The French and Indian War

1. The French and Indian War Chapter 5, Section 3

2. I. Self-Government in the Colonies

3. I. Self-Govt. in the Colonies A. When colonists left England to settle in America, they took with them their beliefs about the rights of an English citizen 1. right to trial by jury 2. right to petition the govt. 3. right to live under laws approved by a legislature B. By 1750 all thirteen colonies had their own elected assembly; colonists were used to running their own affairs c. The assembly in each colony shared power with a governor but the assembly usually had the “power of the purse”

4. II. North American Land Claims Before War

5. II. N. American Land Claims before the French & Indian War A. In the struggle for N. America, the rivalry between Britain and France was intense 1. the center of the conflict was the Ohio River Valley 2. both France & England claimed this region B. In 1754, the French & Indian War starts in the Ohio River Valley 1. George Washington surrenders at “Fort Necessity” 2. Most Native Americans ally themselves with the French 3. The fighting between France & England spreads to Europe, W. Indies, & Africa

6. III. The Turning Point: Fall of Quebec

7. III. The Turning Point: the Fall of Quebec A. The war began badly for England 1. In 1755, English General Braddock lost 2/3 of his forces when they were ambushed by the enemy on the way to Fort Duquesne 2. George Washington is one of the survivors B. The tide of the war shifts in 1759 with the Fall of Quebec led by English General Wolfe 1. French General Montcalm was the defender of Quebec; the town was built on cliffs so he did not believe it could be attacked by surprise 2. Wolfe’s troops found a narrow path up the cliffs and made their way to the top in darkness 3. The English win the battle; both Wolfe & Montcalm are killed C. In 1763, England is victorious and signs the Treaty of Paris with France

8. Iv. North American Land Claims after the French & Indian War

9. IV. N. American Land Claims after the French & Indian War A. The Treaty of Paris officially ended the war 1. France gave up its claim both to Canada & to the Mississippi River Valley 2. England took over Canada as well as the part of Louisiana that lay east of the Mississippi River B. England emerged from this war the most powerful nation in the world

10. C. A new problem develops in the colonies – how to keep peace with the Native Americans 1. Most Native Americans had sided with the French in the war 2. Native Americans resented English fur traders and settlers coming into their lands D. Pontiac’s Rebellion - In 1763, Native Americans organize several attacks against the colonies 1. Ottawa chief Pontiac attacks the English fort of Detroit 2. Delawares, Shawnees, & Senecas captured most of the other English outposts in the Ohio Valley 3. The Native Americans also attack settlements in PA, MD, & VA, killing about 2,000 colonists

11. E. England’s remedy is The Proclamation of 1763 1. It set the Ohio Valley aside as an Indian reservation 2. The proclamation drew a line along the crest of the Appalachians beyond which colonists could not pass 3. The proclamation infuriated colonists

12. V. King George III

13. V. King George III A. King George III became king of England just as the war was ending B. He wanted to station a permanent army of 10,000 soldiers in America to keep peace between the colonists and Native Americans, but this plan cost big $ C. The French & Indian War had drained the English treasury 1. England had a huge war debt 2. King George had already raised taxes in England so high that taxpayers were rioting in protest 3. England officials felt that the American colonists should be asked to pay at least part of their own defense

14. D. The colonists did not like the plan to keep a standing army of English troops in America 1. Some felt the army would not be used for defense, but rather to enforce unpopular laws enacted by the English Parliament & king 2. Americans expected that they would be forced to pay for the troops’ support