The French and Indian War was a conflict between 1756 and 1763 between the French and British over control of North American territory. The war resulted from clashes over colonial land and wealth. By 1760, the British controlled most of the North American frontier and the French were defeated. The 1763 Treaty of Paris ended the war, forcing France to cede its North American possessions to Britain. The results strengthened Britain's control of North America but hurt its relationship with Native Americans and the American colonies.
2. French and English Fight for control
The “French and Indian
War”, the colonial part of
the “Seven Years War”
that ravaged Europe from
1756 to 1763, was the
bloodiest American war in
the 1700’s. It took more
lives than the American
Revolution, involved
people on three
continents, including the
Caribbean.
3. The war was the product of a clash
between the French and English over
colonial territory and wealth. In North
America, the war can also be seen as a
product of the local rivalry between
British and French colonists.
4. The war comes to an end…
By September 1760, the British controlled all of
the North American frontier; the war between the
two countries was effectively over. The 1763,
Treaty of Paris set the terms by which France
would give in. Under the treaty, France was
forced to surrender all of their American
possessions to the British. Although the war
with the French ended in 1763, the British
continued to fight with the Indians over the issue
of land claims.
6. Lasting effects of the war…
The results of the war effectively
ended French influence in North
America. England gained massive
amounts of land and vastly
strengthened its hold on the
continent. The war also hurt
relationships between the English
and Native Americans and, though
the war seemed to strengthen
England's hold on the colonies, the
effects of the “French and Indian
War” played a major role in the
worsening relationship between
England and its colonies that
eventually led into the
Revolutionary War.
7. Treaty of Paris 1763
The Treaty that officially
ended the French and Indian
War. The British gained
control over the area west of
the 13 British Colonies all the
way to the Mississippi River.
The French agreed to give up
any colonies in North
America, including all of
Canada. Since Spain had
helped the French, the
Spanish were also forced to
give up Florida. But the
Spanish still held their
territory west of the
Mississippi River and in
Central and South America.