The Early Seeds of American Independence
The name “French and Indian War” makes it sound like France and India fought each other. But that’s not true.
The French and Indian War was fought primarily between the English and the French.
The name comes from the fact that the French used Native American allies to fight. So, from the English perspective, they were fighting…the French and the Indians.
Most of the fighting in this war took place in North America. But also in Europe, Africa, and Asia. The war reshaped global politics, putting England far ahead of its European friends and enemies. But it also pushed its American colonies further away and made independence all but inevitable.
Outbreak of the War
The French and Indian War has its roots in the long-standing rivalry between England and France.
They’d been fighting since the 12th century when French nobles invaded England and crowned themselves kings. They even fought a war so long we now call it the Hundred Years War.
Fast forward to the 18th century and both sides had established overseas colonies in North America.
The English had set up along the eastern coast of North America, stretching from South Carolina all the way to Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
The French had set up along the banks of the Mississippi River, as well as in what is now Quebec, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland.
Their close proximity and long-standing dislike for one another laid the groundwork for conflict. But things might have been just fine if it weren’t for the rapidly expanding English population in North America.
In fact, in the early 17th century, there were 10 times as many people in the English colonies than in the French.
Seeking open space and farmland, settlers arriving to English North America often moved west, away from pre-established towns and colonies.
As they did, they ran into the French people already there.
This led to some conflict, but things really got messy in 1754.
English settlers arriving to Western Pennsylvania landed at the confluence of the Allegheny, Ohio, and Monongaheala Rivers, the site of modern Pittsburgh. They identified it as an ideal spot to settle. But the French in the area had other ideas.
Finally, in May, a young George Washington, led his British forces on an attack.
This battle, now called the Battle of Jumonville Glen, was a French victory. But it was the spark needed to rekindle war between England and France.
Except this round became a global affair.
A Conflict Goes Global
A skirmish for the lands around Pittsburgh quickly became an all-out English assault for control over North America.
By 1754, England’s colonies were well-established. Plus, their resources and access to global trading routes made them a promising source of wealth.
England, seeking to establish a global empire richer and more powerful than any other in Europe, wanted to wipe out its competition in North America.
The French did not have enough people nor military strength in North America to really stop the British, so they attacked the English in Europe. The hope was that they could divert England’s attention away from North America and bring an end to the war more quickly.
In the beginning, all this did was expand it. Spain jumped into the fight on the side of the French to try and beat back the English. They were also long-time rivals. Prussia, Portugal, Russia, Austria also got in on the fun.
But the combatants were not just Europeans. Many Native American groups, seeing the war as a chance to better their position with their new and unwanted neighbors, joined the fight. Many also saw the war as a chance to take back the lands they had lost.
Depending on where they were and the alliances they had, some fought for the British and others fought for the French.
This is where the name “French and Indian War” comes from. But it’s a bit inaccurate, as there were Native Americans (called Indians at the time) fighting on both sides.
Due to the global nature of the conflict, as well as the many different parties involved, the French and Indian War quickly grew into what we now call The Seven Years War.
The origin of this name is a bit easier to figure out…
England Dominates the War
Despite being a global conflict, the majority of the fighting still took place in North America.
It was centralized along the borders of New France and the English colonies, which stretched from Nova Scotia, Canada in the east to New Orleans, Louisiana in the south, as well as across the Caribbean.
All in all, the English kind of kicked butt in this war.
Over the previous century, they had invested heavily in their navy as a source of power. They recognized early on how important this was to winning and defending an overseas empire, and so they managed to conquer tons of their enemies’ territories.
This took the French colonies of Canada, Guadeloupe, and Martinique, as well as Senegal and French holdings in India. The English also took Florida, Havana, Cuba, and the Philippines from the Spanish.
For a brief moment, England’s empire was truly global.
However, taking control of territories after military success is quite different from maintaining political control afterwards.
The English had made their point, but the time for peace came.
