The French And Indian War In The 18th Century

French and Indian War Essay
The French and Indian War (or the Seven Years War), one of the bloodiest wars in the
18th century, took place from 1756 to 1763. This war was the product of an imperial struggle between France and England over colonial land, wealth, and some say to even prove dominance within their rivalry. France and England were the “world leaders” at this time and with the start of the 13 colonies in North America, they both saw a great opportunity to expand land holdings and to spread their culture. Unfortunately, the tension between the two gradually increased until it eventually exploded into war. Some battles were fought between
Native Americans and colonists and others between colonists of different European nations.
Overall,
the struggle of wealth, land, and ultimately power turned into a very long blood bath that ended in England’s favor but also led to yet another war.
France and England were huge rivals even before the war even started. Ever since the
“olden days” they have been at each others throats. The rivalry started back in 1166, when the
French invaded England;these two countries have competed against each other ever since. In the Seven Years War, nothing changed regarding the rivalry except that there was a new opportunity to spread culture, gain even more land, and acquire wealth. This is why the French and Indian War even started.
Throughout the war, many territories were lost and gained between the French and the
British. At the beginning of the war, France controlled Canada and much of the Louisiana
Territory and Great Britain controlled much of the east coast of North America. During the war, the British had captured the French colonies of Canada,
Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint

Lucia, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Vincent, the Grenadines, and Tobago, the French trading posts in India, the slave-trading station at Gorée, the Sénégal River and its settlements, and the
Spanish colonies of Manila and Havana. France had captured Minorca and British trading posts in Sumatra, while Spain had captured the border fortress of Almeida and Colonia del
Sacramento.
By the time the war ended, a total of four treaties were signed: the Treaty of Saint

Petersburg, the Treaty of Hamburg, the Treaty of Paris, and the Treaty of Hubertusburg. The
Treaty of Saint Petersburg, the Treaty of Hamburg, and the Treaty of Hubertusburg were between Russia, Sweden, and Prussia. The Treaty of Paris however, explained the territories and to whom they belonged to. Most of the territories went back to their original owners, however, Great Britain gained a nice amount of land. The French ceded Canada, Dominica,
Grenada, Saint Vincent, Grenadines, and Tobago to the British. The French also ceded half of

French Louisiana to Britain, (area from the
Mississippi River to the
Appalachian Mountains
).
The Spanish ceded
Florida
to the British as well.
The Seven Years War had long lasting and devastating effects on the Native Americans that lived on the continent. During the war, the British punished each and every Native
American that joined the French and their fight. They cut off their supplies and forcefully commanded the tribes to obey the rules of the mother country. Even the Native Americans that joined the British fight were under the impression that if they offered full cooperation, the
British would end the European encroachment on their land. Unfortunately the British did not hold up their end of the deal and the Natives were unpleasantly surprised to see that even more settlers began moving onto their land. Considering all of this information, the British were not done with the Natives. With the French done and gone, the British focused all of their attention on whatever Native tribe that was within their grasp. At last, the Native
Americans had enough and soon started a war with the British;it was called “
Pontiac's War”.
The results of the war ultimately ended French cultural influence in North America while England gained massive amounts of land and strengthened the tight grip they held
on the continent. Although the war appeared to have a positive ending for England, the outcome also had negative effects as well. The war completely destroyed the relationship between the
English and the Native Americans and it also made the colonies second guess England as well.
The colonies eventually lost all hope in England and it eventually caused the Revolutionary
War.