#FRENCH INDIAN WAR SERIES#

The French and Indian War was one of many French-British conflicts fought during the Second Hundred YearsвЂ™ War (1689-1815), a historical era that included King WilliamвЂ™s War (1689-1697), Queen AnneвЂ™s War (1702-1713) and King GeorgeвЂ™s War (1744-1748). The conflict and its aftermath produced substantial ideological divisions between Britain and her North American colonies that ultimately contributed to the outbreak of the American Revolution. Though BritainвЂ™s victory in the French and Indian War expelled France from North America and secured massive territorial gains for the empire, subsequent Crown policies concerning taxation and westward expansion resulted in widespread colonial discontent. British assaults on strategic outposts such as Ticonderoga, Niagara, and Quebec in 1759, followed by the successful siege of Montreal in September of 1760, prompted the French surrender. Pitt believed that securing victories in North America would ensure BritainвЂ™s global success, and reinvigorated the war effort by reorganizing military leadership and strengthening the CrownвЂ™s relationship with its colonists in America. The tide turned in favor of the British in 1757 when King George II appointed Secretary of State William Pitt to commander of wartime operations. WashingtonвЂ™s involvement during the warвЂ™s early stages provided the future President with invaluable military experience while also gaining him positive notoriety that helped to launch his future political career. Washington quickly became a central figure in the conflict, maturing during his tenure in the Virginia militia from an inexperienced young major to the commander in chief of the colonyвЂ™s regiment.

The French saw a number of early victories, most notably over George Washington and Edward Braddock in Western Pennsylvania. Both received support from various Native American tribes, though the outnumbered French became far more dependent on these allies as the war progressed.

#FRENCH INDIAN WAR SERIES#

Though war was not formally declared until 1756, armed conflict began in 1754 as disputes over land claims in the Ohio Valley lead to a series of frontier battles between the French and British. The French and Indian War (1754-1763) is the name given to the North American theatre of the Seven YearsвЂ™ War (1756-1763), a global conflict involving the major powers of Europe.

French indian war