French & English Mercantilist Wars (French & Indian War or the Seven Years’ War)

1. French & English Mercantilist Wars(French & Indian War or the Seven Years’ War) What were the causes of the French & Indian War? Why was 1763 (the year the War ended) a “turning point” in the relationship between England & its North American colonies?

2. French & English Colonial Wars These regulations began with the Navigation Acts in 1660 • The introduction of new English mercantilist policies changed its economic & military attitude towards the colonies: • England increased protective tariffs & trade regulations so the colonies worked for motherland • If that failed, go to war with economic rivals & get the colonists to fight too New mercantilist policies after the French & Indian War led to colonial resentment & the American Revolution The French & Indian War changed EVERYTHING between England & the colonies

3. French & English Colonial Wars • A series of European conflicts involving England & France spilled over into colonial North America: • King William’s War (1689-1697) • Queen Anne’s War (1702-1713) • King George's War (1743-1748) • These wars were based on mercantilist competition & had little political significance, but…

4. …these wars led to a land frenzy in the 1750s, among French & British colonists Territorial disputes along the Ohio River sparked the French & Indian War

5. Westward Expansion & Land Conflicts, 1750-1775

6. Three major expansion/land conflicts • “Paxton Boys” • Regulators • Ohio Land Speculation

8. Turning Point: 1754 • 1754 proved to be a turning point in American colonial history • In 1754, English officials & colonists met to discuss Iroquois problems at the Albany Congress • Benjamin Franklin proposed the Albany Plan of Union for a coordinated colonial army • The plan was vetoed by colonial assemblies & Parliament This would give the colonists too much power The plan was too expensive & would limit each colony’s power to control its own actions

9. Ben Franklin’s Albany Plan of UnionAmerica’s 1st political cartoon

10. Turning Point: 1754 In 1754, VA governor sent 22 year old George Washington to protect an Ohio Company claim Washington’s troops were forced to retreat from Fort Duquesne; This clash proved to be the beginning of the French & Indian War

11. French & Indian War

12. The French & Indian War • The war went bad for England from 1756 to 1758 • Fort William Henry: "massacre" of the English by French-allied Natives (Ottawa) (1756); French refuse to share goods won • British had already angered Natives in the North; this allowed the French to gain alliances • French also had better commanders of their armies at the time

13. The French & Indian War • In 1757, Prime Minister William Pitt took command of the military: • Used well-qualified generals • Had a “blank check” to fund the war in America, India, & Europe • In 1758, the tide of the war turned; England won by 1760

14. 1758-1761 The Tide Turns for England By 1761, Spain became an ally of France

15. Treaty of Paris • France—lost Canada, most of its empire in India, & claims to lands east of the Mississippi River • Spain—got all French lands west of the Miss. River, New Orleans, but lost Florida to England • England—gained all French lands in Canada, exclusive rights to the Caribbean slave trade, & total control of India

16. North America after 1763 America in 1750 America in 1763

17. How was 1763 a“turning point” in the British-colonial relationship?

18. Perceptions of the War • Colonial views: • Colonies could be very strong when they worked together • Newly gained frontier presented opportunities for wealth & land • Colonists learned how to fight • English views: • Americanswereslowtoorganize & balked at helping raise money even to protect their own lands

19. Effects of the War on Americans? • The 1760s were an affluent & optimistic “post-war” period: • The French & Indian War united the colonists against a common enemy for the 1st time • Most colonists considered themselves proud members of England’s empire with little (if any) thought of independence

20. Effects of the War on Britain? • The war increased England’s colonial empire in North America • But, the Pitt’s “blank check” greatly enlarged England’s debt • Britain’s contempt for the colonials created bitter feelings • As a result, English leaders felt that a major reorganization of its American empire was necessary!

21. Eroding Bonds of the Empire

22. Parliamentary Sovereignty • In 1760, George III became king & began a new colonial attitude: Parliamentary Sovereignty • English officials assumed that Parliament must have ultimate authority over ALL laws & taxes • The colonists tried to reserve the colonial authority for their own legislatures

23. “No Taxation Without Representation” • The colonists assumed that their assemblies were quasi-equal to Parliament because they had no Parliamentary representatives • British officials countered with “virtual representation” argument • The colonists insisted that only their colonial assemblies could tax Americans Parliament represents ALL British citizens no matter where they live

24. Two Theories of Representation • What was the extent of Parliament’s authority over the colonies? • How could the colonies accept the decisions of Parliament when they did not have representation in that governmental body? Absolute? OR Limited?

25. Eroding the Bonds of Empire • After the Seven Years War, everyone expected George to remove British army from America (French were no longer a threat) • But…this large, expensive army was not removed • British citizens were not happy because they had to pay for it • Colonists doubted the army’s ability to defend against Indians

26. Pontiac’s War • Backcountry natives banded together to repel white frontier settlers during Pontiac’s War: • Indian successes exposed the British army’s weakness • Attacks revealed desperation of Native Americans after the withdrawal of their French allies • Colonials took matters into their own hands (Paxton Boys in PA) English colonists flooded across the Appalachian Mountains: “There’s all this land & no French!!”

27. Pontiac’s Rebellion, 1763 Fort Detroit • Chief Pontiac led the Ottawa & other tribes against colonists due to: • The flood of colonists into Ohio Country • British “gifts” of smallpox-infected blankets from Fort Pitt

28. Retaliatory attacks by frontier colonists (like the Paxton Boys in Pennsylvania) were common

29. The Proclamation of 1763 • In response to Pontiac’s War, the British government established the Proclamation Line of 1763: • This law forbade colonists from settling across the Appalachian Mountains (for their own protection) • Americans viewed the line as an obstruction to their “legitimate economic development”

30. North America in 1763

31. New Political Ideas All gov’ts are susceptible to corruption, tyranny, & intrusion upon citizens’ liberty • The introduction of Parliamentary sovereignty contradicted England’s original policy of salutary neglect • The influx of new political ideas of the European Enlightenment began to impact colonial thought (especially those of John Locke) • While no colonists were thinking of independence by 1763, many became committed to “natural rights” & opposed to “tyranny” “Virtuous” citizens must fight tyranny

32. Conclusions:Rule Britannia?

33. Rule Britannia? • Despite the mounting tensions between the English government & American colonists by 1763, most Americans were loyal “brothers” to England due of: • a shared British culture • dependence upon British consumer goods • shared nationalism after British military victories against France