A Turning Point• Between 1750 and 1765 a series of events

transformed colonial life:

• 1) French and Indian War (1754-1763)

• 2) A surge in trade boosted colonial consumption, but placed some Americans deeply in debt to British creditors

• 3) a great westward migration of colonists sparked new conflicts with Native Americans, armed disputes between settlers and speculators, and backcountry rebellions against eastern-controlled governments

The French and Indian War• Between 1750 and 1765 a series of events

transformed colonial life:

• 1) French and Indian War (1754-1763)

• Essay 3: In what ways did the French and Indian War transform the political, economic and ideological relationship between Great Britain and the colonies?

The French and Indian War• Between 1750 and 1765 a series of events

transformed colonial life:

• 2) A surge in trade boosted colonial consumption, but placed some Americans deeply in debt to British creditors

• If you are a Marxist historian, this is important…

The French and Indian War• Between 1750 and 1765 a series of events

transformed colonial life:

• 3) a great westward migration of colonists sparked new conflicts with Native Americans, armed disputes between settlers and speculators, and backcountry rebellions against eastern-controlled governments

• Debate: How unified were the colonists from 1750 to 1776?

The French and Indian War

• In the 1700s, Great Britain and France were the two most powerful countries in Europe.

• They were big rivals there, and they were also big rivals in North America

EUROPEAN COLONIZATIONOF NORTH AMERICA

Britain controlled the Hudson Bay area and the 13 colonies.

France controlled modern day Canada and the Mississippi River

England

Eng

land

Spain

France

The French and Indian WarThe French and Indian WarWho were the sides?Who were the sides?

• French and Indian War

• French & their Indian allies AGAINST Britain and the colonists

The French & Indian WarThe French & Indian WarWhat were the two sides What were the two sides

fighting over?fighting over?• Ohio Country

• France wants it because it needs to control the Ohio River, so it can link its forts along the Mississippi River with its territories in New France

The French & Indian WarThe French & Indian WarWhat were the two sides What were the two sides

fighting over?fighting over?

• Ohio Country

• Why would the colonies want it?

• The Ohio country was the “natural way” for the colonies to expand…

The French and Indian War• In 1754, George Washington led a group of Virginians to

the Ohio Country to claim it for Virginia. To their disappointment, they realized that the French have already built a fort at the most strategic place in the Ohio River Valley…Fort Duquesne (where three rivers meet)

The French and Indian War• In 1754 Washington fought a battle with the

French at Fort Duquesne. He loses and goes back to Virginia. But the British are not going to give up…they want the Ohio Country

The French and Indian War• In 1754 War broke out between France and Britain

in North America. In order to make the 13 colonies as unified as possible, the British summoned the colonies to a meeting at Albany, New York…this was called the Albany Congress. Benjamin Franklin produced the Albany Plan of Union

• Benjamin Franklin produced the following cartoon in his PA newspaper. What was he trying to say?

The French and Indian War• The War started slowly for the British. From 1754-56,

the French won a string of victories.

• From 1757 onwards, the British focused on the St. Lawrence River, and they won a series of key victories.

The French and Indian War• Battle victories at Quebec (1759) and Montreal

(1760) secure the St. Lawrence River for the British. The French empire in North America collapsed

The French and Indian War• The British had won a huge empire in North

America. Now the British decided they were going to take a closer interest in the empire. For years the British had left the colonies alone. The colonies had prospered…this is called salutary neglect.

Pontiac’s RebellionPontiac’s Rebellion• The British had won

the French and Indian War, but the Indians weren’t happy that the British now ruled their territory

• In 1763, Indians rebelled. The British had to send troops to crush the rebellion

17631763• So…It’s 1763…

• Britain has spent millions of pounds to win a war. It has to keep troops in North America to protect its troops from Indians on the western frontier

• Britain also wants to tighten its control over its 13 colonies. They also decide that they would like the colonies to pay for part of the war.

The Road to WarThe Road to War• In 1763, colonists were proud to be British.

• Just 13 years later, the colonies famously declared their independence.

• You will complete a class assignment, explaining how certain British actions led to colonial anger

The Proclamation of 1763The Proclamation of 1763• In 1763, the British

issued a proclamation

• The Proclamation of 1763 banned colonists from moving West of the Appalachian Mountains

• The colonists were ANGRY. Hadn’t they fought the French & Indian War, so they could MOVE WEST?