fill out: Who was involved? Think about the people or groups who were involved and affected by this event. What happened? Summarize the event! Where did the event take place? Why is this event important to Georgia’s history?
additional information: The French and Indian War had effects that neither the British authorities nor the colonists could have foreseen at the beginning of the war. Although Britain gained a lot of power and territory, its leaders also had a new set of problems. One of these problems was the cost of the war and the new empire. To help pay for the war, British leaders decided to raise taxes on the colonies. They also enforced various laws that previously had been loosely applied regarding colonial trade. For example, the acts mandated that certain goods, such as indigo, could only be sold to Britain. The colonies could not trade with any other nation directly. Colonists turned to smuggling, or illegally trading, goods from all over Europe to get around the laws. Another problem the British faced was governing the Native American and French colonists who were living in former French lands. Native Americans rebelled against the further encroachment of colonial settlers in their lands. To try to keep the peace, the British passed the Proclamation of 1763, which forbade colonial expansion west of the Appalachian Mountains and removed any colonists already living there. Many colonists felt betrayed by their government. The French and Indian War had been fought in part to gain control of the Ohio River territory. They felt like they were entitled to the land west of the Appalachians.
Lesson Name: The French and Indian War
Who was involved?
The primary participants in the French and Indian War (1754-1763) included the British colonists and the French, along with their respective allies. The British colonists were largely English settlers from the Thirteen Colonies, while the French were supported by various Native American tribes, including the Iroquois, Algonquin, and Huron. The war also involved British and French military forces, colonial militias, and Native American warriors who fought alongside either side.
What happened?
The French and Indian War was a conflict primarily over territorial disputes in North America between British and French colonial powers. The war began with skirmishes in the Ohio River Valley and escalated into a full-frontal war. Over the years, several significant battles occurred, including the Battle of Fort Necessity and the Battle of Quebec, which ultimately led to British victory. The war concluded with the Treaty of Paris in 1763, which significantly altered the territorial landscape of North America, granting Britain control over Canada and Florida while ceding Louisiana to Spain.
Where did the event take place?
The French and Indian War took place across North America, primarily in the Ohio River Valley, New England, and along the Atlantic coast. Key battlegrounds included Fort Duquesne (present-day Pittsburgh), Fort Edward, and the Plains of Abraham in Quebec.
Why is this event important to Georgia’s history?
The French and Indian War had lasting implications for Georgia and the rest of the Thirteen Colonies. After the war, Britain faced a massive debt and sought to recoup losses through increased taxation and stricter trade controls on the colonies, leading to growing discontent and resistance among colonists. In Georgia, this was particularly significant as the colony had been founded as a buffer between South Carolina and Spanish Florida, and British expansionist policies following the war led to increased settlement throughout the region. The Proclamation of 1763, which restricted colonial expansion westward, was met with frustration by many colonists who felt denied the lands for which they had fought. This sense of betrayal fueled the growing desire for independence, setting the stage for future events leading to the American Revolution.
here is extra information: A board is filled with text.
Text reads: Treaty of Paris – 1763:
• big victory for English
o New France (Canada)
o Spanish Florida
o Sugar Islands – Caribbean
o Premiere in Europe
imperial power
colonial Americans – “winning side” – confidence boost
A vertical line separates the lists into two parts. The second part of the list reads:
• Native Americans in general fared poorly
• only British → Proclamation of 1763 – boundary line
• pushed farther west → “race consciousness”
NARRATOR: The other major outcome of the Seven Years’ War was taxation. Remember that William Pitt won the Seven Years’ War by pouring money into it. At the end of the Seven Years’ War, England is in a lot of debt. And, they have just gone to a lot of trouble to protect their North American interests.
NARRATOR: Now, as they are looking for ways to make revenue to make up the deficit the Seven Years’ War has placed on them, they look at their North American colonists and say, "You should pay your way." And, the American colonists, who have been used to more than century of called salutary, or benign neglect, are shocked and outraged that the British Empire is now clamping down on them. And the colonists reaction to those new taxes will propel the colonies into revolution.
Full Transcript
A blackboard image is displayed with the heading The Seven Years’ War, aka the French and Indian War, c. 1756–1763. A world map appears underneath the heading. North America, South America, Europe, parts of Asia, and the southern half of Africa are all circled. To the right of the map the following text appears: first global war and territory trade. To the left of the world map the following text appears: War of Conquest, Third Silesian War, English and Indians vs. French and Indians.
