French and Indian War

Jeremy Larimer

Mr. Russo

AP US History

6 December 2013

The French and Indian War

The French and Indian War raged from 1754 to 1763, and it led to drastic changes in the North American continent. By the middle of the eighteenth century, European colonists had lived in North America for nearly a century and a half. With the arrival of the Europeans, the Native Americans lives were forever changed because the expansion of European settlement not only displaced indigenous people, but it also led to the spread of many diseases. The Native Americans had never been exposed to the European pathogens, so therefore they had no immunities to the diseases which led to the vast decimation of whole tribes. Also the European visitors were by far more technologically advanced than the Natives, and this factor along with diseases weakening the tribes was the reason why the Indians were unable to resist the Europeans expansion and domination. In the 1600s, Native Americans were seen as obstacles to European advancement; however, by in the 1700s alliances and rivalries developed between the Natives and the Europeans as the political battles of Europe merged with the existing tensions between the Native Americans. With the addition of rivalries and alliance systems, the ever increasing tension over land disputes between the French and the British, and the failure to negotiate effectively, the North American continent was headed on the path of war, and the world would feel extravagant ripple effects after the forthcoming war.

One of the main reasons for the French and Indian war, was the Europeans greed for land expansion. Tensions mounted as the settlers of New France wanted to increase their land claim so that their fur trade would expand. The New France settlers had their eyes set upon the Ohio River Valley and the Great Lakes. Also the British crown also started moving into the Ohio River Valley, and to ensure settlement the British granted land to companies who would move into the Valley and expand. The mounting tensions eventually found its way into Europe, as with the war in the 1740s in which George the second of England and his allies in Germany faced off against France and Austria. As a result of this struggle of power the British captured the French city of Louisville. The French attempted to regain control of the city, but they were unsuccessful. This struggle of power spread to North America as Britain saw the French territory on the St. Lawrence threatening British holdings on the Atlantic coast, New England colonists were thinking about invading Canada to prevent the French from getting any strongholds in North America. To prevent the rising tension from leading to a larger conflict, a peace treaty in 1748 was enacted; however, this peace treaty only delayed the hostilities from developing into a much larger issue. Soon after the peace treaty, tensions were again rising. The New France leader Marquis Duquesne began establishing settlements in the North American interior, which was the major piece of land that both the British and the French wanted to control. Both the French and the British were gearing up for war, they were planning assaults on each-other. In 1754, the Virginia government dispatched Lieutenant George Washington with about 200 men to an area located close to the forks of the Ohio River. The French were building a fortified post named Fort Duquesne . Washington's goal was to prevent the French from completing the fort, and build a fort for the British. However, before Washington and his troops arrived at the fort, they came in contact with a small contingent of French and Huron Indians in the woods. After a vicious battle, the French and Hurons emerged as victors. This battle marked the start of the French and Indian War.

In the French and Indian War alliances between the Europeans and the Natives were a major factor in the outcome of the war. The French were allied with the Hurons, while the British were allied with the powerful Iroquois Confederacy. The Iroquois Confederacy were originally neutral until 1759, until after the Treaty of Easton. The Confederacy was composed of the Seneca, Oneida, Cayuga, and Onondaga people. To form the confederacy six Indian nations had come together to coordinate their actions, policy, and trade. The confederacy was extremely powerful and often controlled neighboring nations. The Seneca in the Ohio River Valley were members of the Iroquois Confederacy. The Lenape and the Shawnee were dependents under their authority and representatives were sent from the Iroquois Confederacy to govern them. Beyond the Ohio River Valley were the Indian nations around the Great Lakes, and these nations were traditionally French allies. The French called these nations the "far Indians" which consisted of the Hurons, and would often call on these warriors to assist them in defending their colony, the French also relied on the American Indian nations along the St. Lawrence River for assistance. The Native Americans allied themselves with the side they believed would win the war because the Indians wanted to protect their way of life, these groups of Native Americans would at all costs defend their land, their lifestyle, and their control of the future. (War For Empire)

When the French and Indian War started, it shocked the world. After the first shots of the war occurred, Washington returned to the meadows and his contingent built a small, makeshift fort named Fort Necessity. On July 3, 1754 about 700 French and Indian allies arrived at Fort Necessity. The French and their allies stayed in the trees to fight which gave them vital protection from gunfire, and also rain. The British were unprotected from the rain, and it caused the gunpowder to get wet, and then the British guns would not fire. After many hours of fighting, the French called out to see if the British wanted to negotiate terms of surrender, and after Washington assessed the situation, he agreed to surrender. After a document was signed by both sides, Washington and his troops departed, and the French gained control of the Ohio River Valley. The war was not officially a war yet, however both sides began to send troops and supplies. Early the next year, Major General Edward Braddock arrived to take command of British forces in North America. Washington also joined Braddock as a volunteer. Braddock moves his forces to Fort Cumberland to prepare for a trip through the forest to Fort Duquesne. Braddock's forces departed May 29, 1755. The French were well aware of the British progress, and the French Captain Daniel-Hyacinthe-Marie Lienard de Beaujeu convinced about 630 Native American troops to join his 254 troops to fight the British. Eight miles east of