The Duel for North America: 1608-1763

1. The Duel for North America: 1608-1763 In the late 17th and early 18th centuries the major powers in Europe (Great Britain, France and Spain) fought a series of wars over land, power and trade. These wars were not only fought in Europe but also in India and North America.

2. The First Three Wars • King George II Named after the king or queen who ruled England during the war King William’s War 1689-1697 Queen Anne’s War 1702-1713 England tried to capture Quebec with limited success King George’s War 1744-1748 Spain and France attacked the frontiers of the colonies England had some success

3. The French and Indian War • In the first three wars, the European powers saw little value in committing regular troops to America • But the French and Indian War started in the Americas and spread to Europe • The value of the colonies increased, so large numbers of troops were sent to help defend them • In Europe it was known as the Seven Years’ War

4. The French and Indian War George Washington • From the British point of view France initiated the war by building forts in the Ohio R. Valley • A small colonial militia, led by G. Washington was sent to stop the growing French presence • After a small victory, Washington met defeat at the hands of a superior French force • The war had begun!

5. The French and Indian War • At first the war went badly for the British • In 1755, Gen. Braddock was defeated by a combined French and Indian force near Ft. Duquesne (Pittsburgh) • The Algonquin allies of the French attacked the frontier from PA to NC

6. The French and Indian War

7. The Albany Plan of Union • Recognizing the need for coordinating colonial defenses, the British govt. called for colonial representatives to meet • Representatives from the colonies met in 1754 in Albany • The delegates from 7 colonies adopted a plan – the Albany Plan of Union – developed by B. Franklin

8. The Albany Plan of Union • The plan provided for an intercolonial government and a system for recruiting troops and collecting taxes from the colonies • The delegates, including Benjamin Franklin adopted the plan but the individual colonies spurned it • The colonies could not agree (especially on the tax issue) and the plan never took effect • The Albany Congress did set a precedent for later, more revolutionary congresses in the 1770s

9. “Join, or Die.” • A month before the Albany congress assembled, Benjamin Franklin published this political cartoon in his Pennsylvania Gazette

10. British Victory William Pitt • In London, the new PM, William Pitt refocused Britain’s war goals • Canada was attacked and slowly key cities were conquered by the British army • Louisburg, Quebec (Gen. James Wolfe) and Montreal were taken by the British by 1760 • Peace treaty was signed in 1763

11. French and Indian war

12. Treaty of Paris • As a result of the peace treaty (Treaty of Paris), the British extended their control over N. America and French power on the continent virtually ended • Britain acquired French Canada and Spanish Florida • France ceded to Spain its huge western territory (Louisiana) and claims west of the Mississippi R.

14. Immediate Effects of the War • Britain had unchallenged supremacy in N. America • British navy was the dominant naval power in the world • American colonies no longer had to feel the threat of French or Spanish attacks, especially on the frontier

15. Immediate Effects of the War • From the American point of view, no consequence of the war was more momentous than the change in relationship between the colonies and British government • Foremost was the change in how the British viewed the colonies and how the colonists viewed the mother country

16. The British View • The British came away with a generally low opinion of the colonial military effort • They saw the American militia as a poorly trained, disorderly rabble • Failure by some of the colonies to commit money and troops further enhanced the British view that the colonists were unable/unwilling to defend the frontiers

17. The Colonial View • The colonists took an opposite view of their military performance • They felt proud of their record in the British wars • They had developed confidence that they could successfully defend themselves • They were not impressed by the British military leadership, which did not seem suited for America’s terrain

18. Reorganization of the British Empire • Britain changed certain policies in regards to its colonies • Britain had exercised little direct control over the colonies and had generally allowed its navigation laws regulating colonial trade to go unenforced • This earlier policy of salutary neglect was now abandoned by the British

19. Reorganization of the British Empire • The wars (especially the French and Indian) between the European rivals were very costly • Britain felt the need to maintain a large British force in N. America to guard the frontiers • British landowners were paying high taxes for the wars

20. Reorganization of the British Empire • King George III and Parliament pursued a colonial policy aimed at solving the financial woes of Britain • They wished to make the colonies bear more of the cost of maintaining the British empire

21. Pontiac’s Rebellion • In 1763, Chief Pontiac led a major assault against colonial frontier settlements • The Native Americans were angered by the growing westward movement of the colonists • Pontiac and his allies destroyed forts and settlements from NY to VA • Rather than rely on local militia, the British sent regular troops

22. Proclamation of 1763 • As a further measure to help stabilize the western frontier, the British government issued a proclamation that prohibited colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mts. • It was hoped that this would prevent any further hostilities between the native Americans and the colonists

23. Proclamation of 1763 • The colonists reacted with anger and defiance • After the French and Indian War the colonists hoped to reap the benefits of access to more land • For the British to deny this was infuriating • Thousands of colonists defied the proclamation and pushed westward

24. Differing Points of View Britain Each act was justified as a proper method for protecting its colonial empire and making the colonies pay their share of costs for the protection Colonies Each act by Britain was an alarming threat to the colonial sense of liberty and long established practice of self-government