As the name of this war suggests, this was a war that took place between France and the Indian tribes of North America. Actually, this was a time when France and Britain were fighting a war, not just in North America but in many other parts of the world as well.
In North America, there weren’t a lot of French and British soldiers. So both sides made alliances with different Native American tribes. These Native American allies then fought on the sides of France and Britain, and against each other.
By the beginning of the 18th century, Britain had a number of colonies along the eastern coast of North America. France also had a number of colonies which were located more towards the central region of North America, towards the west of British colonies.
When the population of British colonies began to increase, these colonies needed more land. And so they started expanding towards the west. The French believed that British colonies were trying to take over their land. This finally led to a war between the two sides.
Both France and Britain had friendly relationships with different Native American tribes. So when the war started, they asked their respective friends to help them.
The Native American tribes who fought on the side of Britain included the Cherokee, the Iroquois and the Catawba. On the side of France, the tribes that fought included the Ottawa, the Algonquin, the Lenape, the Shawnee and the Ojibwa.
The war between the two sides began with the Battle of Jumonville Glen which took place on May 28, 1754. It began when the French built Fort Duquesne on the Ohio River. The British thought that this was a threat to them and so the war began.
The war continued for seven years until it finally ended in 1763. Actually, the war was nearly over in North America in 1760 but Britain and France signed a peace treaty in 1763. That marked the official end of the war.
At the start of the war, France had many colonies in North America. When the war began, France didn’t have a lot of soldiers in North America while Britain had more soldiers. France relied on Native American tribes who were its allies but the British side was stronger and won more victories.
In the end, the areas of Canada which were mostly under French control were taken over by the British. By the time the war ended, France had been totally defeated. France had to give up all of its lands in North America. Some of these lands went to the control of Britain while the rest went to Spain.
The war had a very important affect on North America. At one hand, Britain had to place a large number of soldiers in North America because of this war. This cost money and Britain tried to impose taxes on the American colonies to raise this money.
But in the next two decades, American colonies continuously opposed this. The difference between the two sides finally resulted in the American Revolutionary War in which the 13 American colonies became independent and ended British rule.
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