Unit 1: French Colonization and the French & Indian War

Unit 1: French Colonization and the French & Indian War Part 3: The French & Indian War

Contest for Power • By the early 1700s, France & England both wanted to be the richest & most powerful nation in Europe • Both countries had colonies in North America & the Caribbean, and both had trading outposts in Africa & India

France v. England • This contest for power led to 4 wars in Europe & North America • Only the war fought in North America resulted in major change The French ended up losing all of their land on mainland North America

What’s the Difference? • The War fought in North America had 2 names: • 1. The colonists over here called it The French & Indian War • 2.Europeans called it The Seven Years’ War

Re-Cap • French settlements over here were to the north & west of the English settlements • They also claimed land in the Mississippi River valley

Unwilling to Share • Both France & England claimed the Ohio Valley (west of the 13 English colonies) • They both wanted ownership of that land so they could trade for furs with the Native Americans Abby & Brittany, Discovery Channel

One more reason each country wanted the Ohio Valley & wouldn’t share it • For France, the Ohio Valley was between Canada & their settlements in the Mississippi River valley (it would better connect their settlements) • For England, the settlers wanted to move west of the colonies

Who gets the land? • The side that could put up the better fight! • So in this part of the world, you had the French, the British, and the… • Native Americans

If these were the 3 groups of people over here, and it was the French v. the British, what would likely be the deciding factor in one side being stronger than the other? • Who the Native Americans chose to support or is it…

Which side made the Natives a better offer? • The British could offer them more & better goods • The French offered them respect • Who would you go with? • They went with the French, who, unlike the British, tried to understand the Natives’ lifestyle Cat 

One Exception • The Iroquois sided with the British • They were powerful, controlled the fur trade along the St. Lawrence River, & controlled all boat travel on the Great Lakes

Remember? • The French built a string of military forts connecting all of their land between Canada & the Gulf of Mexico • They did this in 1752 to protect their land in the Ohio Valley

This made many British colonists, especially those in Virginia, furious • The governor of Virginia accused the French of trespassing on Virginia’s territory, • & he sent George Washington, a young major in Virginia’s militia, to tell them to leave

The French commander refused to leave, saying that “no Englishman had the right to trade upon [the Ohio River].”

What happened next? • Washington led 150 soldiers from Virginia to build a fort on the Ohio River • He soon learned, however, that the French were already building a fort on the spot they had wanted • (the French called it Fort Duquesne)

Did Washington do anything to get back at them? • In Pennsylvania, on his way to the proposed fort, Washington met a French scouting party, • ordered his men to attack them, & 10 French soldiers were killed

Several more small battles took place in the Ohio Valley before war was officially declared • Then in 1755, about 2,000 British & 450 colonial soldiers went to capture Fort Duquesne • They were led by General Edward Braddock, with the help of G.Washington

The Problem Braddock Caused • Gen. Braddock was used to the way Europeans fought- • Soldiers lined up in neat rows in open fields • Washington warned him that this style wouldn’t work to fight the French & Native Americans over here

Listen, Braddock Did Not • On July 9, 1755, about 1,000 British soldiers were killed when the French fired from the woods and hills, rather than visibly from a field like Braddock expected • Braddock himself was wounded & died a few days later

And war still hadn’t even been declared yet! • They finally did so in 1756, & by mid-1757, the French & Native troops had captured 2 major British forts • The British King appointed William Pitt to take control of the war • (no relation to )

A new leader pulls the British back up • The war was also being fought in Europe & India, but Pitt believed it would be won in North America • So he sent more troops & the British navy here,& in 1758 the British won several important battles

The hardest task of the war was to… • capture Quebec(capital of New France) • Why was it important to capture it? • Quebec supplied other French forts further up the St. Lawrence • Taking the city would cut off French soldiers’ supplies & make it harder for them to fight

Why would Quebec be so hard to capture? • It was a walled city on top of steep cliffs above the St. Lawrence River • Enemies who tried to climb the cliffs were easy to see & fire upon

For these reasons, Quebec was able to resist the siege of 9,000 British soldiers for several months

Eventually, though, the British found a rough, unguarded path winding up the cliffs a few miles away • During the night, 4,000 soldiers made their way up to the Plains of Abraham (grassy field outside the city)

A battle broke out, the French were forced to surrender, & the British captured Quebec • This marked the end of French power in N.America, but fighting continued until 1760 when Montreal (New France’s other major city) was finally captured

Is it over yet? • In 1763, the French & Indian War officially ended when the British & French signed the Treaty of Paris • Treaty: a written peace agreement

Results: England now ruled New France (Canada), the Ohio Valley, & all French lands east of the Mississippi River (but New Orleans went to Spain) Treaty of Paris

The bad thing about England winning the war • A major reason why English colonists had held onto their connections with England was so England would protect them against the French over here • After the war, the French were no longer a threat to the colonists • This contributed to the colonists’ desire to separate from England (ie: the start of the • Revolutionary War)

Why did everybody come? • Spanish: • riches, sea route to Asia • British: • Roanoke: • expand British empire • Jamestown: • riches • New England: • religious freedom • French: • riches, sea route to Asia, protect their land claims, missionary work

Mercantilism: A nation’s desire to expand its power by acquiring wealth & land What did all 3 groups have in common?

Unit 1: French Colonization and the French & Indian War