FRENCH & INDIAN WAR A.K.A. 7 YEARS WAR

California Social Studies Standards Chronological and Spatial Thinking 1.Students explain how major events are related to one another in time Historical Interpretation 1.Students explain the central issues and problems from the past, placing people and events in a matrix of time and place. 2.Students understand and distinguish cause, effect, sequence, and correlation in historical events, including the long-and short-term causal relations. 3.Students explain the sources of historical continuity and how the combination of ideas and events explains the emergence of new patterns. Content Standard 8.1 Students understand the major events preceding the founding of the nation and relate their significance to the development of American constitutional democracy.

Taking Notes: Use the back of the map titled FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR a.k.a. SEVEN YEARS WAR to take notes on key facts about the war and it’s outcome from the following slides. Bullet notes are sufficient.

England and France fought four wars against each other during the 1600s & 1700s.

The last and most important of these conflicts was the French and Indian War. It lasted from 1754 to 1763 Both the English and the French had colonies in North America.

The French territory, called New France, stretched over a vast area west and north of the Thirteen Colonies.

Only about 80,000 people lived in New France. The region was dotted by forts and trading posts, but had few cities and towns. France_map-en.svg/250px-Nouvelle-France_map-en.svg.png

The English territory included the Thirteen Colonies and an area around Hudson Bay. About 1,500,000 Englishmen lived in the 13 Colonies Map : Territory and population of French colonies (blue) British colonies (red) Spanish colonies (yellow)

The French and Indian War began in 1754 when both England and France claimed the Ohio River Valley.

The French build forts in the region to protect their fur trade. English settlers wanted the Ohio Valley because of the rich farmland there. /Broadcast/Kelsch/watersheds/media/gr aphics/unit_1/ohio_basin_labeled.jpg

Both England and France sent soldiers from Europe to North America to defend their colonies. es/colonial_soldiers_marching_md_wht.gif

Each side also had the help of various Indian tribes. During the 1 st years of the war, most of the battles were won by the French because they had more experience at fighting in the wilderness.

Eventually, though, the stronger and more numerous English forces turned the tide of the war. In 1763, the Treaty of Paris was signed ending the French and Indian War. Source: see link

The victorious English gained control of all French territory on the mainland of North America The war would have important results for the future of the Thirteen colonies.

First, the colonists saw that they were able to fight as well as English soldiers

Also, George Washington gained experience as a commander – experience which would later prove valuable during the Revolutionary War

And, Most importantly, with the French gone from North America, the colonists felt less dependent on England as a protective mother country.

The colonists began to think of themselves more as “Americans” than “Englishmen”

This new attitude contributed to the ill feelings and tensions that developed between the colonies and England in the years following the French & Indian War.

The French and Indian War also left England in great debt. Plans to get England out of debt increased tensions between the colonies & the mother country.

Map Exercise Use the map titled FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR a.k.a. SEVEN YEARS WAR Choose 5 colors for the 5 countries that had large claims to land in North America – remember blue is for water!!! Use the same colors for each key.

Color the left map to show colonial claims before the French & Indian War & the map on the right for after Answer the 5 questions below the maps