American History
Unit 04:
Road to Revolution, 1748-1776 (Part 01)
Road to Revolution, 1748-1763
I. Road to Revolution, 1748-1776.
A. Wars fought for control of a continent.
1. The French and British fought (4) wars between 1689-1763.
2. The first two wars didn't affect the colonists very much.
North America:
Before the French and
Indian War 1754-1763.
Imperial Warfare
The French
The English and Colonies
The French army in America was
never very big.
The French had the support of several
Indian allies:
a. Algonquin and the Huron.
b. French lived among Indians and
treated them with respect.
English colonies' population
was X15 times larger than New
France's population.
Fewer Indian allies
a. Iroquois supported English.
Colonists ignored Indian rights,
cut down trees, and farmed the
land.
The British navy ruled the seas.
A New Kind of Warfare
French and Indian War
I. French and Indian War. (The Seven Years War)
A. The French built forts through the Ohio country.
1. New France stretched from New Orleans to Montreal.
2. The English claimed that the French were trespassing.
B. George Washington joined the Virginia militia.
1. Sent to deliver an ultimatum to the French to leave the Ohio Valley.
a. In 1754, Washington’s men killed 33 French.
b. French retaliate.
1b. Forced Washington to surrender his forces at Ft. Necessity.
2b. Washington permitted to leave if he promised never to return.
A young George Washington fought in the Virginia militia and
helped the British Army during the French and Indian War.
Washington once had two horses shot from under him and had his
coat pierced by four bullets, but remained unhurt.
Death of Braddock
I. General Edward Braddock (British army)
A. In 1756, Braddock started a campaign against the
French with 2,500 men.
1. Attempted to capture Ft. Duquesne.
a. Braddock was ambushed and defeated
1a. Braddock was killed.
B. War begins to go very badly for the British.
"We shall know better how to do it next
time.“
Edward Braddock, British General
Last words spoken
General Braddock refused to listen to Washington and led his men into an ambush. Braddock
was killed. Braddock had five horses shot from under him during the Battle of the Wilderness.
William Pitt Becomes Prime Minister
I. In 1757, William Pitt became the new British Prime Minister.
A. Pitt realized that key to winning the war was to beat the French in
North America.
1. The English began campaigns against Ft. Duquesne.
a. The war shifted to favor the English.
B. Ft. Duquesne was renamed Ft. Pitt in William Pitt’s honor.
William Pitt
Today, Ft. Duquesne is called Pittsburgh, Pa.
French and Indian War: Map
William Pitt’s Plan to Win the
French and Indian War in
North America.
1. Capture Louisbourg
2. Capture Quebec
Battle for Quebec
I. Battle for Quebec (September 1759)
A. British attack the Capital of New France
1. British General Wolfe vs. French General Montcalm.
2. Fierce fighting on the Plains of Abraham.
a. British won, Quebec was captured.
b. Both Wolfe and Montcalm were killed during the fighting.
British troops storming Quebec (1759)
The Death of British General James Wolfe. He
died outside of Quebec during the French and
Indian War.
French and Indian
War Map
The French and Indian Ends
I. The French and Indian War became a “world” war.
A. Prussia, Austria, Spain, Russia, France, and England involved.
1. More than thirty major battles were fought in Europe, India, Cuba, the
Philippines, and North America.
B. The war was known globally as the “Seven Years War.”
England Captured Several
England Won Control of India
French Islands in the Caribbean
Treaty of Paris 1763
I. Treaty of Paris 1763.
A. England received all French land east of the Mississippi River.
B. England got control of all of Canada.
C. England received Florida from Spain.
1. Spain joined French side in 1762.
a. Spain received Louisiana (all land west of Mississippi River) from France
in a secret agreement between France & Spain shortly before the war
ended.
*France lost all her land in North America.
Land Ceded to England
The Least You Need To Know:
The French and the Indian War was the American phase of the Seven Years War,
which historians consider the first “world” war.
Although the English had more colonists, the French had more Indian allies and
were far better at wilderness combat tactics than the inflexible British regulars.
Causes and Effects of the French and Indian War
French and Indian War Discussion Questions
1. In what ways might America be different today if the French had beaten the
British in the French and Indian War ?
2. Using the French and Indian War as an example, explain how war can unify
disparate elements in a society.
3. Who do you think lost the most from the French and Indian War, the colonists,
the French, the British, or the Indians?
Concepts to Know:
1. Compare and Contrast the English and French during the French and Indian War.
2. Describe how the French and Indian War began.
3. Who was William Pitt and what was his strategy for winning the French and Indian
War?
4. What were the results of the French and Indian War?
5. Who was Chief Pontiac and what was his goal?