NARRATOR: So we've been discussing the Seven Years’ War in North America, also commonly called the French and Indian War, but as I mentioned in the last video, I think Seven Years’ War is a better name for this conflict because it was the first global war that happened more than 150 years before World War I. And this global war was, at its heart, about who would be the dominant empire in the world. Would it be England? Or would it be France?
The frame changes to show a new map and text. On the left is a map of North America. The key demonstrates territorial claims in North America after 1748 by the British, French, and Spanish, as well as disputed claims. Much of the East Coast was claimed by the British. The French claimed most of the Midwest, and Spain claimed Florida and much of the West and Southwest. On the right side of the blackboard is a bulleted list of text.
Text reads: Territorial Claims by European Powers:
• England
o Iroquois
o Cherokees
• France
o Hurons
o Algonquians
o Abenakis
o Mi’kmaqs
• Spain
NARRATOR: Now in the North American theater of this war, England, France, and their Native American allies on both sides were vying for territory, and particularly territory along the Appalachian mountain range, in upstate New York, Canada—this kind of Western territory that was the border between the English settlement and Indian country to the west. In this video, let's talk about how the war actually progressed and what its consequences were for North America and later, the United States.
An image of a map of the Northeast of the United States is shown. The key details British and French forts, forces, and victories. It also details British and French possessions as well as disputed areas. To the right of the map is an image of George Washington
NARRATOR: All right, so we've got the English, the French, and a number of Native American tribes all kind of jostling for position in North America. Now what stresses the British out the most is the presence of the French in the Ohio River Valley. Both the British and the French have laid claim to this territory. And they're both eager to strengthen their territorial claims by building forts and otherwise having a show of possession of the area. They argue over who had a presence there first.
The narrator draws a circle around Ohio Country on the map, which includes, from north to south, Ft. Oswego, Ft. Niagara, Ft. Presqu’lsle, Ft. Le Boeuf, Ft. Machault, Ft. Duquesne and Fort Necessity. Inside the circle, the narrator writes British + French. On the top left of the map image, the narrator writes forts and possession.
NARRATOR: So, to establish the English presence in the Ohio River Valley, the English send a young officer named George Washington to build a fort. George Washington is only 22 years old at the time. And he and his men go out to this area, and they run into some French with their Native American allies at Fort Duquesne, which is where the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio Rivers come together—which is today Pittsburgh.
The narrator draws a line on the map from Maryland to Fort Duquesne. The narrator circles Fort Duquesne and writes Pittsburgh above it.
NARRATOR: So, George Washington and his allies get the jump on the French. But that doesn't last very long; they're overpowered and they fall back and establish Fort Necessity, on account of it was necessary. And they managed to hold out for a little while, but eventually, the French, the Canadians, and their Native America allies forced Washington to surrender. And he goes back to Virginia. So, that's 1754. And we'll call that “fail number one.”
NARRATOR: All right, so then a year later in 1755, the British try to displace the French from Fort Duquesne once again. And they send Major General Edward Braddock with George Washington, once again—now he's 23—back to Fort Duquesne, and it's a complete disaster. This time, the French and their Indian allies get the drop on the English, and with a much smaller force, completely decimate the English troops. And Braddock is killed. And George Washington has to take command of the retreat. So that's Fail number two.
NARRATOR: In general, this war does not go terribly well for the British at the beginning, except in one area: Acadia, where the British manage to attain control. And they kick out the French settlers, the Acadians, who are transported down to the French settlement of New Orleans, in Louisiana, where eventually, their name becomes garbled and they're known as the Cajuns—not the Acadians, but the Cajuns.
NARRATOR: In 1756, England finally gets around to actually declaring war on France. But it's really not for another year that the war starts to actually go well in 1757. And the reason that the war starts going well for the English, finally, is that the Prime Minister William Pitt decides that he is going to pour money into this endeavor. So, he thinks that the English have just not had enough men, materials, money, Indian allies, up until this point. So he is really going to commit the British Empire to exiling the French from this area of North America.
NARRATOR: So, between 1757 and 1760, things really start looking up for the British. They finally capture Fort Duquesne. And they capture the Ohio Valley, Nova Scotia, Upstate New York, and Quebec. So, by 1760, pretty much all the fighting is done in North America. The English have more or less forced the French out of the eastern seaboard and Canada. And in 1763, the English and the French sit down to hammer out the Treaty of Paris.
