1. The Duel for North America 1608 - 1763 Chapter 6

2. I.French Beginnings in North America A. France Finds a Foothold in Canada Explorers, including Antoine de Cadillac and Robert de La Salle enlarged France’s N. American empire – in 1682, La Salle explored the Mississippi River to the Gulf and claimed the entire valley for King Louis XIV, naming it ‘Louisiana In 1701, La Salle explored the Ohio River Valley and established Detroit France’s claims were intended to block expansion of New Spain and the English into these regions – irrespective of English land grants and colonial charters which already claimed much of this area

3. I.French Beginnings in North America A. France Finds a Foothold in Canada French fur trappers, [‘voyageurs’ or ‘coureurs de bois’] and Indians travelled deep into N. America trapping and skinning beaver The ecological and cultural consequence of this slaughter was a near extermination of the beaver population and decimation of Indian populations exposed to white men’s whiskey and diseases Fur Trading Posts in Colonial N. America

4. I.French Beginnings in North America B. The Early Clash of Empires  From the late 17 th Century through the first 60 years of the 18 th Century sporadic wars occurred pitting England against France or Spain or both  These conflicts almost always involved Britain’s N. American colonies – particularly along frontier regions separating New France and New Spain from England’s colonies France’s North American Empire At Its Greatest Extent - 1700

5. I.French Beginnings in North America B. The Early Clash of Empires  King William's War [1689- 1697] and Queen Anne’s War [1702-1713] both pitted British colonists against French trappers and their Indian allies  Neither England nor France considered their American colonies valuable enough at that time to defend with regular troops Areas of Effective British, French, & Spanish Control

6. I.French Beginnings in North America B. The Early Clash of Empires These early conflicts were primarily guerilla wars waged using hit-and-run attacks and ambushes – as exampled by the attacks against Deerfield, Mass. and Schenectady, New York Spain, often allied with France, attacked English settlements along the Carolina frontier Scenes of the French Wars, 1690-1748

7. I.French Beginnings in North America B. The Early Clash of Empires England was awarded (1) French-populated Acadia which they renamed Nova Scotia, (2) parts of far northern Canada including Newfoundland and Hudson Bay, and (3) limited trading rights in Spanish America as the cost of Spain’s alliance with France against England British Territory After Two Wars, c. 1713

8. II.The French-English Showdown – A. George Washington Inaugurates War With France Americans valued the Ohio Valley for westward expansion and the fur trade - alarmed at French land-grabbing and cutthroat fur-trade competition, they were willing to fight for it and their security In 1749, the Ohio Company [ formed by Virginia land speculators] secured legal “rights” to nearly 500,000 acres in this region – the George Washington was among its investors To complicate matters, France began constructing a string of forts commanding the strategic Ohio River - including Fort Duquesne, a formidable bastion built at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers

9. II.The French-English Showdown – A. George Washington Inaugurates War With France In 1754, Virginia’s governor ordered Col. George Washington, to lead about 150 militiamen into the Ohio Valley and secure the Ohio Company’s claims His forces met French soldiers in the forest 40 miles from Fort Duquesne and attacked them – igniting a bloody war in America and Europe for control of North America The Ohio Country, 1753-1754

10. II.The French-English Showdown A. George Washington Inaugurates War With France Washington’s militiamen, unable to escape to Virginia, built Fort Necessity before being surrounded by French troops - on July 4, 1754, Washington surrendered against hopeless odds and was ‘paroled’ with the full honors Thus began the ‘French and Indian War’ - started by George Washington and fought as an undeclared war for two years before widening into the ‘Seven Year’s War’ Following that, in 1755, British officials in Nova Scotia rounded up approximately 4,000 French Acadians and deported them as far south as Louisiana - there they became known as ‘Cajuns’

11. II.The French-English Showdown B. Global War & Colonial Disunity Parliament rejected Franklin’s ‘Albany Plan of Union’ because it delegated legislative authority to colonial governments - it would have established colonial home rule in America Before the ‘Albany Congress’ convened, Franklin had published the most famous cartoon of the era in his ‘Pennsylvania Gazette’

12. II.The French-English Showdown B. Global War & Colonial Disunity  In 1755, Gen. Braddock led a British army supported by American militia under Col. Washington, into the Ohio Valley to capture Fort Duquesne  Braddock, ignoring Washington’s advice, tried to cross the Monongahela River at a spot considered likely for an ambush

13. II.The French-English Showdown B. Global War & Colonial Disunity French troops and their Indian allies poured a murderous fire into the redcoats as they attempted to cross, killing Braddock and routing the entire British force - a defeat that inflamed the entire colonial frontier from Pennsylvania to N. Carolina Map Showing Sites of Military Engagements, 1755-1760

14. II.The French-English Showdown B. Global War & Colonial Disunity In July, 1758, Pitt ordered an all-out assault on Fort Louisbourg guarding the sea approaches to the St. Lawrence River - after a withering two-month siege it fell to British forces and gave England its first victory of the war England’s Prime Minister William Pitt – The ‘Great Commoner’

15. II.The French-English Showdown B. Global War & Colonial Disunity  Pitt then ordered General James Wolfe, a daring young officer, to assault French forces commanded by the Marquis de Montcalm at Quebec  In a daring night move, Wolfe’s army scaled a cliff protecting Quebec’s flank - a maneuver which enabled his entire force to assemble on the ‘Plains of Abraham’ outside the fortress Map Showing Sites of Military Engagements, 1755-1760

16. II.The French-English Showdown B. Global War & Colonial Disunity (cont.) The ensuing ‘Battle of Quebec’ [September 13, 1759] ranks as one of the most significant military engagements in British and American history - a battle which led to the end of France’s N. American empire British General James Wolfe

17. II.The French-English Showdown B. Global War & Colonial Disunity What was the name of the treaty ? The treaty also provided that England would return possession of Cuba to Spain in return for Spanish Florida England thus emerged from the ‘French and Indian War’ as the dominant power in N. America and master of the seas North America After 1763

18. III.Impact of the Global Struggle A. Lessons Learned & American-British Relations Americans claimed land to the west as their birthright – land which they had fought for in the name of king and country Consequently, Americans defied royal authority and ignored the new policy – in defying the proclamation, Americans were already developing a new vision of their destiny Map Illustrating the ‘Proclamation Line of 1763’