What should you know today? What was the French and Indian War? Who fought it and what happened as a result?

What was the New World like at this point in history? The French, British, and Spanish all had colonies in the New World. The colonies were all fighting over the land and the boundaries with each other and the Native Americans. Remember our motivations: God, Gold, Glory All of the mother countries were still wanting to own more land!! What could possibly go wrong?

Rivalry Between France and Britain Because of Robert LaSalle’s claims, New France covered an enormous amount of land in The French and English both continued to claim new land. They began to fight over who actually “owned” the land in the Ohio River Valley. British French

Native Americans and the French The development of New France and the growth of the French colonies was closely associated with a raw material much needed in Europe: fur. Beaver, whose fur was used to make felt hats,was abundant in the forests of North America. The French had a great relationship with the Native Americans because of the fur trade between the two groups.

The French did not destroy Native American hunting grounds by clearing forests or claiming too much land for their families. The French often married Native American women. Native Americans chose to side with the French to help limit the expansion of the English colonies to the west.

Native Americans and the British Some Native Americans decided that the only way to protect their way of life was to take sides in the struggle. The powerful Iroquois Confederation sided with the British because they hated the Algonquin and the Huron people.

Conflict in the Ohio Valley English settlers stayed along the Atlantic coast until the 1740s. English traders began crossing the Appalachian Mountains in search of furs and to claim more land. British settlers move west

French traders moved east from the Great Lakes and south from Canada FrenchFrench FrenchFrench

Each group believed they owned the rights to the land. Both English and French settlers attempted to colonize the area around present day Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

1753 French troops from Canada marched south to seize and fortify the Ohio Valley. Britain protested the invasion and claimed Ohio for itself.

Robert Dinwiddie, lieutenant governor of Virginia sent 21 year old George Washington to deliver a letter to the French commander asking them to leave the area. The French sent Washington away.

The British Build Fort Prince George The British built Fort Prince George at a point where the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers come together to form the Ohio River. The fort was captured by the French before it was completed.

Fort Duquesne The French knocked down the British fort and built Fort Duquesne.

Washington was sent back to the Ohio country in April 1754 to assist in the building of Fort Prince George. On the way, Washington received word that the French had just completed Fort Duquesne. Shortly after, Indian scouts warned Washington that the French were in the area.

May 1754 Washington launched a surprise attack on the French. A large number of the French militia were killed in this attack.

Anticipating a French counterattack,Washington ordered his men to build a fort in a marshy clearing called Great Meadow later named Fort Necessity. Later in the month the French surrounded the fort. Washington quickly ran out of ammunition. Under the terms of the surrender Washington was allowed to withdraw from the area.

Fort Necessity

The British sent General Edward Braddock to America in 1754 to restore and strengthen the British position in the Ohio Valley and the Great Lakes region after the defeat of George Washington at Fort Necessity.

Britain continued to send additional troops and generals to help capture French forts east of the Mississippi River and in Canada (Quebec and Montreal).

The End of the War Before the war After the war

$$ The Cost of War $$ The British won the war but had a large debt as a result. The British Parliament decided that this debt should be paid by the colonist, not citizens living in Britain. This was a change in the policy of the government of Britain. Before the war, the colonies were self- governing. After the war, the British Parliament began to pass laws that changed the relationship between the colonies and the mother country. Colonists were angry with the King and Parliament! They felt that the government shouldn’t impose taxes or change policies in the colonies. They began to protest and boycott British goods.