - British General that captures the French Fort at Louisburg which controls the entrance to the St. Lawrence River - General Wolfe sails up the St. Lawrence River to capture the French capital city of Quebec result = British win the war
8. Treaty of Paris (1763) - ends French and Indian War results a. British win Canada & Louisiana b. French lose their empire in America c. Britain is now the most powerful country on earth d. Britain is deeply in debt from years of war **Britain decides to tax the American colonies**
9. Proclamation of 1763 What?: Boundary (Appalachian Mountains) separating the 13 British colonies with Indian land to the west. Why? England wanted to avoid future conflicts between Indians and colonists. Result: Colonists view the Proclamation line as a restriction to their rights to expand on former French owned land in N. America. Some colonists ignore Britain’s Proclamation Line.