The Duel for North America: 1608-1763
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Transcript of The Duel for North America: 1608-1763
The Duel for North America: 1608-1763
In the late 17th and early 18th centuries the major powers in Europe (Great Britain, France and Spain) fought a series of wars over land, power and trade. These wars were not only fought in Europe but also in India and North America.
The First Three Wars
King George II Named after the king or queen who ruled England during the war
King William’s War 1689-1697Queen Anne’s War 1702-1713England tried to capture
Quebec with limited success
King George’s War 1744-1748Spain and France attacked the
frontiers of the colonies England had some success
The French and Indian War
In the first three wars, the European powers saw little value in committing regular troops to America
But the French and Indian War started in the Americas and spread to Europe
The value of the colonies increased, so large numbers of troops were sent to help defend them
In Europe it was known as the Seven Years’ War
The French and Indian War
George Washington From the British point of view France initiated the war by building forts in the Ohio R. Valley
A small colonial militia, led by G. Washington was sent to stop the growing French presence
After a small victory, Washington met defeat at the hands of a superior French force
The war had begun!
The French and Indian War
At first the war went badly for the British
In 1755, Gen. Braddock was defeated by a combined French and Indian force near Ft. Duquesne (Pittsburgh)
The Algonquin allies of the French attacked the frontier from PA to NC
The French and Indian War
The Albany Plan of Union
Recognizing the need for coordinating colonial defenses, the British govt. called for colonial representatives to meet
Representatives from the colonies met in 1754 in Albany
The delegates from 7 colonies adopted a plan – the Albany Plan of Union – developed by B. Franklin
The Albany Plan of Union
The plan provided for an intercolonial government and a system for recruiting troops and collecting taxes from the colonies
The delegates, including Benjamin Franklin adopted the plan but the individual colonies spurned it
The colonies could not agree (especially on the tax issue) and the plan never took effect
The Albany Congress did set a precedent for later, more revolutionary congresses in the 1770s
“Join, or Die.”
A month before the Albany congress assembled, Benjamin Franklin published this political cartoon in his Pennsylvania Gazette
British Victory
William Pitt In London, the new PM, William Pitt refocused Britain’s war goals
Canada was attacked and slowly key cities were conquered by the British army
Louisburg, Quebec (Gen. James Wolfe) and Montreal were taken by the British by 1760
Peace treaty was signed in 1763
French and Indian war
Treaty of Paris
As a result of the peace treaty (Treaty of Paris), the British extended their control over N. America and French power on the continent virtually ended
Britain acquired French Canada and Spanish Florida
France ceded to Spain its huge western territory (Louisiana) and claims west of the Mississippi R.
Immediate Effects of the War
Britain had unchallenged supremacy in N. America
British navy was the dominant naval power in the world
American colonies no longer had to feel the threat of French or Spanish attacks, especially on the frontier
Immediate Effects of the War
From the American point of view, no consequence of the war was more momentous than the change in relationship between the colonies and British government
Foremost was the change in how the British viewed the colonies and how the colonists viewed the mother country
The British View
The British came away with a generally low opinion of the colonial military effort
They saw the American militia as a poorly trained, disorderly rabble
Failure by some of the colonies to commit money and troops further enhanced the British view that the colonists were unable/unwilling to defend the frontiers
The Colonial View
The colonists took an opposite view of their military performance
They felt proud of their record in the British wars
They had developed confidence that they could successfully defend themselves
They were not impressed by the British military leadership, which did not seem suited for America’s terrain
Reorganization of the British Empire
Britain changed certain policies in regards to its colonies
Britain had exercised little direct control over the colonies and had generally allowed its navigation laws regulating colonial trade to go unenforced
This earlier policy of salutary neglect was now abandoned by the British
Reorganization of the British Empire
The wars (especially the French and Indian) between the European rivals were very costly
Britain felt the need to maintain a large British force in N. America to guard the frontiers
British landowners were paying high taxes for the wars
Reorganization of the British Empire
King George III and Parliament pursued a colonial policy aimed at solving the financial woes of Britain
They wished to make the colonies bear more of the cost of maintaining the British empire
Pontiac’s Rebellion
In 1763, Chief Pontiac led a major assault against colonial frontier settlements
The Native Americans were angered by the growing westward movement of the colonists
Pontiac and his allies destroyed forts and settlements from NY to VA
Rather than rely on local militia, the British sent regular troops
Proclamation of 1763
As a further measure to help stabilize the western frontier, the British government issued a proclamation that prohibited colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mts.
It was hoped that this would prevent any further hostilities between the native Americans and the colonists
Proclamation of 1763
The colonists reacted with anger and defiance
After the French and Indian War the colonists hoped to reap the benefits of access to more land
For the British to deny this was infuriating
Thousands of colonists defied the proclamation and pushed westward
Differing Points of View
BritainEach act was justified as a
proper method for protecting its colonial empire and making the colonies pay their share of costs for the protection
ColoniesEach act by Britain was an
alarming threat to the colonial sense of liberty and long established practice of self-government