The Fall of the French and The Rise of the English

War in North America After 1743 Britain and France were almost always at war This meant that New France was at war with the Thirteen Colonies as well as war in Europe

Reasons for War The Thirteen Colonies were expanding and threatened New France’s control of the fur trade The two countries were economic rivals The French wanted to make Britain focus on North America and thus leave France a free hand in Europe

War in Nova Scotia The British fought the French on three fronts The Ohio Valley The St. Lawrence The British did have success in Nova Scotia

War in Nova Scotia (con’t) In the Treaty of Utrech (1713) the British gained control of mainland Nova Scotia also known as Acadia

War in Nova Scotia (con’t) British control of Nova Scotia caused the French to fortify Cape Breton at Louisbourg In 1749 British control of Acadia became more severe Colonel Edward Cornwallis arrived with 2600 settlers and established the town of Halifax The town was meant to rival the great French fortress of Louisbourg

War in Nova Scotia (con’t) The governor of Halifax, Charles Lawrence, decided the Acadians posed a threat to the British The Acadians were asked to swear to the British Empire and refused The Acadians were then forced from the countries –Some Acadians did eventually find their way home

War in Nova Scotia (con’t) After the removal of the Acadians the British turned to their attention on Louisbourg In 1758 the British massed a massive amphibious assault –160 War Ships –27,000 Troops

War in Nova Scotia (con’t) Cut of from supplies and reinforcements the fort was only able to last forty-nine days under English canon fire All of Nova Scotia were now under British domination More importantly they way was now open to the Quebec colony

The Fall of New France In May 1759 a fleet of 200 British Navy ships with 8000 men arrived in New France The force was commanded by Major-General James Wolfe

The Fall of New France The French were led by Montclam

The Fall of New France (con’t) The British positioned their artillery across the river on the high ground and bombarded Quebec –They leveled 80% of the city

They also attacked the low ground near Beauport but were repulsed every time They took out their frustration by burning farms and houses –Nearly 1400 habitations were burned

The Fall of New France (con’t) In September Wolfe was desperate to engage the French and agreed to a risky course of action Montcalm expected another attack at Beauport British ships were able to navigate the “impassable” rapids and land 4400 troops south of the fort

The Fall of New France (con’t) When the sun rose Montcalm saw the British massed for attack on the plains Montcalm decided to lead his remaining 4500 troops out to meet the British

Hind Sight There were several factors that led to the fall of New France: –The colony was dependant on the St. Lawrence which was easily blockaded –The small population was to dependant on France –The colony was too large for the number of defenders –Montcalm and the governor could not agree on defense, government officials began price gouging

Hind Sight (con’t) –Montcalm made bad decisions at critical junctures –The British Navy was too powerful and skilled

Discussion Questions What would you have done differently in the place of: –Wolfe? –Montcalm?

What Next? The Treaty of Paris of 1763 that ended the War virtually ceded all French possessions in North America to Britain.

Treaty of Paris 1763

What about the French? The ending of the French military threat did not remove all the challenges Britain had to face in North America. The former New France was home to nearly 60,000 French-speaking Catholics, all of European descent. They viewed themselves as belonging to a distinct society.

Assimilation vs. Accommodation In the Royal Proclamation of 1763, the British hoped to assimilate the French Catholic population by swamping the resident population with English-speaking settlers from the Thirteen Colonies. Few such settlers migrated to Quebec and the colony's population remained overwhelmingly French and Catholic.