Summary
Highlights
Tensions between the colonies and Great Britain escalated due to Britain preventing westward migration into the Ohio River Valley. This prohibition stemmed from fears of conflict with indigenous groups and the French, who also claimed the land. George Washington's skirmish with the French in 1753 is cited as the inciting incident for the war.
The conflict, initially known as the French and Indian War in North America, expanded into the global Seven Years' War. Britain sought an alliance with the Iroquois Confederacy, while the French allied with the Algonquin and Huron peoples. Benjamin Franklin proposed the Albany Plan of Union, aiming to unite the colonies for defense and establish relations with Native Americans, but it failed due to both colonial and British opposition.
Despite early French successes, the British ultimately won the war, largely due to their numerical superiority in colonists. The Peace of Paris in 1763 significantly altered the map of North America. Spain ceded Florida to Britain, France ceded territory west of the Mississippi to Spain, and critically, France gave up the Ohio River Valley to Great Britain.
The British victory meant colonists could now move into the Ohio River Valley, but this led to conflict with Native American groups who viewed the British unfavorably compared to the French. Pontiac's Rebellion, an alliance of indigenous leaders, launched attacks on British settlements. In response, and to avoid further costly conflicts, Britain issued the Proclamation of 1763, forbidding colonial migration west of the Appalachian Mountains, which angered the colonists.
The war significantly increased Great Britain's national debt. The cost of running the colonies also rose due to population growth and ongoing conflicts. To alleviate this financial burden, Britain decided that the colonists, who benefited from the war, should help pay for it. This led to Parliament passing new taxation and trade laws to economically leverage the colonies, setting the stage for future tensions.