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Explore the competing claims, native involvement, and early years of the French and Indian War that led to the American Revolution.
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Rivalry in North America 3 • In June 1749, the governor of New France sent men down the Ohio River Valley and claimed the land as their own. • At the same time King George of England sent a Virginia fur trader, named Christopher Gist, to claim that same land as England’s.
Competing Claims 4 • By the 1600s, England had two rivals in North America: Spain and France • France claimed a vast area in North America from the St. Lawrence River to the Gulf of Mexico. • France built a series of forts along waterways to protect their land – most just west of the Appalachian Mountains. • By the 1740s traders from PA and NY began searching for furs along the Appalachian Mountains. • The colonists tried to take over the French trade with the Native Americans. • The French government sent orders to “Drive from the Ohio River any European foreigners, and do it in a way that will make them lose all taste for trying to return.”
Natives Choose Sides 6 • Natives had grown crops and hunted animals in the Ohio River Valley and did not want to give up the land to anyone. • However, some natives agreed that the only way to protect their way of life was to join a side. • Both France and England wanted Native support because they controlled most of the fur trade in North America. • In the end, the French gained support from the Algonquins and Hurons, whereas (later on) the English won support of the Iroquois.
Opening Shots 8 • From 1689-1748, France and Great Britain had fought for power in Europe and North America. • In 1754, fighting broke out again. The long conflict that followed is known as the French and Indian War. • Some historians call this “The War That Made America.” • This war was part of the larger world-wide conflict between France and Britain known as the Seven Years War.
George Washington 9 • George Washington started out as a land surveyor in western Virginia, having grown up on a plantation in that colony – his father was a wealthy Gentleman. • In 1753, Lieutenant Governor Dinwiddie wanted to warn the French of takeover in Ohio and sent Washington (who volunteered) down to do so. • When Washington returned, he was ordered to build a fort along with 150 men where the Monongahela and Allegheny rivers meet.
Fort Duquesne 11 • On his way to the Ohio Valley, Washington received word that the French had built a fort exactly where he was to build the British fort. The French fort was known as Fort Duquesne (doo KAYN) • Washington pressed on anyway. From his Native American scouts, Washington learned that a small French unit had camped down the road in the woods to launch a surprise attack on Washington. • Washington marched through the night and snuck up on the French and attacked. Some of the French soldiers escaped.
Fort Necessity 12 • Knowing the army encamped at Fort Duquesne would counterattack, Washington built a make-shift fort (really just a stockade fence) named, Fort Necessity. • The French (with some Native allies) surrounded the Fort. Washington, along with his men, were forced to surrender. • Washington was released and returned home to VA. • One British writer noted, “The volley fired by this young Virginian in the forests of America has set the world in flames.”
The Albany Congress 13 • While Washington was defending Fort Necessity, delegates from seven colonies gathered in Albany, New York with 2 goals: 1- To try to win the support of the Iroquois. 2- To plan a united defense for the colonies. • The Natives were wary because the French and British felt that they were fighting over land that belonged to the Natives. • The Iroquois left without agreeing to help.
The Albany Congress 14 • Benjamin Franklin proposed the Albany Plan of Union. • The plan called for a Grand Council made up of representatives from each colony to make laws, raise taxes, and set up the defense of the colonies. • Although the delegates agreed at the Congress, colonial assemblies did not agree to it. • “Everyone cries a union is necessary. But when they come to the manner and form of the union, their weak noodles are perfectly distracted.” -Ben Franklin
Early Years of the War 15 French Strengths: • At the start, the French had the advantage because they had one government making all the decisions - quickly. • The English colonies had 13 separate assemblies who had to approve all of the decisions - slowly. • The French also had more support from the Native Americans (Hurons, Algonquins and more). British/Colonial Strengths: • The Colonies had strengths in being clustered along the coast. They also had a greater population - 15 times greater than New France (only 3 large cities, mostly open forest). • Most Natives sided with France, but some sided with England (the powerful Iroquois Confederacy). • The British also had control over the Seas.
