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Content Reading: The French and Indian War (1754-1763)
In the Enlightenment and the Great Awakening, a commonality existed. Both
movements, though they had different goals, encouraged individualism in America.
The Enlightenment encouraged individual reason. The Great Awakening encouraged
individual religious experience. As people became more individualistic, they began to
question the authority of the British Empire. These movements helped the seed of
Revolution grow in the Colonies.
France and England began fighting over land in North America. This conflict was
called the French and Indian War. The French settlers consisted of young fur traders
and Catholic clergy. They had better relations with the Native Americans because of
trade. Native Americans joined them in war against the Colonies and Britain. In 1754,
the French built Fort Duquesne in the Ohio Valley. However, the British colony of
Virginia already claimed the land.
Virginia sent militia to remove the French. George Washington led the militia to
remove the French. However, he failed. A British general named Edward Braddock
then teamed up with Washington and they tried to take Fort Duquesne and failed again.
This caused the Colonies to question the courage and competence of Britain.
Back in England, King George II selected William Pitt to run his kingdom as
Prime Minister. Under Pitt’s leadership, the British turned the tide against the French.
This increased the morale of the British and Colonial citizens.
In 1759, the British took the French city of Quebec. In 1763, the Treaty of Paris
officially ended the war and changed the map of North America. Spain partnered with
France to try and stop the Colonies and Britain. After the war ended, Britain also took
Florida from Spain. Spain was allowed to keep lands west of the Mississippi and New
Orleans, which Spain acquired from France.
The Native Americans suffered after the French and Indian War and continued to
have hostile relations with the Colonies. A Native American named Pontiac (17201769) tried to continue fight the British and failed. The British issued the
Proclamation of 1763, which declared that the Colonists would not settle west of the
Appalachian Mountains to avoid conflict with Native Americans. The Colonists
ignored this rule and did so anyway.
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