Throughout the mid 18th century there was a big argument about land and power between the French and the British. This land included the upper land of the Ohio River Valley as well as the rest because the more land someone had the more power they also had. The reason why they were competing for this land was because the British were feeling threatened due to the fact that the French were taking away the land they felt were theirs by right. This also brought a feeling of threat to the British because the French were gaining power and control in trading. The start of the French and Indian War was caused by the dispute between the French and British about who was going to have more land since the more land someone had, the more powerful they were.