NARRATOR: So, the Treaty of Paris, in 1763—and I apologize, I cannot help the fact that there are like a million treaties of Paris. . . . There's also the Treaty of Paris that ended the Revolutionary War. There's the Treaty of Paris that ended the Spanish-American War. Paris was the place where you made treaties, and they're all called the Treaty of Paris. But this is the one that happened in 1763.
A new image of a blackboard appears with the heading Treaty of Paris – 1763.
NARRATOR: In general, this was a big victory for the English. The English not only got most of France's possessions in the New World; they got New France, aka Canada. They got Spanish Florida. Spain was fighting on the side of France. So they lose that. They got a bunch of Sugar Islands in the Caribbean. And they pretty much got recognized as the premiere power in Europe. And the premiere imperial power. So, the largest and most powerful empire in the world. And let's not forget that the colonial Americans—citizens of Massachusetts, and New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia—they were on the winning side here. They fought alongside the British regulars. They repelled the French and their Native American allies. This was actually a pretty big confidence boost for young America.
NARRATOR: But there were some other consequences of this war. On the not-so-good side, the Seven Years’ War was not particularly good for Native Americans, in general, for both those who had allied with the British and those who had allied with the French. They no longer had two imperial powers vying against each other in North America that they could play off of each other. Now, Native Americans were only dealing with the British, who certainly were not giving them a fair seat at the table. Not long after the Seven Years’ War, they will institute what's called the Proclamation of 1763. Which was basically a boundary line along the Appalachian Mountains saying that that was going to be the end of white settlement. That they would reserve all the lands west of the Appalachians for Native Americans. Well, you can imagine how much the American white settlers respected that. Which is to say, they completely ignored this boundary line. So, the Native Americans will continue to be pushed farther west. And to develop more of what we call a race consciousness, the idea that they were all in one big group together who had to combine forces to repel English settlement.
NARRATOR: The other major outcome of the Seven Years’ War was taxation. Remember that William Pitt won the Seven Years’ War by pouring money into it. At the end of the Seven Years’ War, England is in a lot of debt. And, they have just gone to a lot of trouble to protect their North American interests.
NARRATOR: Now, as they are looking for ways to make revenue to make up the deficit the Seven Years’ War has placed on them, they look at their North American colonists and say, "You should pay your way." And, the American colonists, who have been used to more than century of called salutary, or benign neglect, are shocked and outraged that the British Empire is now clamping down on them. And the colonists reaction to those new taxes will propel the colonies into revolution.
Lesson Name: The French and Indian War
Who was involved?
The French and Indian War involved several key groups and individuals. The British, representing colonial settlers and their military, sought to expand their territorial claims. The French, along with their Native American allies such as the Iroquois, Hurons, and Algonquians, opposed British expansion. Native Americans on both sides were significantly impacted by the conflict. Key figures included colonial leaders like George Washington and British military leaders like Major General Edward Braddock.
What happened?
The French and Indian War, also known as the Seven Years' War (1754-1763), was a struggle between Britain and France, primarily over territorial claims in North America. The conflict started with tensions over land in the Ohio River Valley, leading to a series of battles between British colonists, British regulars, and French forces. After some early defeats, particularly for British forces, the tide turned around 1757 when British Prime Minister William Pitt invested heavily in the war effort. This led to a series of British victories, culminating in the fall of Quebec and the control of significant territories. The war ended with the Treaty of Paris in 1763, which ceded Canada, Spanish Florida, and various Caribbean islands to the British.
Where did the event take place?
The war took place primarily in North America, particularly in the Ohio River Valley, the Great Lakes region, and parts of Canada, including key areas such as Fort Duquesne (modern-day Pittsburgh) and Quebec. The conflict also had implications in Europe and other parts of the world, marking it as the first global war.
Why is this event important to Georgia’s history?
The French and Indian War significantly impacted Georgia's history and the Thirteen Colonies as a whole. Following the war, Britain sought to recover its war debts by imposing taxes on the colonies, which sparked widespread resentment among colonists who had enjoyed a period of neglect from British authorities. This shift in governance and taxation led to rising tensions and eventual revolution. In Georgia, the British expanded into former French territories, fostering colonial growth, but also leading to conflicts with Native Americans. Furthermore, the Proclamation of 1763, which forbade colonial expansion west of the Appalachian Mountains, angered settlers who believed they were entitled to the lands gained through their sacrifices in the war. This conflict over land and governance would ultimately contribute to the trajectory toward independence and set the stage for future American history.
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