“Bulldog Braddock” 16 • In 1755, General Edward “Bulldog” Braddock led British and colonial troops to capture Fort Duquesne. He boasted that he would sweep the French from the Ohio River Valley. • He knew how to fight in open fields of Europe, but was unfamiliar with warfare in the woods of North America. • It took a long time to travel because of the clearing of trees that had to be done for roads. Washington went along and was angered by the slow pace.
“Bulldog Braddock” 17 • Braddock was warned by Indian scouts on the way that he was headed for trouble, but he did not listen. • As the British neared the Fort, the French and their Indian Allies launched a surprise attack. • Sharpshooters hid in the forest and picked off British soldiers whose uniforms made them easy targets. • Braddock was fatally wounded. Washington was luckier. • He “escaped without a wound, although I had four bullets through my coat.” -Washington
Defeat 18 • About half of the British were killed or wounded. Survivors returned to Virginia with the news of the defeat. • For the rest of the war, Washington had the job of guarding the long frontier of Virginia from Indian attack. • During the next two years, the war went badly for the British. British attacks against French forts were unsuccessful. • The French won important victories.
Bold Leadership 19 • In 1757, William Pitt became head of the British government. Pitt was a bold leader. • Pitt wanted to win the war in North America and then focus attention on other parts of the Seven Years War. • He sent Britain's best generals to North America. • To gain colonists’ support, he promised large payments for military service and supplies. • Under his leadership the tide of the war changed. • The British seized many forts including Fort Duquesne renaming it Fort Pitt (late it became the City of Pittsburgh).
Fall of Quebec 20 • British forces continued to push the French all the way back up into the French-Canadian fort-city, Quebec. • In 1759, the British snuck up to the Fort during the night and surprised the French. After a fierce battle, the British captured the city. • The British later took Montreal in 1760 which ended the war in North America. • Fighting dragged on in Europe until 1763 when the Treaty of Paris was signed.
Treaty of Paris 21 • With the Treaty of Paris in 1763, Britain gained Canada and all French lands east of the Mississippi River. • France was allowed to keep a few sugar-growing islands in the West Indies. Spain, which had entered the war on the French side in 1762, gave up Florida to Britain. • In return, Spain received all French land west of the Mississippi, as well as the city of New Orleans.
Before 1753 22
After 1763 23
A Storm Over Taxes 24 No Taxation Without Representation!
Victorious Concerns 25 • With the victory over France, Britain celebrated but a few officials became concerned that the colonies would become too independent. • Benjamin Franklin, who was in London at the time, shared his view about their concerns:
Don’t Worry ‘Bout It! 26 • “If the colonies could not agree to unite for their defense against the French and Indians,… can it reasonably be supposed there is any danger of their uniting against their own nation?... I will venture to say, a union amongst them for such a purpose is not merely improbably, it is impossible.” • - Ben Franklin
Troubles on the Frontier 27 • With the French gone from North America in 1760, the colonists began exploring territories beyond the Appalachian Mountains for farming. • As the settlers moved into the valley, they often clashed with the Natives who had been deserted by the French. • In 1762, the English sent Lord Jeffrey Amherst to the frontier to keep order. • Upon arrival, he raised the price of British goods traded to Indians. • He also allowed English settlers to build forts on Indian lands.
Pontiac’s War 28 • With trouble worsening, Chief Pontiac of the Ottawa tribe became a strong leader for the Natives. • He referred to the British as “dogs dressed in red, who have come to rob us of our hunting grounds and drive away the game.” • Pontiac rallied support from the Indians and they began destroying or taking over new colonial settlements and British forts. • The British struck back and reclaimed much of what they had lost.
Pontiac’s War 29 • The French informed Chief Pontiac that with the Treaty of Paris, the French could no longer aid the Natives against the British. • Natives began to withdraw – Pontiac sadly said, “All my young men have buried their hatchets.” • Pontiac’s War ended in October of 1763.
