The French and Indian War

The French and Indian War took place in America. France and the Indians fought against Britain and the colonists. French and English colonists were using more and more land in the Ohio Valley. The land is what they wanted. The French wanted the land for trapping and trading, and the British wanted to settle on the land. The struggle kept getting worse because both sides wanted the same area.

The struggle turned to fighting. Then in 1754, the fighting turned into war. It lasted seven years. There were many battles. Britain and France sent thousands of soldiers. Neither side wanted to lose. The war started out badly for the British, but after they spent more money and sent more troops they began to win.

George Washington had a part in the French and Indian War. As a young man he was asked to take a message to the French. The message was from the state of Virginia. French trappers and traders were moving into the Ohio Region. The message was to warn the French not to build forts in that area. The French said they would not stop, and they went ahead and made more forts.

When the war started, Washington was sent back to the Ohio. This time he had 500 soldiers, and he was an officer in the army. His orders were to take the forts from the French and Indians. First he went to take Fort Duquesne. He started out winning, but ended up losing so badly that he had to return home.

Toward the end of the French and Indian War, Washington was sent back to Fort Duquesne. He was to try and capture the fort again. This time he took it, and burned it to the ground. The British then built their own fort. It was called Fort Pitt.

During this war, George Washington worked next to British officers. He was serving under Braddock when Braddock was killed. During his service he gained military experience from this war.

The costs of the war were high for the British. England had spent a lot of money in helping the colonists. Because they helped the Americans, the British wanted the colonists to do their part. England tried making the colonists pay for the costs of the war. They tried doing this in many ways.

The colonists did not like doing what the British were asking them to do. When the colonists resisted it made England mad. Tensions between the two countries grew. England thought of more things to have the colonists do. The colonists tried to get out of doing more things. Feelings between the two countries got worse.

Ways British Tried to Make America Pay for the War

They allowed only exports to England.
Ships from other countries could not come to port.
Iron works were not allowed here.
New taxes were set on silks, coffee, and sugar.
Stamps were required on papers and documents.
British soldiers were sent to force colonists to pay.

More and more the Americans would not pay the new taxes. England sent more soldiers to get the colonies to pay. The colonists resisted even more. Colonist leaders asked England for more rights. The British said no and got stricter with the colonists. The British and the colonists were headed for real trouble.

The American Revolution