Bellringer: D2T4 As you’ve worked on your Apprenticeship Assignment, what are some interesting things that you’ve learned? Share 2 things:

Ch. 4.2 Part II: France & Britain Clash U.S. History I Ch. 4.2 Part II: France & Britain Clash

British-French Rivalry Britain and France have been rivals for a very long time, with many wars happening between the two in Europe. This rivalry carried over to the New World and their claims here as well. As French and British colonies started getting closer to each other, conflicts inevitably arose. The British tried to establish forts deeper into French territory (the Ohio Valley), and the French drove them out, and built their own forts in the Ohio River Valley. At this point, tensions are rising. The French raid some towns in the 1740s in New York and Maine are attacked by the French. In response, some New Englander forces retaliated and conquer key areas, including Louisbourg at Cape Breton Island, but the areas they conquer are given back to the French (which ticks off the New Englanders). Trouble was brewing, and would lead to war. So who did the Native Americans side with? Usually the French: VID

Here’s what the maps looked like at the time: Note that while areas were claimed by different groups, that didn’t mean they had much if any true presence there. Native Americans still lived in almost all of these areas.

Further Conflicts As time passed, the Native Americans felt pressure to join one side or the other. The most powerful group of native Americans in the area were known as the Iroquois Confederacy, a group of tribes living around New York, included 5 original tribes (though others joined later): The Mohawk, Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, and Oneida. The Iroquois had been independent of the rivalries between the French and English by trading with both, and playing one off of the other. As the British started to encroach on the Ohio Valley, the Iroquois reluctantly became their allies. This would change the balance of power in favor of the British. 1753: Governor Dinwiddie of Virginia had his eye on the Ohio Valley, and sent a young surveyor, George Washington, to check it out. His orders were to tell the French that they were trespassing on British territory. The French sent him packing.

Threat of War The next spring, 1754, Gov. Dinwiddie made Washington a lieutenant colonel (his first command), and sent him back to the Ohio Valley with a militia, a group of trained civilians that fight in emergencies, to build a fort (Ft. Necessity) where the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers met. When he got there, the French had beat him there, and were building their own fort, Ft. Duquesne. Washington attacked, and they were defeated and forced to surrender. They let them go, but in spite of the loss, Washington was considered a hero for having taken a stab at the French. VID Meanwhile, the colonies were worried about war, so they tried to pass the Albany Plan of Union, which called for the American colonies to unite for their common defense. The meeting failed however. VID

HW: Keep working on your Apprenticeship Project (Parts II and III) You ought to figure out your tangible / product choice soon. Chat with Mr. Wright to figure out what you’ll be doing! Reminder: Part I (Apprenticeship Handout) was due last time; make sure Mr. Wright sees that you completed it!