French and Indian War
1756-1763
“ With the scratch of a pen they casually
disposed of a continent they had never seen
and could scarcely imagine”
Francis Parkman describing the signing of
the Treaty of Paris 1763 ending The French
and Indian War.
War Highlights in North America
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Early French success 1755-1757
William Pitt- “Canada first” 1757
Fall of Quebec 1759
Fall of Montreal 1760
Spain’s late entry 1762
George Washington
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Fort Necessity 1754
Braddock’s defeat 1755
Forbes’ road 1758
Lack of recognition. No British
commission. ? Lacked education.
Albany Conference 1754
•  Franklin and Hutchinson
•  Common defense of colonies against French
and Indian allies.
•  Rejected by colonies.
•  Contained many future aspects of Articles
of Confederation.
Treaty of Paris 1763
•  King George III and Louis XV concluded a
war fought on 4 continents and 3 oceans.
•  Britain won an empire greater than that of
Imperial Rome.
•  More American territory exchanged hands
than any time before or since.
•  Set in motion the conditions leading to the
American Revolution.
Treaty of Paris
February 10, 1763
•  Spain: Louisiana from France and return of
Cuba in exchange for Florida.
•  France: Expulsion from North America,and
return of Guadeloupe,Martinique and
St.Lucia.
•  British: Gain Canada,Ohio Valley,Florida,
Grenada,Tobago,Senegal, and return of
Minorca.
Indian Affairs
•  Tribes desire neutrality
•  Indian land not white man’s.Who will
better guarantee their rights.
•  French adapt to Indian culture, better traders
•  Jeffery Amherst infect Indian blankets with
Small pox.
Pontiac Rebellion
1762-1763
•  Pontiac –Chief of Ottawas,allied with French,
never surrendered
•  British refused guns and whiskey
•  Delaware prophet- Neolin
•  Confederacy: Iroquois,Miami,Delaware,Shawnee
•  Siege of Forts Detroit and Pittsburgh, smaller forts
fell
•  Atrocities, 2000 British, 1000 Indians killed.
•  Defections,French failed to support
Proclamation of 1763
•  Make peace and pacify Indians.
•  Easier to control colonies if not growing.
•  Indians held rights to land but were under
British authority.
•  Alleghenies to the Mississippi River.
•  Colonists angry and ignored line.
Emigration and Settlement
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Competitive speculation among colonies.
Land grants to war veterans.
Paxton Boys Massacre: Dec.1763
Creeks driven into Florida.
Massive influx of settlers into Ohio Valley.
Canada- The Northern Frontier
•  Survival of French culture and civil law.
•  Right to practice Catholicism.-Carleton
•  French traders remain in control of western
frontier but commerce under British control.
•  St.Louis settled primarily by French from
Louisiana.
Quebec Act- 1774
•  King George- extend Quebec to Ohio River.
•  Punish colonies for rebellion and block
expansion to north.
•  Maintain Canadian loyalty and prevent
Quebec from becoming 14th state.
Southern Frontier
Louisiana:
Transfer to Spain to keep out of British hands.
Spanish administer from Havana.
French culture persists.
Acadians settlement.
Florida:
West: administered by British
East: strong Spanish enclave remains.
Transfer of Territory
Appalachians to Mississippi
French to British 1763
British to Americans 1783
Mississippi to Rockies
French to Spanish 1763
Spanish to French 1800
French to Americans 1803
Pre-War Colonies
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“Salutary Neglect”
No taxes
Virtually no intercolonial trade
Navigation Acts not enforced (bribery and
smuggling)
•  Growing British reliance on American trade.
•  Self-governing assemblies.
•  Royal governors- “Rubber stamps” loose
management.
Post-War British Policy
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British “sacrifice”to protect colonists.
Colonists need to share in the debt.
Share the cost of supporting troops.
Tighten custom laws.
British near financial collapse.
Sources of Conflict
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Defiance of Writs of Assistance 1761
Proclamation of 1763
Denied rights of Englishmen.
Independence not an initial goal.
Loss of French threat. Less dependent on
British protection.
Two Penney Act- 1758
•  Patrick Henry
•  Colonies required to pay clergy 2 pence per
pound of tobacco.
•  Rise of tobacco prices. House of Burgesses
object.
•  King and Parliament did’nt uphold law.
Patrick Henry
Writs of Assistance 1761
•  James Otis and Thomas Hutchinson
•  Smuggling to avoid taxes.
•  British claim right to inspect
ships,warehouses and personal property.
•  Otis challenged being deprived of right to
property was “unconstitutional”
Thomas Hutchinson
•  Governor of Massachusetts. Rich on royal
salary.
•  Focal point of anger.
•  Owns stock East India Company.
•  Replaced by General Gage.
Otis and Hutchinson