1. The French and Indian War (1754-1763)
Coach Kuntz
United States History

2. Setting the Stage for War
-By the mid-1700s, the major powers of Europe were in a worldwide struggle for empire. This desire for land was especially true in North America.
-In North America, the French build an extensive system of forts to stop the English colonies from expanding west.
-In the 1740s, English settlers began crossing the Appalachian Mountains and into the Ohio Valley. The English were hunting furs and trade with Indians.

3. Native Americans Choose Sides
-The French thought that Native Americans would side with them because they were trappers and traders and didn’t destroy Native American lands.
-Native Americans felt like they were trapped between the French and British, who were preparing for war. They believed that they had to pick a side to protect their way of life.
-The Iroquois joined the British because of William Johnson and won Native American allies in the Ohio Valley by charging lower prices for trade goods.

4. The War Begins
-The British and French had fought three times in North America between 1689 and Each war ended with an uneasy peace.
-Fighting again broke out in English colonists called this the French and Indian War because it pitted them against France and their Native allies.
-The war was centered around the Ohio River Valley, where the opening shots of the war were fired.

5. The War Begins (Cont.)
-In 1754, George Washington led 150 men into the Ohio Valley and was tasked with building a British Fort at the head of the Ohio River.
-On this mission, Washington and his men fought the French and Indians at a makeshift English fort named Fort Necessity.
-At this battle, Washington and his men were surrounded by 700 enemies and were forced to surrender. But the French released Washington and allowed him to return home.

6. The Albany Congress
-In 1754 delegates from seven colonies met in Albany New York, for the purpose of (1) cementing an alliance with the Iroquois and (2) planning a unified colonial defense.
-At the meeting Benjamin Franklin and the delegates from Pennsylvania proposed the Albany Plan of Union which created “one general government” for the 13 colonies.
-The plan created a representative grand council that could (1) make laws, (2) raise taxes, and (3) set up the defense of the colonies.

7. The Albany Congress (Cont.)
-The plan was approved by the delegates at the Albany Congress and was sent to the colonial assemblies (the governments of the individual colonies) for approval.
-None of the colonial assemblies approved the plan.
-The colonial assemblies did not want to give up any of their power to a central council.
- “Everyone cries a union is necessary. But when they come to the manner and form of the union, their weak noodles are perfectly distracted.” –Benjamin Franklin

8. The Ups and Downs of War
-The British were easily defeated in the early years of the war. They lost a bloody battle at Fort Duquesne, where British General Edward Braddock lost half of his men.
-In 1757, William Pitt became the new head of the British government and made his priority winning the war in North America.
-To win the war, Pitt sent Britain’s best generals to North America and encouraged colonists to support the war by promising (1) large payments for military service and (2) supplies.

9. The Fall of New France
-In 1759, the British were able to push the French out from Fort Niagara, Crown Point, and Fort Ticonderoga. After these victories, the William Pitt sent General James Wolfe to capture Quebec.
-Quebec was important because (1) it was the capital of New France and (2) it was used to supply other French forts in North America.
-With 4,000 British troops, Wolfe forced the surrender of Quebec. This was the beginning of the end of the war in North America. But the war continued another four years in Europe.

10. The End of the War
-In 1763, Britain and France signed the Treaty of Paris, which officially ended the French and Indian War.
-The terms of the treaty were:
1. Britain gained Canada and all French lands east of the Mississippi River except New Orleans
2. France kept two islands in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and its sugar growing islands in the West Indies.
3. Spain received all French land west of the Mississippi and the port city of New Orleans.