The War Begins Chapter 5 Section 3 Pt I

Trouble in the Ohio Valley Just beyond the App. Mtns, the Ohio Valley was attracting English fur traders & land companies – The French feared losing control of the rivers that linked their settlements in Canada & Louisiana This set the stage for a 9-year-long war ( ) In 1753, the French sent troops into the region – This upset the VA colony, b/c they claimed the land VA’s governor responded by sending militia to tell the French to leave – The VA militia was led by 21-year-old George Washington

WAR! GW was charged w/ building a fort on the Ohio River to protect VA’s interests – When he reached the site, though, a French fort (Ft. Duquesne) was already built there GW hastily built a small fort nearby, called Ft. Necessity, in order to launch a surprise attack on the French – The attack failed, and GW’s small force was Ft. Necessity » GW was forced to retreat to VA, but he had effectively started the French & Indian War

The Albany Plan of Union Ben Franklin came up with a plan for the colonial war effort – He suggested that the colonies band together in order to strengthen their defense – BF’s Albany Plan of Union became the first formal proposal to unite the colonies under one govt. Each colony would send reps. to a “Grand Council” which would: 1.Collect taxes 2.Raise & outfit armies 3.Make treaties Unfortunately, the colonial legislatures rejected the plan b/c they did not want to give up control of their own affairs

Effects of the French & Indian War Ch 5 Sec 3 Pt II

Braddock’s Defeat & A New Strategy The commanding British General during the early days of the war was Edward Braddock – His tenure was a disaster and was punctuated by his death at Ft. Duquesne The British suffered a string of defeats over the next two years – It was not until 1757, w/ the election of new Prime Minister William Pitt, that the British fortunes changed Pitt was determined to win the war and in turn: 1.Sent Britain’s best Generals to America 2.Borrowed $ to pay more colonial troops

The War Ends By 1759, Pitt’s strategy caused the French to be beaten back to New France – The decisive Battle of Quebec, a British victory, effectively ended the war Though both sides continued to battle in other parts of the world, the F& I War officially ended w/ the signing of the Treaty of Paris. The terms were: 1.Britain gained Canada and all French lands east of the Miss. River (except New Orleans) 2.France kept 2 islands in the Gulf of St. Lawrence & its colonies in the W. Indies 3.Britain gained FL from Spain 4.Spain received New Orleans & all French land west of the Miss. River

Pontiac’s Rebellion Natives in the Ohio Valley responded to new British occupation by organizing and attacking British settlers and forts – One of the chief organizers was an Ottawa leader named Pontiac By the summer of 1763, Native forces had destroyed all but 3 British forts west of the Appalachians – The remaining forts were under siege The British employed a brutal tactic to break the siege at Ft. Pitt – Officers invited the Natives in for talks, offering blankets as a sign of peace – The natives accepted the blankets, not knowing that they were infected w/ smallpox – This started a deadly outbreak that effectively ended the rebellion

Effects of the F&I War The British now controlled a huge empire – The French had been effectively removed from N. America – The Spanish “controlled” vast lands, but were only a shell of their former power In order to aid in managing the empire, Parliament passed the Proclamation of 1763 – This law forbade British settlers to settle west of the Appalachians – This was meant to “protect” settlers and Natives from conflict Colonists were furious, b/c they felt they had won the right to settle in the Ohio Valley The British, in turn, grew angry w/ the ever increasing dissent they felt the colonials displayed for British authority