Compare And Contrast The French And Indian War

THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR:
A BRITISH VICTORY

The French and Indian War took place on the continent of North America between the years 1754 and 1763 and was part of an even larger conflict in Europe that involved England, Russia, France, Spain, and Prussia. The French and Indian War was the last of the four wars fought between England and France over colonial supremacy. Chronologically, these wars are King William’s War (1689-1697), Queen Anne’s War (1702-1713), King George’s War (1744-1748), and lastly The French and Indian War (1754-1763). The French and Indian War, although the first half had France winning, ultimately turned to favor the British as they gained a new secretary of state, William Pitt, and moved their military focus from the

The first segment began in 1754 with Washington’s defeat at Fort Necessity. While this event ended up convincing the British to send a small portion of their own experienced troops, it also pushed France into doing the same. The British under military leader Edward Braddock, unaccustomed to the conditions of the wild land in which they had planned to fight, thought they would fight the French as they would in Europe, in a field with their soldiers lined up on opposite sides. This wilderness warfare favored the French and their Indian allies, who were familiarized with the surrounding areas. Underestimating the Indians’ capabilities, Braddock belittled them and rejected their offer of helping the British, leading them to join with the French. A French soldier by the name of Jolicoeur Charles Bonin recounted in his journal the fall of Braddock near Fort Duquesne and stated that Braddock made the mistake of preparing his troops for formal battle. Similar to Bonin, Benjamin Franklin stated that Braddock had too high of an opinion of the British troops and too low of an opinion of the Americans and the Indians to succeed in the encounter. The defeat of Braddock’s army gave the impression that, even though they were trained well, they lacked the skills encompassed by the untrained colonial

After having gained access to a portion of Abercromby’s troops, Bradstreet led his men to Fort Frontenac, a French trading base, in the hopes of capturing the fort and cutting off supply and communication between Quebec and the rest of France’s territories.
Historians have differing views on where exactly the war turned to favor the British and whether the colonies actually gained success in the war against the French. One view is that the British started to turn the tides when William Pitt became leader of military efforts while another view is that James Wolfe caused the change in luck when he defeated the French at Quebec.
When the war concluded, England succeeded in expanding their already large sphere of influence, however, a majority of historians believe that the colonies were not entirely better off as they were burdened with paying off the debt that the British had accrued throughout the war. These debts were repaid in the form of forced taxes enacted by the British government, the most prominent being the Sugar Act of 1764, the Stamp Act of 1765, and the Townsend Acts of 1767. The colonists, furious with the treatment they were receiving from the British government, boycotted British goods and expressed their discontent through rioting. It was not only the taxes that pushed the colonists to the edge, but also the implementation of the Intolerable Acts, the most prominent cause of the