French And Indian War example essay topic

The French and Indian War was the final struggle between the English and French governments and its colonies in America. It lasted from 1754 till 1763 and was but one part of the larger struggle, the Seven Years' War, between England and France for authority in naval supremacy and world trade. The English and French had grown together peacefully for the first part of the growth in America. As the colonies expanded, spiritual and trade tensions arose.

During the 1750's, both countries were claiming vast amounts of land in the name of their own country. Many of the claims overlapped. Then they started building villages, trading posts, and forts and interpreting the other countries actions as hostile. This prompted both countries to make armed provisions.

After the governor of Virginia sent Colonel Washington to attack the French's expansion unsuccessfully, the French retaliated and trapped Washington and his troops at Fort Necessity. This marked the start of the French and Indian War. At first the war was mainly a local, North American conflict. The English did not do well these first years. The colonists handled the war mostly on their own since there wasn't much British naval support. Almost all of the Indian tribes were allied with the French.

Next, the warfare moved to the Europe and the surrounding countries. The primary effort still remained in North America where so far, England had endured nothing but frustration and defeat. In 1757, William Pitt forced supplies, equipment, shelter, and manpower from the colonists to Britain. This caused a lot of bitterness with the colonists, who disliked the new impositions. Soon, the resistance between the British authorities and the colonists was threatening to bring the war effort to a halt. This initiated Pitt to loosen up many of the policies that Americans had objected to.

Immediately, a boost in American support for the war occurred. Pitt also sent out many more additional troops. Instantaneously England's position in the war started to turn. The French became even more outnumbered and were plagued by poor harvests. Soon after, the American phase of the war ended and on September 1760, a year later, the French army officially surrendered. The French and Indian War had profound effects for both the British Empire and the American colonists.

It's sometimes seen as the source of resentment between the English government and the colonists, which eventually led to the American Revolution. Also, the colonists learned to come together against a common enemy. Before the war, the thirteen colonies had no common ground, and they lived in joint distrust. Now, they saw that they could be very strong and forceful. The next enemy would be Britain. The Dictionary of American History Reference Book Published: 1976 Pages: 114-116.