Proclamation of 1763 30 • Pontiac’s War convinced the British to close western lands to settlers to prevent another uprising. • To do this, the British drew an imaginary line along the crest of the Appalachian Mountains. • West of the that line could not be settled. Those who already settled had to remove themselves at once. • Great Britain sent over 10,000 troops to enforce this. • This angered the colonists especially since they had to pay for the British to enforce the law. Most ignored the line anyway. • Since guarding the frontier was boring, many of the 10,000 soldiers ended up hanging out in colonial cities.
New Taxes 31 • The war with France had put Great Britain into severe debt. • British Prime Minister George Grenville decided that the colonists needed to share in repaying the debt. He figured they had benefited most from the war anyway. • Parliament was persuaded to pass two new laws: • The Sugar Act placed a tax on molasses (1764). • The Stamp Act put a tax on many things including all legal documents, newspapers, and almanacs to name a few (1765).
New Taxes 32 • The items named under the Stamp Act law had to be stamped to prove the tax was paid on the item. • This type of tax had been used in Britain and other countries for many years, but it was completely new to the colonies. • “Our presses have groaned, our pulpits have thundered, our legislatures have resolved, our towns have voted, the crown officers everywhere trembled.” – John Adams, a leading lawyer in Boston.
No Taxation Without Representation 33 • The colonists were opposed to that tax mainly because they did not have any say in these decisions. • The colonists had no representation in Britain’s government (Parliament & The King). • Colonists insisted that based on the Magna Carta and the English Bill of Rights, only they or their elected representatives (local colonial assemblies) had the right to pass taxes. • Most colonists were willing to pay taxes, but only if the taxes were passed by their own colonial legislatures.
Unity 34 • The Stamp Act crisis brought a sense of unity to the colonies – they had a common complaint. • Many colonists responded with riots, protests and violence against British tax collectors – British officials simply arrested the mobs. • Later, people opposed to the tax called an assembly to meet in New York City to discuss actions against the Stamp Act. • This became known as the Stamp Act Congress. The delegates drew up letters to send to King George III expressing their disliking of the act. • Parliament & The King didn’t care….
Boycott 35 • With Parliament refusing to hear the grievances about the Stamp Act, the colonists felt they had to “up the ante” so to speak. • Many colonists decided they were going to boycott (not buy) British goods. • Trade fell off by 14 % as a result. British merchants back in London suffered greatly. • British workers who made the goods, suffered too. With voters in London unhappy, Parliament was finally concerned and the act was repealed.
More Taxes 36 • Later, in June of 1767, Parliament passed the Townshend Act as another attempt to pay back their war debt. • These acts placed taxes on goods like glass, paper, paint, lead, and tea. • The taxes were low but colonists still opposed them. • According to many, Parliament still had no right to tax them without their consent.
Writs of Assistance 37 • A different aspect of the Acts that angered colonists took away another right from the English Bill of Rights: Customs officers could inspect a ship’s cargo or a store’s stockroom using new legal documents known as Writs of Assistance. • Colonists protested that these “Writs” violated their rights. • No English citizen could be searched or have their property searched without a given reason. • This angered many colonists even more.
Fighting Back 38 • The response to the Townshend Acts by the colonists was very clear. • From north to south, colonists signed “nonimportation agreements.” • With these agreements, colonists would stop importing goods that were taxed by these acts. • They hoped that this would help repeal the act just like the boycotting did with the Stamp Act.
Sons and Daughters of Liberty 39 • Some angry colonists joined what was known as Sons and Daughters of Liberty. (Sons=Men Daughters=Women) • These were formed as a result of the Stamp Act. • The ‘Sons’ formed in order to intimidate tax collectors and colonists who supported the King/Parliament. • They “encouraged” merchants to sign the nonimportation agreements. • A few threatened people who continued to buy British Goods. • The ‘Daughters’ encouraged other women to support the boycotting by brewing ‘Liberty Tea’ (water and raspberry leaves) and making ‘homespun’ clothes.
Leaders 40 • Massachusetts: Samuel Adams of Boston stood against the British – he was John Adams’ cousin. • He was a failure in business and a poor public speaker, but he loved politics. • He organized a Committee of Correspondence which wrote letters and pamphlets reporting on events in Massachusetts as a way to spread the word about British wrongs. • He had a talent for organizing people – some say he was a ‘rabble rouser’ just trying to incite the crowds to rebel.
