French and Indian War

The European surge for expansion in the 17th and 18th century, primarily dominated by England, France, and Spain, created tension among these nations and led to a “Great War for Empire”. This war, also known as the Seven Years’ War, included the Native American tribes, the British and French colonists, and the French and British militaries. Fighting in all areas of the world, the war eventually ended in the French defeat and the end of French domination in the Americas. Assisting the British in their “Great War for Empire”, the colonists helped the British gain dominance in North America. The colonists believed that by helping the British to obtain a vast Empire, they had become equal mutual partners in it, but found out they were greatly mistaken when the British executed their imperial supremacy indifferently, leading to discord between the motherland and the colonists and setting the stage for the American Revolution.

The peace treaty that ended the French and Indian War in 1763 gave Britain more land in North America, extending pass the Appalachians. After driving the French out of North America, an important Native American ally, the British were now faced with fighting the Native American tribes in all the land that they now possessed. Subsequent to the obtaining of mass Native American land, Britain was now faced with controlling the Native Americans, revolted and detested the British movement and started uprisings such as those of Pontiac. In order to halt the Native American revolts, the British government passed the Proclamation of 1763. Although the Proclamation of 1763 appeased the Native Americans, it significantly offended the British colonists, by depriving them of their rights to the new lands they helped Britain obtain. As a result of the Proclamation of 1763, the colonies fell out of the British Parliament’s policy of salutary neglect, and a rebellious spirit developed among the colonists