Background to the Conflict

In 1754 the governor of Massachusetts made an announcement to the colonial government. He told them that the French were on the way to “making themselves masters of this continent".

The French & Indian War was part of a larger struggle, known as the Seven Years War, between the British and French. The struggle involved control of world trade and power of the seas.

The French and British both knew that assistance from Native Americans could help them control North America. The French had an advantage over the British because they had many Native American allies.

The French viewed the Native Americans as trade partners and established personal relationships with the Native American nations they traded with. The French often became members of the native communities and inter-married and had children. The British colonists generally did not mix with the Native American societies. The British wanted to acquire more land in North America, land that had been claimed by the Native Americans.

As the French Empire expanded in North America, it collided with the growing British Empire. The bitterness increased when British interests turned to the Ohio River Valley, also known as the Ohio Country. In 1754, the French built Fort Duquesne at the "Forks of the Ohio". Today known as Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, The "Forks of the Ohio" was a piece of land that both the French and British wanted in order to transport and trade goods. As you know, a young George Washington (age 22) was sent by the Virginia governor to take the "Lands on the Ohio" away from the French. A short battled followed, and the young Washington was forced to surrender at Fort Necessity.