Leaders 41 • In Virginia: This colony contributed many leaders to the struggle against taxes. • George Washington joined in against the Townshend Acts • Patrick Henry gave speeches that moved crowds to tears and anger. • At one speech, he attacked Britain so badly that one person called out Treason! • He responded, “If this be treason, make the most of it!”
Centers of Protest 42 • Port cities such as Boston and New York were areas of much protest. • The Quartering Act was set up in New York which said that colonists had to provide housing, candles, bedding, and beverages to British soldiers (remember the 10,000 troops?) stationed in the colonies – with no compensation. • The New York Assembly refused to enforce the Act. • As a result, Great Britain dismissed the Assembly – an unheard of move that took away the colonial tradition of self-government started with the Virginia House of Burgesses. • More British troops were sent to Boston to protect customs officials from local citizens where the ‘Sons’ were very active.
The Boston Massacre 43 • On the night of March 5, 1770, a rowdy tavern crowd gathered outside the Boston customs house. • Colonists (including Sons of Liberty men) shouted offensive insults like “bloody backs” and “lobster backs”. • They began to throw snowballs, oyster shells, and chunks of ice at the soldiers. • The crowd grew louder and rowdier. Soldiers panicked and began shooting. • After the smoke cleared five people lay dead – including a free black Sons of Liberty man named, Crispus Attucks. • Sam Adams quickly wrote to other colonists about the shooting. It soon became known as the “Boston Massacre”
Repeal of the Townshend Acts 44 • John Adams disliked the Townshend Acts, but wanted to show that the colonists believed in justice. So, he defended the soldiers from the ‘Boston Massacre’ in a trial in Boston saying the crowd had provoked them. In the end, the soldiers received light sentences. • Coincidentally, on the same day as the “Boston Massacre” back in London Parliament gave in to local merchants hurt by the nonimportation agreements. They cancelled all of the Townshend Acts. • However, King George made them keep the small tax on tea to show the colonies Britain still had the right to tax them. • Peace returned to the colonies for a few years and most people returned to buying British goods, including tea.
To Arms 46
Uproar Over Tea 47 • Four years later, in July of 1774, John Adams stopped at a tavern in eastern Massachusetts. • After riding for over 30 miles his body ached and he was fatigued. • Adams asked the innkeeper for tea but would have to settle for coffee because she would not sell tea. • Adams decided that if the colonists were to break their tea habit so would he. • What happened after 1770 to make them boycott tea again???
Uproar Over Tea 48 • Tea was very popular amongst the colonists. They would rather give up dinner than miss tea. • Most tea was brought to the colonists by the British East India Company (like Microsoft, Apple and Google today, it dominated its industry). • The company sold tea to colonial merchants and merchants sold tea to colonists. • In the 1770s the East India Company found itself it tough financial trouble due to all of the recent boycotting. It had over 15 million pounds of unsold tea. • The Company asked Parliament to help. Parliament allowed the Company to sell directly to the colonists, which would lower the cost of tea (by cutting out the middle man!), but the tax would still be in effect – so Parliament and the Company would get $$$$$, and they assumed the tea would be bought by colonists.
Uproar Over Tea 49 • This became know as the Tea Act, but it didn’t help. Many colonists refused to buy due to the old tax. • Even Tea drinkers who would benefit from the price cut opposed it and boycotted again. • Merchants were upset by this because now they were not getting their cut of the profit. If tea was affected what would stop the British from selling other items directly and cutting out other merchants? • Buying tea would mean that colonists accepted parliament’s right to tax them without representation.
The Boston Tea Party 50 • In late November 1773, three ships carrying tea arrived in Boston harbor. • Massachusetts’ Governor Thomas Hutchinson ordered the captain to pay the taxes, unload cargo and sell the tea as usual. • If the taxes were not paid by December 16th, he would seize the cargo and have it sold.
