The Duel for North America

Chapter 6

The French in North America

•New France

•British

•bringing settlers in from the mother country

•French

•making Native Americans French citizens

•Treat Indians as equals and intermarried

•exploiting new lands economically

•develop stronger alliances with Indians

The French and Indian War (or the Seven Years War)

• Disputed land claims in Western Pennsylvania

• Duquesne (modern day Pittsburgh)

• Both France and England laid claim to the area

• George Washington

Fort Necessity and Jumonville Glen

• George Washington• 22 year old militia officer

• Sent by British to deliver ultimatum to French

• Constructed an outpost approximately 60 miles from Duquesne called “Fort Necessity”

• First skirmish between the French and Washington’s men took place not far from the fort

• Washington and Indian allies attacked a French position at a location known as Jumonville Glen.

• Within a few minutes, 10 Frenchmen were killed and 21 wounded.

• French retaliated

• Controversy

British Attack Fort Duquesne

• In 1755, British General Edward Braddock was ordered to attack French stronghold at Fort Duquesne

• George Washington assigned as aid

• Braddock and his 1500 confident they could take fort

• Ambushed

• Braddock and staff were killed (except Washington)

• British defeat at Fort Duquesne was first of many losses during 1755-1756

Prime Minister William Pitt

• French initially victorious over British military

• Changed when King George III picked new leaders to run the British government

• William Pitt, as prime minister, put together a massive army of 50,000 men to fight French

• Had to borrow a large amount of money to do so

The Battle of Quebec

•Fought outside the city of Quebec on the “Plains of Abraham”

•Wolfe had 4800 men under his command, Montcalm, 4000

•Wolfe’s men scaled cliffs protecting the city and surprised Montcalm

• Montcalm could have evacuated the city, but chose to fight Wolfe’s men

• British losses in the battle were 58 killed, 600 wounded

• French losses were 644 men killed or wounded

• Both Wolfe and Montcalm were killed in battle

• Battle ended in a decisive British victory

Treaty of Paris 1763

• Ended the French and Indian War

• France ceded Canada and all land claims east of Mississippi River to England

• France kept island colony of Guadeloupe

• Spain received Louisiana and New Orleans from French, Cuba restored to Spain

• Spain temporarily ceded Florida to British

Impact of the War• France lost most of its overseas empire

• Size of British holdings in North America doubled• Found it difficult to manage

• British treasury deep in debt

• Eventually tried to pay by taxing the Thirteen Colonies…

• “Balance of Power”• Led French later to support the colonists in the

American Revolution

• Britain became dominant world power at that time

Pontiac’s Rebellion• Indian tribes concerned with

number of British soldiers entering the Ohio River valley region

• United behind Ottawa Chief Pontiac in attempt to reclaim lands for Native Americans

• Indians were successful in capturing eight British forts, but were weakened when British officers gave them smallpox-infected blankets during peace negotiations

• Eventually entered into treaties with the British, and gave up control of the lands they had taken

Proclamation of 1763• Issued by King George

III

• Restricted settlement to the east of a line drawn at the Appalachian Mountains• Attempt to control the

vast empire

• Sought to stop exploitative sale of Indian land

• Purpose: to forestall further frontier warfare after Pontiac’s Rebellion

Seeds of Revolution• By 1763, the British Empire = world’s “superpower”

• In position of dominance after defeating French

• But there was a price…

• Pitt’s policies during French and Indian War put British economy on shaky ground

• To pay for war, British Crown found itself looking for ways to levy taxes on citizens, both at home and in its North American colonies

• Colonists felt they were entitled to same rights as fellow citizens in the mother country, and began to feel that they were being taken advantage of by Parliament since they did not have any representatives

• Feelings of mistreatment would soon give way to feelings of resentment of the crown (aka Revolution)