47 Amazing Facts About French And Indian War For A History Buff

The North American curtain of the Seven Years' War was the French and Indian War.

The Seven Years' War was fought as a territorial conquest over the North American colonies. This was fought between Great Britain-controlled colonies in North America and those of the French.

The war marked the end of the century-long struggle between France and Great Britain, the final phase. Each colonial power was joined by the respective tribes of native Indians.

The conflict is considered to be the first global conflict in the history of mankind fought between the British government and the French government.

The French-Indian War started in 1754 and reached its final phase in 1763. The war was the amalgamation of a series of conflicts that took place in the period 1688-1763, which are collectively known as the French and Indian wars.

Two years into the French and Indian War, in 1756, British forces declared war on French forces, marking the beginning of the infamous seven-year war. The war ended on an unexpected note. Read on to learn more about this war.

After you've finished reading this article, why not check out these fun facts articles to learn everything there is to know about the first battle of the Revolutionary War or the Abraham Lincoln Civil War, right here on Kidadl!

Cause Of French And Indian War

The major cause of the French and Indian war is considered to be an aim at territorial conquest by the British empire and the French colonists. However, the real reason behind the French and Indian war can be narrowed down to five major causes.

The first and foremost reason attributed to the war is the quest for more territory under their control to prove their supremacy. There was a major conflict over who would exercise control over the waterways.

Furthermore, both colonists had competing claims to the same territory. Both wanted control over the Great Lakes, Ohio river valley, and the Lawrence river. The British government was more focused on cultivating the land for farming and agriculture, while the French government was more focused on using the land for hunting and trading.

The second cause is attributed to a semi-aquatic rodent, which proved to be a major conflict between the French troops and British soldiers. Trading in beaver fur has become a popular business option.

Beaver fur became a hot commodity that everyone wanted a piece of. Both governments imposed strict taxation policies on the booming beaver fur trade, which the native Americans disliked.

Both the French and the British wanted control of the Great Banks, which made it the third cause of the war. Due to its warm shallow waters, Lake Erie, the fourth largest lake in the Great Lakes, has a highly productive fishery.

Seeing this as another opportunity to increase their power and control, both the British and the French fought to exercise control.

Religious differences between the French and the British became the fourth cause of the French and Indian War. The French government sent missionaries to the native Indian tribes to possibly convert them to Catholicism, which was the official religion of New France.

The British government was a mix of German, Dutch, and English, which propagated protestant ideology. They too wanted the native Indians to follow their path of thinking. This became a cause of conflict.

The fifth and final cause was desperation. The French had lost three wars to Britain prior to the French and Indian War but had never lost any territory to them. To increase the British empire, the government of Great Britain set out to acquire and establish more and more British colonies.

Facts About French And Indian War

The French and Indian War was the final straw between the French and the British. It marked the end of a century-long struggle between the two colonists.

For the first time, France lost its Indian allies to the British. Great Britain established many more British colonies in northern America, thus increasing their colonial supremacy.

The French had come to set up their idea of a New France, a vast colony in North America, in the 1540s by settling north of the Spanish settlements. They increased their supremacy through their good relations with the native Indians, which made it hard for the British to find allies.

As a method of expelling the British from North America, the French launched the Battle of Lake George on September 8, 1755. This battle was fought in the north of New York province.

The British introduced the Stamp Act in their colonies, using it as a disguised way to fund the British forces against the Anglo-French soldiers. A young soldier named George Washington played an important role.

George Washington was the one to initiate the shooting in the Pennsylvania colony in the seven-year war that became the catalyst for the American revolution. The young soldier also played a huge role in the American revolution and the liberty of America against the British.

Who won the French and Indian War?

The French and Indian conflict finally ended in a British victory in 1763.

It is said that one of the main reasons that led the British to the victory throne was the apt leadership of William Pitt. Pitt believed that having the reins of North America would be a massive milestone in making Great Britain a world power.

He rightly invested a lot in the war, whereas Louis XV of the French was beguiled by his mistresses, and he had the least interest in providing the leadership support needed to win a war.

This, along with the better resources and strategies of the British, led them to win this long battle. The ending of the French and Indian conflict was finalized by Governor Vaudreuil in Montreal. He was in charge of negotiations with General Amherst.

General Amherst made sure that all forts made by the French to protect their territory, especially Fort Duquesne, were transferred to the British, especially after the Braddock expedition failed to seize Fort Duquesne.

France lost substantial territory to Great Britain as well as their much-beloved beaver fur trade. They, however, imposed the Sugar Act to gain complete autonomy of the sugar trade in their Caribbean colonies.

The Treaty Of Paris

A French and Indian war summary can be made after the Treaty of Paris, which demonstrates the victory of Great Britain over the country of France.

The Treaty of Paris marked the official end of the century-long conflict between the British and the French powers. It was signed on February 10, 1763, by Great Britain and France, along with Spain and with the agreement of Portugal.

France was asked to either surrender its territory east of the Mississippi or its colonies in the Caribbean. This led to Britain's control over New France and its respective forts and waterways. Britain thus exercised control over most of the region of North America and became a colonial superpower in the region.

The conflict between the global powers of France and Great Britain proved to be a game-changer in the course of the history of mankind. The conflict led to several economic, political, and social changes in the respective governments of the countries involved in the conflict as well as the people inhabiting the regions where the conflict unraveled.

Both France and Great Britain suffered terrible financial burdens in the coming years, as well as the significant loss of human life in the battles.

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