CH. 3.4

Wars of Empire

Describe the causes and major events of the French and Indian War.

Analyze the causes and effects of Pontiac’s Rebellion.

Summarize how the wars and their outcomes changed the relationship between Britain and the colonies.

Objectives

European Competition and the ColoniesThe French and Indian WarPontiac’s RebellionAftermath of the War

Key Parts

Take the next 10 min to read section four.Be able to answer these two questions.1. How did the French and British differ in

their efforts to gain control in North America?

2. Why was the Proclamation of 1763 issued?

*Add these questions on your Bell work page for points*

Read 3.4

During the mid-eighteenth century, England, France, Spain, and the Netherlands were locked in a worldwide struggle for empire.

In North America England’s greatest rival was France.

Britain controlled the 13 colonies but France controlled a vast territory that extended form the St. Lawrence River to the Gulf of Mexico.

European Competition and the Colonies

Each war between England and France was followed by a treaty that resolved nothing.

Britain wanted to push out France from North America.

To do this they had to get rid of the French advantage. (Native Americans)

Native Americans lived in the land that separated the British and the French.

American Indians Affect the Balance of Power

The Native Americans realized this as well and knew that they had to try and balance the power between the French and the English.

If one side became defeated then the winning side would begin treating the Indians poorly again because they would have no need for them.

Cont.

The balance begin to tip as the British colonial population begins to rise.

In 1754 the 1.5 million British colonists greatly outnumbered the 70,000 French.

Due to the lack of numbers the French had to be nice and respectful to the Indians because they needed them to help protect them from the British.

The Balance Shift

The French built Fort Duquesne in what is now western Pennsylvania. This angered British governor of Virginia Robert Dinwiddie.

Robert sent out an ambitious Virginian named George Washington to evict the French from their fort.

Washington defeated the small French force with ease until the French counterattacked and force Washington to surrender.

The French and Indian War

This was the beginning of a new world war that would be fought in North America, Europe, Asia, Africa and the West Indies.

It was called the seven years war in Europe.At first the British fared poorly in North

America.They were initially overwhelmed by the

British and colonial force.

Cont.

The French lost two forts initially to the British and colonists near Nova Scotia.

The troops evicted the French settlers, known as Acadians and gave their farms to New Englanders.

This went on until the General Edward Braddock of the British Army marched his troops right into a French and Indian ambush.

Early Battles

The Indian and French number was only 300, compared to the larger British force of 1,300.

George Washington saved about half the army in a skilled retreat. But he said he had never seen men fight with such cowardice against so few men.

In 1756-57 French General Louis-Joseph de Montcalm destroyed British forts on Lake Ontario and Lake George. Meanwhile, Indians raided British frontier settlements in Pennsylvania and Virginia.

Cont.

The tide of war shifted in 1758 and 1759. The British managed to cut of the French shipping to the Americas.

As a result, many Indians deserted the French in favor of the better-supplied British.

The British began capture key forts that allowed them access to the St. Lawrence River.

Cont.

Gaining access to the St. Lawrence River gave General James Wolfe the inlet he needed to attack the stronghold of Quebec in 1759.

In a daring gamble Wolfe’s men used the cover of night to scale a cliff and occupy the Plains of Abraham, just outside the city walls. Marching out to attack, Montcalm of the French suffered defeat and death.

Great Victory for the British

In 1760, the British captured Montreal and forced the French governor general to surrender the rest of Canada including all of the forts around the great lakes.

The British had succeeded in their major North American goal.

Cont.

After the defeat of the French the Indians knew they had an Issue.

The British military cut off goods going to the Indians. And English settlers began flooding into their lands.

This of course angered the Indians and so they surprised and took over almost all the forts in the Ohio River Valley.

Pontiac’s Rebellion

The British called this uprising, Pontiacs Rebellion after a Ottawa chief prominent in the attack on Detroit.

The Indians goal was to weaken the British and lure the French back into the fight.

They failed to gain control of the major British Posts and ran out of supplies, thus the rebellion failed.

Cont.

The British Government sought a quick end to the issue.

They made peace with the Indians via the Proclamation of 1763; which limited the expansion of English Settlers to not go past the eastern side of the Appalachian mountains.

However, this did not work very well because it was to difficult to manage.

Cont.

After the expensive war the British felt as though they should have more control over the colonies and that the colonies should help pay the war debt.

Under British encouragement, colonial delegates had met in 1754 to review the Albany Plan of Union that was written by Benjamin Franklin.

However the plan was dropped on both side of the party due to the fact it would be to hard to manage.

Aftermath of the War