French and Indian War

French and Indian War
the war in America in which France and its Indian allies opposed England 1754-60: ended by Treaty of Paris in 1763.

* * *

North American phase of a war between France and Britain to control colonial territory (1754–63).

The war's more complex European phase was the Seven Years' War. Earlier phases of the quest for overseas mastery were King William's War (1689–97), Queen Anne's War (1702–13), and King George's War (1744–48). The North American dispute was whether the upper Ohio River valley was a part of the British empire or part of the French Empire; the bigger question was which national culture would dominate the heart of North America. British settlers were the majority in the coveted area, but French exploration, trade, and Indian alliances predominated. In 1754 the French ousted a British force, including a colonial militia under Col. George Washington, at Fort Necessity, Pa. Until 1757 the French continued to dominate, but in 1758 Britain increased aid to its troops and won victories at Louisbourg, Fort Frontenac, and Fort Duquesne (Pittsburgh). The final British victory at the Battle of Quebec (1759) led to the fall of New France (1760). In the Treaty of Paris (1763) France ceded its North American territory to Britain.

* * *

▪ North American history
 the American phase of a worldwide, nine-years' war (1754–63) fought between France and Great Britain. (The more complex European phase was the Seven Years' War [1756–63].) It determined the control of the vast colonial territory of North America. Three earlier phases of this extended contest for overseas mastery are treated separately: King William's War (1689–97), Queen Anne's War (1702–13), and King George's War (1744–48).

 The French and Indian War began over the specific issue of whether the upper Ohio River valley was a part of the British Empire, and therefore open for trade and settlement by Virginians and Pennsylvanians, or part of the French Empire. Behind this issue loomed an infinitely larger one, however: which national culture was to dominate the heart of North America. Settlers of English extraction were in a preponderance in the coveted area, but French exploration, trade, and Indian alliances predominated. As early as 1749, the governor-general of New France specifically ordered the area cleared of all British, with the aim of restricting their settlements to the territory east of the Appalachian Mountains. In the spring of 1754, the French ousted a Virginia force from the forks of the Ohio River, and a skirmish was precipitated by Colonel George Washington (Washington, George). Shortly, Washington's force was surrounded at Fort Necessity, Pennsylvania, and forced to surrender. Ultimately the war spread to every part of the world where either of the two nations had territorial interests.

      The first four years saw nothing but severe reverses for the British regulars and American colonials, primarily because of superior French land forces in the New World. Lack of colonial assistance to the war effort compounded British problems. By the end of 1757, however, the course of the war began to be altered by three major influences. One was the dynamic leadership of the British prime minister, William Pitt (Pitt, William, the Elder) the Elder, who saw that victory in North America was the supreme task in the worldwide struggle and who has been truly called the organizer of victory in the Great War for the Empire. The second was the increasing superiority of British financial and industrial resources, food supplies, and naval equipment, as opposed to growing national bankruptcy and economic paralysis faced by France. Finally, both the British and Americans were becoming seasoned wilderness fighters.

 In 1758 and 1759, aided by effective blockades off the coast of France as well as in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the British won important victories at Louisbourg, Fort Frontenac, Fort Carillon (later Ticonderoga), and Crown Point, and at Fort Duquesne (now Pittsburgh) and Fort Niagara. The climax came with the British victory on the Plains of Abraham (Abraham, Plains of) (September 13, 1759), where Quebec was forced to surrender and where both commanders, James Wolfe (Wolfe, James) and the marquis de Montcalm (Montcalm, Louis-Joseph de Montcalm-Grozon, marquis de), were fatally wounded (see Quebec, Battle of). A year later, Montreal and the whole of New France had fallen. By the Treaty of Paris (Paris, Treaty of) (February 10, 1763), France ceded its territory on mainland North America east of the Mississippi River (including Canada) to Great Britain; Spain ceded Florida to Britain but in return received the Louisiana Territory (i.e., the western half of the Mississippi River basin) and New Orleans from the French. Though unpopular with the British public, which would have preferred France's rich sugar-producing islands of the West Indies rather than Canada, the 1763 treaty is often thought to mark the beginning of Britain's imperial greatness. Ironically, Britain's problems arising from victory, such as war debts and the administration and settlement of an expanded colonial empire, contained the very seeds of the conflict that would lead to the American Revolution during the following decade.
 

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • French and Indian War — ☆ French and Indian War n. the American phase (1754 63) of the SEVEN YEARS WAR …   English World dictionary

  • French and Indian War — Not to be confused with French and Indian Wars. French and Indian War Part of the Seven Years War …   Wikipedia

  • French and Indian War — Siebenjähriger Krieg (1756–1763) Europäischer Kriegsschauplatz Lobositz* – Prag* – Kolin* – Hastenbeck** – Groß Jägersdorf* – Moys* – Roßbach* – Breslau* – Leuthen* – …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • French and Indian War — French and In|di|an War, the the name for several battles that took place in North America between the French and the British in the mid 18th century, before the American Revolutionary War …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • George Washington in the French and Indian War — George Washington (February 22, 1732 ndash;December 14, 1799) commanded America s war for independence (1775–1783), and was the first President of the United States, from 1789 to 1797. Because of his central role in the founding of the United… …   Wikipedia

  • (the) French and Indian War — the French and Indian War [the French and Indian War] the part of the Seven Years War that was fought in America (1754–63). After a series of battles, the British forces defeated the French and Indians ( ↑Native Americans), and the Treaty of… …   Useful english dictionary

  • French and Indian War — noun the war between France and England in America, 1754–60, in which the French were aided by Indian allies …  

  • French and Indian War — noun a war in North America between France and Britain (both aided by American Indian tribes); 1755 1760 • Instance Hypernyms: ↑war, ↑warfare • Part Holonyms: ↑Seven Years War …   Useful english dictionary

  • French and Indian Wars — The French and Indian Wars is a name used in the United States for a series of conflicts in North America that represented the actions there that accompanied the European dynastic wars. In Quebec, the wars are generally referred to as the… …   Wikipedia

  • Northwest Indian War — Battle for Ohio redirects here;. Distinguish from Battle of Ohio, which is a nickname for a particular current running baseball and American football team rivalry. Northwest Indian War Part of American Indian Wars …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”