French Indian
War
Before 1763...
● By 1750 the population of the colonies had grown to more
than a million people from only 50,000 a century before.
● For more than 100 years the British government had, for
the most part, left the colonies alone to solve their own
problems.
● During that time, Americans in each colony had learned
to govern themselves by electing their own assemblies.
● The assemblies had the power to pass laws and to create
and collect taxes.
○ Each assembly decided how the tax money should be
spent.
Americans had more freedom to run their own
affairs than ordinary people in any country in
Europe.
Self government made the colonies more
attractive to settlers.
What might have
been a cause for
conflict between
Britain and
France in the
colonies?
Conflict in the Ohio Valley
As the colonies grew, settlers wanted to move into
the Ohio Valley- the region between Ohio and
Mississippi.
Both Great Britain and France claimed this area.
In 1754, the French built Fort Duquesne (du-KANE).
News of the fort alarmed the governor of Virginia.
He ordered some of the Virginia militia to drive the
French out of the Ohio Valley.
The head of that militia- 22 year old, George
British believed
Washington (Fun Fact- he wanted to become an officer in
colonists made
bad soldiers
the British army)
Long struggle between France and Great Britain
over territory and power.
Many American Indians fought with Francehence the name.
Albany Plan
Beginning of the war- colonists met
in Albany where Ben Franklin
proposed the Albany Plan of Unioncalled for British colonies to form an
alliance for their own defense.
Most colonists didn’t think it was
necessary to work together---relied
on British protection.
Drawing by Ben Franklin.
Compares the colonists lack
of unity to a snake cut in
pieces.
The French Indian War
1755- Great Britain sends 1,400 British soldiers to
Virginia to finish the job (led by General Braddock)
It is a disaster! They are ambushed--- ⅔ of the
soldiers are killed, including General Braddock.
Washington narrowly escapes and leads the
survivors back to Virginia. He is greeted as a hero.
1759- British troops capture Canada.
1763- France and Great Britain sign a peace
treaty-- ending the 7 year war.
France gives its claim in Canada to Britain
Young Washington
Yay! We won!....But….
King George III takes over toward the end
of the French Indian War
He’s not great. As one historian wrote, “he
was very stupid, really stupid.”
The advisors he chose to help him knew
little about the conditions in North
America and were soon taking actions
that enraged the colonists…….
Problem # 1
1. Keep colonists and American Indians from
killing each other
a. Settlers were pushing westward
b. Proclamation of 1763- draw a line down
the crest of the Appalachian Mts. and tell
settlers to stay east, Indians to stay west
● Tyranny!- colonists argued the only place
farmers could find available land was west
of the mountains.
● British government expanded the British
army in America to 7,500 men to keep the
peace.
Problem #2
2. How to pay off the large debt from the French and
Indian War?
● People in Britain were already paying taxes on
everything from windows to salt.
● Americans were the least taxed people.
● Time for colonists to pay their fair share of the
cost of protecting them from Indians.
TAXATION
3 volunteers! (King, Tax collector, parliament)
Taxation Without Representation
● What was unfair about how the class was
taxed?
● How could it have been handled more fairly?
● Why were the British goods boycotted?
● What methods and organizations were devised
by colonists in order to resist or avoid these
laws?
● What did you learn from this experience?