France and Britain Clash Chapter 4, Lesson 3

Introduction By 1689, France and Britain began competing for the title of the most powerful in Europe. This occurred for many generations with only short bursts of peace. Nathaniel Ames was quoted as saying, “ The part of North America which may be claimed by Great Britain or France are of as much worth as either Kingdom. That fertile country to the west of the Appalachian Mountains [is the ] ‘Garden of the World’!”

British-French Rivalry The competition between Britain and France had been occurring for centuries. By the 1700s they were two of the strongest powers in Europe. These feelings of bitterness would follow into the colonies of both countries. Hostility would begin to increase when as the British began pushing up against French-held territory. At the same time , some land companies wanted to explore opportunities in the Ohio River valley. The French also regarded this area as their own and did not intend to let the British share in their profitable fur trade.

British-French Rivalry By 1740s British fur traders went into the Ohio country. A for was constructed in the territory of the Miami people at a place called Pickawillany. It was quickly attacked and drove the British traders out of Ohio. The French would follow up and build a string of forts along the rivers of the upper Ohio Valley, closer to the British colonies than ever before. In the early 1700s, Britain controlled Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, and the Hudson Bay region.

British-French Rivalry In the 1740s French troops raided towns in Maine and New York. New Englanders responded by going north and capturing French fortresses at Louisbourg on Cape Breton Island, north of Nova Scotia. England would return Louisbourg back to the French, to the disgust of the New England colonists.

Native Americans Take Sides The French traders and the British colonists knew that Native Americans could make a difference in the struggle for North America. The French had many Native American allies. French were more interested in trading furs and not taking over Native American land. French had better relations as well. Would marry Native American women and follow their customs. French missionaries traveled through the area, converting many Native Americans to Catholicism.

Native Americans Take Sides During wars between these two super powers, the Natives often helped the French by raiding British settlements. The Abenaki people joined the French in an attack on the British frontier outposts at Deerfield, Massachusetts, where almost 50 settlers were killed.

The Iroquois Confederacy The Iroquois Confederacy was the most powerful Native American group in the East. They were based in New York and originally formed in about 1570. It included the five nations of the Mohawk, Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, and Oneida and others would later join or were conquered by the Iroquois. Remained independent by trading with both the French and British and would play them against each other which led to the control of the areas around the Great Lakes.

The Iroquois Confederacy By the mid-1700s, the Iroquois came under greater pressure as the British moved into the Ohio Valley. Eventually they gave certain trading rights British and reluctantly became their allies. This would upset the balance of power between the French and British that was difficult to establish.

American Colonists Take Action A group of Virginians intended to settle the Ohio valley. In the fall of 1753 Governor Dinwiddie of Virginia sent a 21 year old George Washington to Ohio country with the purpose to tell the French they were trespassing on land claimed by Britain. He demanded they leave but was given the response, “that it was their absolute design to take possession of the Ohio, and by God they would do it.”

Governor Robert Dinwiddie A Young Washington

Washington’s First Command In 1754 Dinwiddie made Washington a lieutenant colonel and sent him back to the Ohio country with a militia (a group of civilians trained to fight in emergencies) of 150 men. They were intended to build a fort where the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers meet (Present-day Pittsburgh). When Washington got there, the French were already building Fort Duquesne (doo-KAYN) Washington established Fort Necessity.

Washington’s First Command Washington though greatly outnumbered and inexperienced, attacked a French scouting party. (What could go wrong, right?) The French surrounded Washington’s soldiers and forced them to surrender. They were eventually released and allowed to return to Virginia. Washington’s account was published and his fame grew. He was seen by the colonists as a hero despite losing the battle, for striking the first blow.

The Albany Plan of Union While Washington dealt with the French others met up. Representatives from New England, New York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland to discuss the threat of war. They gathered in Albany, New York, in 1754 to find a way for the colonists to defend themselves against the French. Benjamin Franklin would suggest the Albany Plan of Union. It called for one general government for 11 of the American colonies.

The Albany Plan of Union An elected legislature would govern these colonies and would have the power to collect tax, raise troops, and regulate trade. None of the colonies approved the plan because they were unwilling to give up their power. It ultimately failed to unite the colonies against the French. Disappointed, Franklin wrote: “Everyone cries, a union is necessary, but when they come to the manner and form of the union, their weak noodles [brains] are perfectly distracted.”

The Albany Plan of Union Washington’s defeat at Fort Necessity marked the start of a series of clashes and full-scale war. The colonists called it the French and Indian War because they fought the French and their Native American allies.