The French and Indian War 1756-1763

1. The French and Indian War 1756-1763 Reasons for the War Plans for Unity The Armies

2. Reasons for the War • War starts over the Ohio Valley both France and England claim it. • There is a strong desire to make money off the land and from the fur trade • Both have a history of fighting each other in Europe and in North America

3. The Native Americans • Native Americans side with the French because English settlers are moving onto their land • The Iroquois break off trading with the colonists because of repeated land grabs of their land

4. The Albany Plan of Union, 1754 • Ben Franklin suggests that in order to defeat the French, the British, Iroquois and the colonies must be unified • It proposed a tax system to pay for the war, provide for defense and separate branches of government

5. The Albany Plan of Union, 1754 • It fails because • colonists do not trust each other • the British believe that it gives the colonies too much power • the Iroquois want to go to war

6. The British and Colonial Militia • The British are a trained military force • Colonists forces are ill trained, fight for a limited time and don’t like to follow orders • Colonists hide behind trees and shoot

8. The French and Indian Allies • French military is supported by experienced French trappers • French use a combination of hit and run with European warfare • Most Indians, like the Algonquians have a grudge against the colonists and the Iroquois

9. Washington and Fort Necessity • France and England both desire the Ohio River Valley • The French build forts in the region to protect their interest in the Valley • Virginia sends Colonel Washington to request the French to leave

10. Washington and Fort Necessity • Washington builds a simple fort to check the French • The French easily defeat Washington’s forces, he loses several hundred men • Washington is blamed for starting war incorrectly, it was going to happen anyway