French and Indian War Context and Native American Relations

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts from the lecture on Native American-European relations, the French and Indian War, and the 'middle ground' phenomenon.

Half King's Support

The backing of the English over the French by an indigenous leader, allowing Virginians to build a post at the forks of the Ohio River.

Forks of the Ohio River

A crucial geographic area where French desire for southward expansion and British desire for westward expansion intersected, leading to conflict.

French Expansion Goals

To spread south from their territories in the North (Canada) to Louisiana, connecting their land along the Mississippi River Valley.

British Expansion Goals

To expand westward from their East Coast colonies.

Middle Ground

An area contested by more than two powers, none of which possess sufficient strength to dominate; a key conceptual framework for understanding Native American survival and diplomacy.

Indigenous Survival and Necessity

The principle that indigenous peoples flourished and had their sovereignty respected when Europeans needed them, but their status changed once that necessity disappeared.

Thomas West Baron Delaware

The new governor sent to Jamestown in 1610 with explicit orders to wage a 'perpetual war against the Indians without peace or truths' with the intent of genocide.

Genocide in Virginia

The policy enacted by the Virginia Company by 1610, leading to the near extinction of the Powhatan people by 1685.

Massasoit

The Wampanoag chief who welcomed and fed the Puritans at the first Thanksgiving in 1621, ensuring the Plymouth colony's survival.

Metacomet (King Philip)

Son of Massasoit, who adopted the European title 'King Philip' during negotiations; led the Native American resistance in King Philip's War.

King Philip's War (Metacomet's War)

A costly war (1675-1678) fought in New England between English colonists and Native Americans led by Metacomet, resulting in severe casualties and the brutal public dismemberment of King Philip.

Winners Write the History Books

A cliche exemplified by the English colonists naming 'King Philip's War' to portray a civilized conflict for European audiences, rather than acknowledging the indigenous perspective or the brutal reality of the fighting.

Iroquois League (Longhouse People)

A powerful confederacy of originally five (later six) Iroquois tribes, united in the 1500s by Hiawatha's message of peace to end inter-tribal warfare; known for its flexibility and diplomatic skill in playing European powers against each other.

Mourning War

A tradition among tribes where a war was declared out of grief to capture individuals to replace lost loved ones, creating a self-reinforcing cycle of violence.

Hiawatha

A prophet of peace (circa 1550) who, after profound personal loss, was inspired to preach a gospel of ending the mourning war, leading to the formation of the Iroquois League.

Confederacy (Iroquois Governance)

A form of government where individual members (tribes) maintain autonomy over their own affairs but cede some control for collective security and strength, as demonstrated by the Iroquois League.

Triangular Diplomacy

A diplomatic strategy employed by the Iroquois in the middle ground, playing two European powers (French and British) against each other to secure their own interests, ensuring survival and recognition of sovereignty.

Anglo-French Rivalry

A century-long period of constant global warfare between Britain and France (and their allies), primarily driven by the competition for profits and territorial control in the Americas after the decline of Spanish power.

War of Spanish Succession

A 13-year World War (1701-1714) ostensibly fought over who would succeed the Spanish throne, but fundamentally about preventing the unification of the Spanish and French empires and maintaining the balance of power in Europe and the world.

French and Indian War (Seven Years' War American Theater)

The North American phase of a larger global conflict (1754-1763), sparked by incidents like the killing of French diplomatic ambassadors by Washington and the Half King, highlighting contrasting European and indigenous diplomatic protocols and fighting styles.

British Fighting Style (18th Century)

Characterized by rigid discipline, organized lines, and marching forward, often underestimating or disdaining indigenous guerrilla warfare tactics, as seen in General Braddock's campaigns.

French Fighting Style (18th Century)

More adaptive and improvisational than the British, frequently utilizing guerrilla warfare and forming strong alliances with Native Americans, with officers sometimes adopting indigenous customs to rally diverse troops.

Battle of Monongahela (1755)

A decisive defeat for the British under General Braddock, demonstrating the ineffectiveness of their traditional linear fighting tactics against the combined French and Native American forces using less conventional methods.