Unit 3 Chapter 6 Lesson 1 Pages 154-159

In the mid-1700s, colonists continued to move west into the Ohio River Valley.

The French also claimed the land in the Ohio River Valley.

The French wanted control for their fur trade The French wanted control for their fur trade. They traded with the Native Americans in the region.

The British started trading more with the Native Americans, and paid higher prices for the fur than the French did.

This made the French mad because it hurt their business, so they started building forts in the area.

In 1753 the French built Fort Presque Isle (Erie) and Fort Le Boeuf (Waterford).

In 1754 they built Fort Duquesne. (Pittsburgh) *It was actually on the site of a fort the British were starting to build.

These forts angered the British, and they wanted the French to leave These forts angered the British, and they wanted the French to leave. But the Quakers in charge of Pennsylvania at the time did not want to attack the French forts.

The governor of the Virginia colony, Robert Dinwiddie, wanted the land of the Ohio River Valley for Virginia.

Remember, the colonies did not have the same borders in the 1750s as our states do today.

Dinwiddie sent a young man from the British army named George Washington to Fort Le Boeuf to tell them to leave. The French refused.

Several months later, Washington was sent back to the area with soldiers to protect British colonists in the area from the French.

Worried about being attacked by a larger French force from Fort Duquesne, Washington built Fort Necessity for protection.

On July 3, 1754, the French did attack, laid siege to the fort, and forced Washington to surrender.

Washington and his troops returned to Virginia Washington and his troops returned to Virginia. Many say this was the beginning of the French and Indian War.

The British lost many early battles in the war to the French.

One of those losses was on July 9, 1755, when General Edward Braddock lost the Battle of the Monongahela. Braddock was killed in the fight.

The French, along with their Native American allies, fought the British for control of the North American continent for nine years.

As the war continued, things started going better for the British, and they began to win more battles.

One victory for the British was in 1756 when Pennsylvanian John Armstrong led an attack on the Native American village of Kittanning, capturing it.

Fort Duquesne finally fell into British hands in September of 1758 Fort Duquesne finally fell into British hands in September of 1758. The French burned it down so the British couldn’t use it.

The British built Fort Pitt in place of Fort Duquesne.

Remains of Fort Pitt today.

The British finally won the war, and in 1763 the British and French signed the Treaty of Paris.

This officially ended the war and gave England control of North America from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River.

Knowing that there could be trouble with Native Americans still living in the new area now controlled by England, Parliament needed a way to control their colonists and new territory.

The Proclamation of 1763 was given which created a line along the frontier. Colonists were not to settle on land west of the Proclamation Line of 1763.

Native Americans living in the Great Lakes region and Ohio River Valley did not like the way they were being treated by the British and were afraid their land would be taken away.

Many Native American tribes joined together to fight the British and colonists. One of the main leaders was an Ottawa named Pontiac. The fighting that followed is called Pontiac’s War or Pontiac’s Rebellion.

Native American warriors attacked forts, destroyed farms in the frontier, and killed many colonists living on the frontier.

Fort Venango (Franklin) and Fort Le Boeuf (Waterford) were captured by Native Americans in June of 1763.

Fort Pitt was attacked by Delaware Indians on June 22,1763 Fort Pitt was attacked by Delaware Indians on June 22,1763. They couldn’t capture the fort, so they laid siege to it.

Many people from the area had fled to Fort Pitt for protection from Native American raids. The fort normally only held 300 people. During the siege, over 1,500 people sought shelter there.

Colonel Henry Bouquet of Lancaster, along with 500 soldiers were sent to relieve Fort Pitt. The Delawares laying siege to the fort left it to attack Bouquet’s men.

The two forces clashed on August 5, 1763, and fought the Battle of Bushy Run for two days.

Bouquet and his men won, relieved Fort Pitt, and ended Pontiac’s War in Pennsylvania and the surrounding area. The war officially ended on July 25, 1766.