EVENTS BEFORE THE WAR

European wars

• Europe's "long peace" (Ended 1739 when Britain declared war on Spain)

• War of Jenkin's Ear

• Merchant Robert Jenkins's ear was cut off by Spanish customs agent.

• Enraged British

• War merged into War of the Austrian Succession in Europe

• War of Austrian Succession

• Prussia (French ally) attacked Austria (GB ally)

• American part of the battle was called "King George's War"

Battles in America

• SOUTH:

• Spanish Florida had been fighting war with South Carolina and Georgia

• NORTH:

• French raiding New England shipping.

• Then taking refuge in fort Louisbourg (state-of-the-art fortress) on Cape Breton Island.

• Massachusetts captured Louisbourg in 1745.

• But fort returned to French by British in the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle in 1748.

• In return for French concessions elsewhere.

• Parliament reimbursed Massachusetts for expenses

• But Mass. still unhappy about 500 lives lost

• And continued French harassment of New England merchants

King George's War

American leg of the War of Austrian Succession (see above)

FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR

Differed from early Fr/Br. wars

• Was a worldwide war

• Br. v. Fr. in West Indies, India, Europe and North America

• War began in North America

• British goal

• to expel French from North America

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

Population differences

• British Colonies -- 1.2 million white colonists + British troops

• French Colonies -- 50,000 whites

• Spanish Colonies -- 20,000 whites north of Mexico

French advantages

• Alliance with Indians (west of Appalachians, between Ohio River and Great Lakes)

• Colonists already claiming the "Ohio Country"

• speculators, like George Washington, already held titles to land)

• Shawnees, Delawares, Miamis aligned with French

• French had no ambition to settle area (not enough colonists)

• Indians traded furs for French goods, incl. arms

• French stopped British settlement

KEY EVENTS IN WAR

George Washington and Ft. Necessity

• French laid out string of forts

• Governor of VA sent Washington west to tell French they were trespassing

• French rejected VA claims to land

• Washington back with small force but run off by Indians and French

• Washington holed up at quickly constructed Ft. Necessity

• Washington soundly defeated in skirmish

• French built Fort Duquesne.

Fort Duquesne

• British Parliament sent troops under General Edward Braddock to VA

• Washington was Braddock's aide in charge of VA volunteers

• Duquesne only manned by 150 Canadian volunteers and 600 Indians

• Indians said they would leave when heard that Braddock's troops coming but French convinced them to stay and launch surprise attack. (ambush style was alien to Braddock)

• Braddock was killed, Washington organized the rest of the troops.

• 2.3 of British and Virginians killed or captured. (French/Indians only lost 23)

TREATY OF PARIS 1763

• New France divided at Mississippi River

• Spain gets French territory west of Mississippi River (gives up Florida to British)

• Britain gets French territory to the east of Mississippi River (and Florida from Spanish)

• France maintains West Indies sugar colonies of Martinique and Guadeloupe

LESSONS FROM WAR

• American colonists serving in English army saw how English treated soldiers (badly)

• Caused anti-British sentiments among colonial soldiers.

• American officers, like Washington, could not rise ranks of militiary

• English officers believed American colonists were unsophisticated because they fought like the Indians (guerrilla tactics)