The French and Indian WarSection 3

Europeans in Native Lands

The English and French created rival empires in North America.

The competition between these two European empires often led to war.

The largest of these was known as the French and Indian War.

France Claims Western Lands The French claimed the Ohio River valley, the Mississippi valley, and the Great Lakes region.

They also claimed Louisiana.

All these lands were known as New France.

Native American Alliances

The English and French competed in the fur trade.

Native Americans also competed with one another.

The fur trade caused economic and military alliances between the Europeans and Native Americans.

The War Begins

The Ohio River valley was a good place for fur traders.

It was claimed by France and England.

More and more English began to arrive and the French feared they would lose this area.

War in the Ohio River Valley

The French sent troops to kick out the English traders.

This upset the colony of Virginia and they sent a young soldier named George Washington to tell the French to leave.

War in the Ohio River Valley

Washington and his troops surprised a French force and attacked them.

More French soldiers arrived and forced Washington to return to Virginia.

The French and Indian War had begun.

War in the Ohio River Valley

Many Indian tribes sided with the French.

The English colonies had a difficult time uniting against the French.

The first plan to unite called the Albany Plan of Union was rejected.

War in the Ohio River Valley

Most tribes sided with the French:

Abenaki, Lenni Lenape, Shawnee, Huron, Algonquin

The Iroquois Confederacy allied with the British:

Cayuga, Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Seneca

Braddock’s Defeat

The British sent General Braddock and 2,100 soldiers to kick the French out of the Ohio Valley.

They were surprise attacked by the French and Indians.

Braddock lost his life and half of his men.

Braddock’s Defeat

The British had refused to listen to their Indian allies on how to fight.

It took the British two years to recover from the defeat.

Quebec Falls

In 1757, Britain had a new Secretary of State, William Pitt.

William Pitt borrowed money to pay for more troops.

He also sent the best generals to America to fight.

Quebec Falls

In 1759, the British were able to capture Quebec after winning the Battle of Quebec.

This was the turning point of the war.

The rest of Canada fell into British hands.

Quebec Falls

The war ended in 1763 when the Treaty of Paris was signed.

The treaty gave almost all French North American lands to the British.

Pontiac’s Rebellion

The British moved west into former French territory that was still owned by the Indians.

The Indians responded by attacking the British armies and killing many families.

This was known as Pontiac’s Rebellion.

Pontiac’s Rebellion

The British responded by killing thousands of Native Americans.

They even gave some tribes smallpox-infested blankets.

Pontiac’s Rebellion

In the end, the British issued the Proclamation of 1763.

This forbade colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains.

New Colonial Identity

The colonists were angry at the Proclamation of 1763 and ignored it.

The British government became increasingly angry with the colonists.

The American colonists began to unify against British authority.