Long Term Effects Of The French And Indian War

Effects of the French and Indian War The French and Indian War was a major turning point in American history because it had wide-ranging effects that paved the way for the American Revolution. The later part of the war is also known as the Seven Years War, which was the first major global conflict in American history. Although the British came out victorious, the French and Indian War left them broke and planted the idea of independence into the minds of the colonists. The main cause of the war was conflict between Britain and France over who had more rights to land in the Ohio River Valley. The French believed they had rights to the land because they “had explored and claimed a vast amount of land in the interior of North America, ranging from the mouth of the St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes in the north to the Mississippi River and New Orleans in the south.” (Moore). Britain believes they have rights to the land because they had already “offered large land grants for settlement.” (Keenan), so when colonists discovered that the French had began building forts they sent soldiers

Due to the extreme cost of the war, and the Native American rebellion that followed, Britain ends up treating the colonists so badly that they demand independence, even if they have to fight a war to get it. The war was caused by conflict between Britain and France over who had claims to land in the Ohio River Valley, and by the end of the war, Native Americans feared they would lose their land to colonists looking to settle. This led to Pontiac’s Rebellion, which ended when Britain gave the Natives smallpox infected blankets. By then, the colonists had seen that it was actually possible to defeat Britain. All of a sudden, dreams of independence from their ruler and the King being desperate for money led to rebellion, and eventually war. Thankfully, the colonists came out on top, or the US might not be the same