Territorial Disputes
What two European powers were fighting over land in the Ohio River Valley?
Who are the French and the British?
What valuable trade industry did both France and Britain want control of?
What is the fur trade?
Which side did most Native American tribes initially support?
Who are the French?
What long-standing European rivalry fueled the war in North America?
The rivalry between France and Britain.
Who was the young British officer who led an early mission into the Ohio Valley in 1754?
Who is George Washington?
Why was the Ohio River Valley important to both the British and French?
It was fertile land and a key area for trade and expansion.
Why did France want to maintain control over the interior of North America?
To control trade routes and maintain profitable fur trading posts.
Why did Native Americans tend to side with the French over the British?
The French traded with them and didn’t settle their land as aggressively.
What major global conflict was the French and Indian War part of?
What is the Seven Years’ War?
What was the name of the first battle that sparked the war?
What is the Battle of Fort Necessity?
What was the British colonial population doing that upset the French?
They were moving westward into French-claimed territory
How did British settlers threaten French economic interests?
By settling on lands used by French traders and disrupting Native alliances.
What was the Iroquois Confederacy’s stance at the start of the war?
They tried to remain neutral but leaned toward the British.
How did European wars spill into the American colonies?
Colonial powers extended their conflicts abroad to their colonies, involving settlers and resources.
What was the Albany Plan of Union?
A plan proposed by Ben Franklin to unite the colonies for defense (it failed).
What fort did the French build to assert control over the Ohio River Valley?
What is Fort Duquesne?
What economic company or group benefited from westward expansion and pushed for it?
What is the Ohio Company of Virginia?
Name one tribe that allied with the French
Who are the Algonquins (or Huron)?
What was mercantilism, and how did it relate to the war?
An economic policy where nations competed for colonies and trade; it drove both to want more land.
Why did Washington’s early mission into the Ohio Valley fail?
He was inexperienced and outnumbered; Fort Necessity was poorly defended.
How did the Proclamation of 1763 relate to the territorial tensions that led to the war?
It tried to stop further British expansion west after the war, which had started over that very issue
How did the competition for resources intensify the conflict?
Both sides wanted exclusive control of land and trade, leading to clashes over rights and access.
How did Native alliances shift the balance of power during the early conflict?
Tribes gave military support and geographic knowledge, influencing key victories.
What role did colonial militias play in this imperial rivalry?
They were used as local fighting forces for British interests against the French and their allies.
What was the French reaction to Washington’s attack on Jumonville?
They saw it as an act of aggression and retaliated, escalating the conflict into war.