The French and Indian War

Competing European Claims

Who? French and Indian war was the result of disputes between France and Great Britain that had been going on for over 65 years

Why? Basically, greed and fear- Greed: who could get the most land in the New World and control the natural resources Fear: one country would gain more power than the other

Why, continued Great Britain had a strong alliance with the six tribes of the Iroquois Confederacy French were trading partners with many of the western Native American tribes French had better military leadership, unlike the British colonists AND they didn’t argue among themselves as much

What Tension between the two countries increased because both claimed the area of the Ohio River Valley-this was a huge frontier region in which British traders had formed profitable agreements with many Indian tribes that had formerly traded only with the French

What… 1753, Virginia’s governor sent George Washington to warn the French that they Ohio River Valley did not belong to them A year later, Washington was again sent with the same message but this time he didn’t go alone-he had 150 Virginia militia troops with him

The Battle of Fort Necessity The French set up forts to protect their fur trading interests. Some of these forts conflicted with English claims. Virginia Governor Dinwiddie dispatched a young George Washington in 1753 to deliver a protest to the French. This protest was ignored. The British sent a party to construct a fort on the site of modern Pittsburg. Young George Washington

What, what … 22 year old Washington set up a stockade that they called Ft. Necessity, and after a scout reported French soldiers in a nearby camp, Washington’s men attacked and forced the French to surrender The French later retaliated and Washington was forced to surrender

Sooo… This was the beginning of the French and Indian War, or Seven Years’ War, as it was called in Europe The British suffered many losses but were eventually victorious and the frontier came under British rule

Georgia’s Role Georgia did not take part in the war but it was helped by the war The Treaty of Paris of 1763 which formally ended the war, set Georgia’s western boundary at the Mississippi River

The Treaty of Paris The 1763 Treaty of Paris ended the French and Indian War. The French transferred its claims west of the Mississippi to Spain and ceded its territory east of the Mississippi to the British. The Treaties of Easton and Paris limited colonization to the Eastern seaboard.

The Royal Proclamation of 1763 Violent incidents such as Pontiac's Rebellion prompted the English crown to attempt to mandate an end to encroachments on territory promised to the Indians. Settlers were not to establish themselves west of the “Proclamation Line.” The effort was unsuccessful and is viewed by many to be a leading cause of the Revolutionary War.

Results… British gained control of Canada The western frontier was opened for settlement Great Britain obtained Florida (Spain had been allied with France) France gave the Louisiana Territory to Spain France lost all land AND…

The Biggie… The French and Indian War led to the American Revolution After the war, Great Britain had a huge war debt and decided to tax the colonist to cover those expenses