What are the origins of the French and Indian War in America (1754-1763)? What do these origins tell us about American colonists during this period?
The French and Indian War was as a result of colonial war that spread through Europe between 1754-1763; it was one of the bloodiest and deadliest wars in 18 th Century America. Apparently, it resulted in more fatalities than the American Revolution. According to Roark, Johnson, Cohen, Stage, & Hartmann (2014) , the war was as a result of an imperial struggle, a clash between the English and the French over both wealth and territory. The war, within these international forces, can also be considered to be the result of the localized competition between the French and British colonists.
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The French and the British were always ready for war and for some time, the tension between the two had been rising with both sides intent on increasing their land holdings. It started in 1753 when George Washington, who was from Virginia, accompanied by several other men went to the Ohio region to inform and demand from the French captain, the immediate withdrawal of French troops from the region (Roark, Johnson, Cohen, Stage, & Hartmann, 2014b) . These requests were sternly rejected; the French banking on their strong presence in the region even went ahead to forcefully eject and acquire Fort of Duquesne that Washington had just constructed. The confrontation between the French forces and Washington’s men eventually led to the setting off of numerous tiny battles. Furthermore, the French, in 1955 surprisingly attacked and killed General Edward Braddock who was in way to depose the French from the fort. One year later, in 1956, the English and the French ultimately declared war (Roark et al., 2014b) . These origins tell us that during this period, American colonist were only interested in acquiring wealth and land as a means of strengthening their hold on the North America frontier. They would do anything, including aligning with former foes, as well as massacring their enemies without any disregard for life.
How did this conflict end and why was it such an important contributing factor in leading to the American Revolution?
While the French, with the backing of its Indian allies, dominated the war in the initial three years, defeating and massacring the British, the tide turned in British’s favor in 1758 after they began making peace with Indians and may Indian allies abandoning the French. As a result of exhaustion due to many years of war, as well as because they were outgunned and outnumbered by the English, collapsed and were eventually defeated in 1759 at Quebec. This meant that the British were in total control of most of North America Frontier and the war officially ended (Roark et al., 2014a) . The French’s capitulation was also hastened by the 1763 Paris Treaty that also ended the Seven Years War. The treaty apparently forced the French to surrender all of its possession to the Spanish and the English.
The outcome of the war ended the French’s cultural and political influence in North America. The British gained vast tracks of land and massively strengthened its control on the continent. Nevertheless, the war also had subtler results in that it badly eroded the relationship between the British and Native Americans, particularly because after the war with the French in 1963, the British continued fighting with the Indian over land. This is despite the fact that it is the Indians that ditched the French to Back the English during the 1754-1763 war. Thus, while the seemed to have strengthened the British’s hold on its colonies in North America, the impacts of the war played a critical role in worsening the relationship between England and its colonies and finally resulted into the American Revolutionary War.
References
Roark, J. L., Johnson, M. P., Cohen, P. C., Stage, S., & Hartmann, S. M. (2014a). Colonial America in the Eighteenth Century, 1701-1770. In The American promise: A History of the United States - Volume 1 to 1877 . New York, NY: Bedford/St. Martin’s.
Roark, J. L., Johnson, M. P., Cohen, P. C., Stage, S., & Hartmann, S. M. (2014b). The British Empire and The Colonial Crisis, 1754-1775. In The American Promise: A History of the United States - Volume 1 to 1877 . New York, NY: Bedford/St. Martin’s.
