American Revolution: From French and Indian War to Resistance
The Seven Years' War (French and Indian War)
European Conflicts and American Expansion: Following King George's War, the French aggressively expanded into the Ohio River Valley (present-day Michigan, Ohio, Western Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Indiana).
They established key forts: Fort Detroit, Fort Sandusky, and Fort Duquesne in Western Pennsylvania.
Both France and England possessed maps claiming this entire territory, leading to a significant property dispute.
George Washington's First Engagements (1754):
The Virginia governor tasked 22-year-old George Washington to lead militiamen and Native American allies into Western Pennsylvania to ask the French to leave.
Washington intercepted a French scouting party in present-day Washington County, Pennsylvania, capturing them without firing a shot.
Half King (Tanacharison): A Native American ally of Washington, disliked the French and the Native Americans allied with them, leading to a massacre of French captives, escalating the conflict.
Fort Necessity: After the massacre, French forces and Native Americans from Fort Duquesne pursued Washington. He hastily built a rudimentary wooden palisade called Fort Necessity near a meadow.
The French surrounded the fort, outnumbering Washington's forces.
George Washington surrendered on , a date he would later associate with a different, more favorable outcome.
The Outbreak of a World War: Washington's actions are credited with starting the conflict.
In the colonies, it was known as the French and Indian War.
Within two years, it escalated into the Seven Years' War, a global conflict spanning Europe, the Atlantic, South America, the Caribbean, and Southeast Asia.
It was a long, deadly, and expensive war, initiated by George Washington's early actions.
Transformation of North America Post-War: The war profoundly reshaped the political landscape.
The French were largely expelled from North America, with British control expanding significantly.
Canada, previously French, came under direct British crown rule until its independence in (achieved politely).
Braddock's Defeat (1755):
A year after Fort Necessity, General Edward Braddock, supreme commander of British forces in North America, led over men to re-trace Washington's path to Fort Duquesne.
Future American Revolution figures like Washington (Lieutenant Colonel), Charles Lee, Horatio Gates, Daniel Boone, and Daniel Morgan were present.
Braddock's forces, consisting of wagons, struggled to cut a road through the forest, advancing only about miles a day.
They were ambushed at the Battle of the Monongahela (also known as Braddock's Defeat) by French and Native American forces.
Braddock was mortally wounded, effectively having his head blown off, while trying to rally his disorganized troops.
Washington led the retreat, saving many.
Capture of Fort Duquesne (1759): The British eventually captured and destroyed Fort Duquesne, building a larger fort named Fort Pitt (after Prime Minister William Pitt), which is the site of modern-day Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers forming the Ohio River.
The Albany Plan (1754):
One of the first attempts at colonial unity during the war, meeting in Albany, New York, with nine colonies sending delegates.
Proposed by Benjamin Franklin, it suggested a single executive officer, the President General (appointed by the King) responsible for Native relations, military, trade, and finance.
Assisted by a Grand Council, with delegates elected by each colony, and representation based on taxes paid.
Though it resembled parts of the future U.S. Constitution and the Iroquois Confederacy, the plan was rejected by colonial legislatures due to fears of losing autonomy.
Franklin popularized the idea with his famous political cartoon: "Join, or Die", depicting the colonies as a segmented snake.
Pontiac's War and its Aftermath (1763)
Native American Discontent: With the French defeated, Native American tribes could no longer play the French and British off each other for leverage. British westward expansion intensified.
Pontiac's Leadership: In , Ottawa war chief Pontiac organized a united front of Seneca, Mingo, Delaware, Shawnee, Wyandotte, Miami, and Ottawa tribes.
They launched massive raids, attacking over British forts and destroying all but four: Fort Detroit, Fort Pitt, Fort Ligonier, and Fort Bedford (Virginia).
Biological Warfare: At Fort Pitt, Colonel Bouquet intentionally distributed smallpox-infected blankets to Lenape Native Americans seeking refuge, leading to a widespread smallpox epidemic. Estimates suggest to deaths within months among Native American populations.
Neolin's Pan-Indian Identity: A Delaware religious leader, Neolin, had visions from the great spirit advocating a pan-Indian identity.
He urged rejection of European technology, freedom from commercial ties with whites and alcohol, a return to ancestral ways, and driving the British from their territory.
This represents a significant early call for unified Native American resistance based on a shared identity.
The Proclamation Line of 1763: To prevent further costly conflicts with Native Americans, the British government issued a decree following the war.
It prohibited colonial settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains, creating a boundary line intended to pacify Native American nations and prevent westward expansion without British approval.
This angered colonists who felt they had fought for this land.
Seeds of Revolution (Post-1763)
British Debt and Taxation: The Seven Years' War left Britain deeply in debt for about years.
The British government sought to extract funds from the American colonies, which they believed should help pay for their own defense.
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