The End of the War
The Treaty of Paris was signed in 1763 and ended the war. The result was a big old shakeup in territorial possession. The highlights include:
- The English were granted the lands East of the Mississippi, as well as the Province of Canada. This ended France’s presence in North America
- Spain gave Florida to England but Spain got Havana, Cuba and Manila (Philippines) back
- The French ceded the eastern half of the Louisiana territory (east of the Mississippi) to England and the western half to Spain
- Spain and France both gave back what they managed to take from England
- The status quo in Europe is restored
Clearly, this treaty favored the English. But as they say “to the victor goes the spoils.”
However, the English would soon find out that victory isn’t always so sweet.
Impact of the French and Indian War
The English victory in the French and Indian War, or The Seven Years War, had major implications in North America.
Primarily, it established England as the “boss.” After the Treaty of Paris, nearly all of North America was theirs.
Their next move? Consolidate control. But this wound up backfiring big time and driving the colonies towards independence:
Overall, there are three big things the French and Indian War did to make American independence possible:
Unpopular Taxes
War is expensive. That’s a fact pretty much no matter what. But when you fight a naval war that spreads out across the entire globe, it’s even more expensive.
So, after the Treaty of Paris, England had a much larger empire, but it was also broke.
To help pay off its debts and stabilize its financial position, the English Crown and Parliament looked to its American colonies.
Since their founding, the English government had struggled to extract wealth from these colonies despite their economic success.
They tried to change this in 1764 by passing the Sugar Act, which was the first direct tax on the American colonies by the British government.
The Stamp Act of 1765 came next, which expanded the tax and tried to derive even more revenue from the colonies.
The Crown’s opinion was that the French and Indian War had been fought to protect the colonies and secure their position, so the people living in them should be asked to pay for the costs of said war.
The colonists’ perspective was “we don’t have a say in Parliament, why the heck are you taxing us? Plus, it was your war, why should we have to pay for it?”
These taxes were immensely unpopular right from the start, but the crown kept up with it throughout the 1760s and 1770s.
They eventually became a rallying point for the independence movement with slogans such as “no taxation without representation.” They even sparked direct, monumental protests such as the Boston Tea Party.
For the Crown, taxation was a logical move. For the colonists, it was a reason to become independent.
Territorial Restrictions Placed on Colonists
The other thing the English Crown did after the French and Indian War that really made people mad was pass the Proclamation of 1763.
This law, issued directly by the king, made the Appalachian Mountains the western border of the colonies in North America. It expressly prohibited English settlers from moving onto the lands acquired from the French in the war.
From the Crown’s perspective, they wanted to slow westward expansion until they could figure out a better way to govern their colonies. They also wanted to normalize relationships with Native American tribes in the area and prevent more conflict.
For the colonists, many of whom had been forced to fight in the English army during the war, this was a direct restriction on their freedom and a denial of one of the biggest promises of colonial life: access to new lands.
Needless to say, this proclamation was extremely unpopular and caused many to question the Crown’s legitimacy as the ruler in North America.
People moved west anyways, and as they did, their appetite for independence only grew.
Preparation of Military Leaders
With so many people in the colonies at the outbreak of the war, the English relied on those who were already in North America to fight.
This meant soldiers and military commanders fighting for the English in the French and Indian War had special ties and allegiances to the colonies.
Among them was a young man named George Washington, who held various leadership positions throughout the war.
In addition to providing him with valuable, hands-on combat experience, the war also turned Washington against the British crown. He watched as himself and other colonial leaders were passed over for promotions and not given the recognition he felt they deserved.
In fact, colonial commanders were not even eligible for commissions in the British army. This was a way of saying “you’re good enough to fight, but not good enough to lead.”
This contributed to the idea that the Crown saw the colonists as second-class citizens not worthy of the same respect and acknowledgement as their English counterparts.
As a result, when the war ended, there was a large class of military commanders who now had experience in battle but who were now not so loyal to the crown.
As the independence movement grew, many of these leaders, including Washington himself, chose to support the separation of the colonies.
Their contribution helped make the colonists a more formidable fighting force, making victory in the Revolutionary War possible.
One War Leads to the Next
The French and Indian War came to an end in 1763. But just thirteen years later, in 1776, the British army would be fighting once again in North America. Except this time they would not be fighting the French to expand their empire. Instead, they would be fighting their own colonists to try and keep it.
Written by Matthew Jones