French and Indian War
Rivalry Between the French and the British
How did competition for land in North America lead to the French and Indian War?
In the 1700s, Britain and France were leading European powers. They competed for wealth and empire in different parts of the world. In North America, their rivalry was very strong.
This rivalry turned especially bitter in the mid-1700s. The British began to show interest in the Ohio River valley. This vast land beyond the Appalachian Mountains was rich in resources. The British believed they had a right to this land. The French also viewed the valley as theirs. The French enjoyed a thriving fur trade with the Native Americans of the region. They did not want to share this business with British settlers.
To protect their claims in the valley, the French built a chain of forts from Lake Ontario south to the Ohio River. The British responded by starting to build a fort in what is now western Pennsylvania. Before they could finish, the French seized the site. On it, they built their own fort, calling it Fort Duquesne (doo•KAYN).
In spring 1754, the governor of Virginia sent a militia (muh•LIH•shuh)—a military force made up of ordinary citizens—to drive out the French. Leading this force was a young Virginian. His name was George Washington.
After marching to Fort Duquesne, Washington set up a small fort of his own nearby. He called it Fort Necessity.
Washington's outpost soon came under attack by the French and their Native American allies. This combined army won the battle and forced Washington's soldiers to surrender. The French later released the soldiers, who returned to Virginia.
albany plan of union
The Albany delegates also talked about how the colonies might work together more closely against the French. They decided to adopt Benjamin Franklin's Albany Plan of Union for a united colonial government. To form a colonial government, each colony would have to give up some of its powers. Not one colonial assembly was willing to do so. Disappointed, Franklin wrote, "Everybody cries, a Union is absolutely necessary; but when they come to the manner and form of the union, [they] are perfectly distracted."
The Albany meeting failed to unify the colonists. Meanwhile, the conflict between the British and the French expanded into full-scale war—the French and Indian War.
The Albany meeting failed to unify the colonists. Meanwhile, the conflict between the British and the French expanded into full-scale war—the French and Indian War.
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