1. Mr. Clifford US 1

2.  France’s North American Empire  1750’s: France & Great Britain were rivals  Both wanted control of North America (fur trade, plantations, trade, cash crops, natural resources)  France controlled: St. Lawrence River, Great Lakes Area, Quebec, western Pennsylvania, & Mississippi River all the way down to New Orleans.  French colonies were much different than British colonies. French viewed Native Americans as trade partners, NOT enemies  English colonists supported Great Britain because they wanted to expand westward.

4.  How did the French & Indian War begin? France built Fort Duquesne in Ohio  Virginia government sold land in Ohio Valley to wealthy planters.  July 1754: Virginia sent militiamen to Fort Necessity (fort near Fort Duquesne) to order the French to leave.  (Virginia militiamen were led by 22 year old colonel George Washington)  Washington & his men were forced to surrender.  Battle at Fort Necessity was the beginning of the French & Indian War. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVEmOVnS9BE

5.  Between 1755-1756 the French troops & their Native American allies continually defeated British & colonial troops.  France wanted to keep their colonies in Canada, Ohio River Valley, Northern Mississippi River to Louisiana.

6.  William Pitt named General of British Army  Iroquois Native Americans decided to join the British instead of France.  1759: Britain took the French capital of Quebec  1763: French & Indian War ended. (Treaty of Paris)  Great Britain claimed Canada, all of North America east of Mississippi River. Spain kept all their land west of the Mississippi River.  Native Americans who supported France found in harder to bargain with Great Britain.

7.  Great Britain now controlled the Ohio River Valley (Western Pennsylvania/Ohio)  Ottawa would create problems for colonists & British  Proclamation of 1763: Britain banned colonists from settling land west of the Appalachian Mountains to avoid contact with Native Americans  Proclamation of 1763 angered colonists.

8.  Colonists believed that the British didn’t care about their needs or rights.  Britain was suffering from a financial crisis (depression) from fighting the long war against France.  To pay for the war debt, Britain decided that the colonists needed to pay. Britain would use taxes to acquire colonial money.

9.  British government stationed 10,000 British soldiers in newly acquired territories to keep Native Americans & French subjects under control.  Colonists saw a standing British army as a threat against their lives & their freedom.

10.  During war, the British had cracked down on colonial smuggling to ensure merchants were not doing business with French.  Royal Governor of Massachusetts authorized the use of writs of assistance, which was a general search warrant that allowed British custom officials to search any colonial ship, building, & house.  Merchants in Boston were outraged that their privacy was taken from them.

11.  Parliament to enact a law known as the Sugar Act.  The Sugar Act did three things:  halved the duty on foreign made molasses.  Placed duties on certain imports that had never been taxed before  It strengthened the enforcement of the law allowing prosecutors to try smuggling cases in a court decided by one judge & not a colonial jury.  COLONISTS COMPLAINED THAT PARLIAMENT COULD NOT TAX THEM & THAT PARLIAMENT WAS VIOLATING THEIR RIGHTS & FREEDOM.

12.  During the French & Indian War, colonists lost much of their respect for British army. (Colonists learned that the British army was NOT invincible & that British officers treated their soldiers/colonists “little better than slaves”.  Colonists were very upset at Britain for keeping a standing army in the colonies and for passing laws that violated rights of British citizens.