Understanding the French and Indian War

Lesson Plan - Get It!

Audio:

The French and Indian War was fought between the French and British in colonial America, who both wanted to claim more territory in the New World. The Native Americans were forced to take sides, some with the French and some with the British.

The Native American tribes that sided with the British were the Iroquois, Catawba, and Cherokee.

Those that sided with the French were the Algonquin, Ojibwa, Ottawa, Shawnee, and Lenape.

• So why the name French and Indian War?

British colonists named it after the opponents they were fighting.

In both England and France, it's referred to as the Seven Years' War because it's a part of their larger war for an empire that happened in different areas around the world.

Also notice that Americans think of the French and Indian War as lasting from 1754 to 1763 (nine years), while the British consider the war as happening from 1756 to 1763 (seven years).

For a quick introduction to the war, watch the following video.

You'll watch several more videos about this war. Keep a piece of paper and a pen or pencil handy to take notes. Write down the important people, places, and events.

Before the war, North America was divided between England, France, Spain, and Native Americans. The following map shows how the land was divided.

The next video excerpt explains how the war began with disputes over both land and trading rights and how the Native Americans were forced to choose sides.

This next excerpt explains how the Indians chose which side to fight on.

Beginning of the War

But let's go back to the beginning of the war.

• How did it all start?

It started with some forts built in the Ohio River Valley. The next excerpt from the same video explains.

A battle called the Jumonville Glen in 1754 is considered (by Americans) to be the beginning of the war.

• What happened there?

Watch the video below to meet that young Lieutenant Colonel mentioned at the beginning of the lesson.

Historians are not sure what happened at Jumonville. The French said it was an unprovoked attack, while Lt. Colonel Washington said the French fired on them first.

Whatever happened, it was the beginning of the war. It was also George Washington's first military engagement and first victory.

Earlier, in 1753, Washington had been sent by the governor of Virginia to demand that the French leave the area. Of course, they did not want to leave!

Fighting the War

After Jumonville, the French were angry. Not only had they been ambushed (as they thought), but the Iroquois leader, Half-King, had slaughtered all their wounded soldiers, including officers.

The French attacked the British at Fort Necessity, a small wooden fort in the middle of a meadow.

This time, Washington was captured by the French. However, He was soon released, and that was the only time George Washington ever surrendered to an enemy in battle.

Some other important battles of the war were:

• Battle of the Monongahela
• Battle of Ft. Oswego
• Siege of Ft. William Henry
• Battle of Quebec of 1759 (also called the Battle of the Plains of Abraham)
• Battle of Montreal of 1760 (also called the Battle of the Thousand Islands)

You'll learn more about these in the Got It? section.

Results of the War

The war ended with the Treaty of Paris in 1763. The following map shows how the land was divided up after the war.

This final excerpt from our video discusses the results of the war.

You know why the French and Indian War is important. It's one of the factors that led to the American Revolution and the founding of the United States.

Now that you know who fought in the war, why they were fighting, and what the results were, head over to the Got It? section, where you'll research one of the battles mentioned above and find out what effect the war had on Native Americans!