Transcript The French and Indian War

The French and Indian
War
France Builds a Colony
 French society took a turn towards unity with the passage
of the Edict of Nantes in 1598.
It granted limited toleration to French Protestants,
ceasing religious wars.
 King Louis XIV had a vested interest in colonial expansion
Though Samuel de Champlain had established a colony
in Quebec, French peasants had little incentive to move.
Protestant Huguenots (persecuted for their religious
beliefs) were barred from the colony.
 The major economic resource found in the French territory
was the beaver.
French fur-trappers (known as coureurs de bois)
recruited Native Americans to fulfill demand.
Stopping the Neighbors
Bordered by both English and Spanish colonies, France
defended its territory from invasion.
To keep the English from pushing into the Ohio Valley,
Antoine Cadillac established the city of Detroit.
Robert de La Salle blocked the Spanish push from the
Gulf of Mexico by travelling down the Mississippi and
declaring the land around him as ‘Louisiana’- after King
Louis XIV.
In 1718, the city of New Orleans was established at
the mouth of the Mississippi River, blocking the
Spanish from accessing a pivotal trade port.
Stopping the Neighbors
 However, conflict between the European countries was
unavoidable.
Queen Anne’s War pitted British colonists against the coureurs de
bois.
The colonists utilized primitive guerilla warfare techniques against
the French fur traders.
 When peace terms were signed, Britain was the winner, gaining
trade rights in Spanish America, and seizing portions of French
Louisiana.
 Continued skirmishes between Britain and its Europeans in America
continually required the colonists to defend their home, while Britain
continued its policy of salutary neglect.
Fighting the French
 Clashes over territory in the Ohio Valley between
France and Britain.
 Virginian farmers had claimed land in western
Pennsylvania, but the French were in the process
of establishing forts in that areas.
 Young George Washington was sent to lay claim to
the land.
 At Fort Duquesne, Washington and his troops
won against a small group of French.
 However, the French soon returned with
reinforcements and attacked Washington and
his men at nearby Fort Necessity. Though
defeated, Washington was allowed to march his
men home with honor.
French and Indian War- the before
 Also known as the Seven Years’ War, this war
acted as the first world war, including North
America, Europe, the West Indies, Africa and
on the seas.
 After Washington’s defeat at Fort Necessity,
the British government summoned the
colonies to the Albany Congress.
 The immediate purpose was to keep the
nearby Iroquois tribes on the side of the
British, but it failed.
 The longer range purpose was to increase
colonial unity in a defense against France.
 Benjamin Franklin published his famous ‘Join
or Die’ cartoon in the Pennsylvania Gazette.
French and Indian War- the start
 General Braddock was sent to capture
Fort Duquesne, but they were illequipped and ill-disciplined.
 The British launched an invasion of
Canada in 1756, signaling an official start
to the war.
Had the British been able to capture
Quebec and Montreal, the war would
have ended as soon as it began.
 These colonies were taken in 1759 and
1760, respectively, ending any chance
at French victory.
French and Indian War- the aftermath
 Colonists gained a growing sense of independence, no
longer fearing the presence of France in North America.
 Tensions between haughty British officers and colonists
caused ill feelings;
 Growing sense of unity within the colonies.
 Native Americans could no longer pit the European
colonies against one another.
 Chief Pontiac wanted to keep the British out of the Ohio
Valley, launching an attack that prompted the British to
station troops on the western border of the colonies.
 Colonists wanted to push west- but could not because of
the Proclamation Line of 1763, which barred settlement
west of the Appalachian Mountains.
Treaty of Paris (1763)
 The peace treaty ending the war was signed in 1763.
France
- Lost
Canadian
holdings
Spain (France’s
ally)
Britain
- Acquired all
- Acquired
French lands in
French lands
Canada
west of the
Mississippi
- Were given
- Lost claims to
River and New
exclusive rights to
land east of
Orleans
the Caribbean
the Mississippi
slave trade
River
- Lost Florida to
- Emerged as a
Britain
major commercial
- Lost empire
power in India
in India
Analyze the effect of the
French and Indian War and its
aftermath on the relationship
between Great Britain and the
British colonies. Confine your
response to the period from
1754 to 1776.