The French and Indian War

1. The French and Indian War

2. Competing European Claims

3. Who? • French and Indian war was the result of disputes between France and Great Britain that had been going on for over 65 years

4. Why? • Basically, greed and fear- • Greed: who could get the most land in the New World and control the natural resources • Fear: one country would gain more power than the other

5. Why, continued • Great Britain had a strong alliance with the six tribes of the Iroquois Confederacy • French were trading partners with many of the western Native American tribes • French had better military leadership, unlike the British colonists AND they didn’t argue among themselves as much

6. What • Tension between the two countries increased because both claimed the area of the Ohio River Valley-this was a huge frontier region in which British traders had formed profitable agreements with many Indian tribes that had formerly traded only with the French

7. What… • 1753, Virginia’s governor sent George Washington to warn the French that they Ohio River Valley did not belong to them • A year later, Washington was again sent with the same message but this time he didn’t go alone-he had 150 Virginia militia troops with him

8. The Battle of Fort Necessity • The French set up forts to protect their fur trading interests. • Some of these forts conflicted with English claims. • Virginia Governor Dinwiddie dispatched a young George Washington in 1753 to deliver a protest to the French. This protest was ignored. • The British sent a party to construct a fort on the site of modern Pittsburg. Young George Washington

9. What, what … • 22 year old Washington set up a stockade that they called Ft. Necessity, and after a scout reported French soldiers in a nearby camp, Washington’s men attacked and forced the French to surrender • The French later retaliated and Washington was forced to surrender

10. Sooo… • This was the beginning of the French and Indian War, or Seven Years’ War, as it was called in Europe • The British suffered many losses but were eventually victorious and the frontier came under British rule

11. Georgia’s Role • Georgia did not take part in the war but it was helped by the war • The Treaty of Paris of 1763 which formally ended the war, set Georgia’s western boundary at the Mississippi River

12. The Treaty of Paris • The 1763 Treaty of Paris ended the French and Indian War. • The French transferred its claims west of the Mississippi to Spain and ceded its territory east of the Mississippi to the British. • The Treaties of Easton and Paris limited colonization to the Eastern seaboard.

13. The Royal Proclamation of 1763 • Violent incidents such as Pontiac's Rebellion prompted the English crown to attempt to mandate an end to encroachments on territory promised to the Indians. • Settlers were not to establish themselves west of the “Proclamation Line.” • The effort was unsuccessful and is viewed by many to be a leading cause of the Revolutionary War.

14. Results… • British gained control of Canada • The western frontier was opened for settlement • Great Britain obtained Florida (Spain had been allied with France) • France gave the Louisiana Territory to Spain • France lost all land • AND…

15. The Biggie… • The French and Indian War led to the American Revolution • After the war, Great Britain had a huge war debt and decided to tax the colonist to cover those expenses