Wars of EmpireGoal:

To understand how Great Britain’s wars with France affected the American colonies

American Indians affect the balance of powerBritain wanted to kick France out of N.

America for goodThe French had the support of most of the

American IndiansThe British and French gave generous gifts to

the Native American nationsNative Americans benefitted from preventing

one empire from dominating the other

The Balance ShiftsIn 1754, the British had 1.5 million colonists

compared to 70,000 FrenchThe outnumbered French worked with Native

Americans to resists British expansion“We can drive away the French when we

please…not true with the British”

The French and Indian WarA young Virginian by the name of George

Washington led British troops in the defeat of Ft. Duquesne

Washington and his men, however, had to surrender during the French counterattack

This sparked the French and Indian War

Early BattlesThe British suffered disastrous defeats at firstThe British managed to cut off French

shipping to the AmericasMany Native Americans deserted the French

for the better-supplied BritishThe British also managed to gain control of

the St. Lawrence River, which led to the conquer of Quebec

In 1760, the British captured Montreal and forced the French governor to surrender the Great Lakes

Treaty of Paris 1763The British also won victories in India, the

Philippines, West Africa, and the West IndiesIn the treaty, the British kept Canada, the

Great Lakes region, the Ohio River valley, and Florida

The Mississippi River became the boundary between the British and the Spanish claims in North America

QuestionsWhy did the French and British fight

frequently during the 1600s and 1700s?What was the outcome of the French and

Indian War?How did the French and British differ in their

efforts to gain control in North America?

Pontiac’s RebellionAmerican Indians of the interior N. America

were devastated by the British victoryThe British stopped most trade with Native

Americans and flooded settlers into the western portions of the colonies

Indian groups attacked and captured British forts along the Ohio River Valley and settlements in the Middle Colonies

This was known as Pontiac’s Rebellion (Pontiac was an Ottawa chief who led an attack on Detroit)

The Rebellion is VanquishedThe Indians wanted to weaken the British to lure the

French back, but failed to capture key British fortsIndian attackers ran low on supplies and their

uprising soon fizzledThe British felt that respect for the Indians would

cost less than fighting a war with themThe British made peace with most Indian tribes and

promised to keep settlers out of Indian territories west of the Appalachians in the Proclamation of 1763

There were too few soldiers, however, to restrain the west-bound colonists

Aftermath of the WarRevealed tensions between the British and

their colonistsBritish desired more control over the

colonies, accrued a large war debt, and now had to secure the large area taken from the French

Bickering among the 13 colonies during the war annoyed the British

The British attempted to make the colonists pay for their protection through new taxes and new trade regulations

QuestionsWhat did the Indians involved with Pontiac’s

Rebellion hope to accomplish?What was the effect of the French and Indian

War and Pontiac’s Rebellion on the relationship between the colonies and Great Britain?