French and Indian War

In 1754, England found itself in another war with France (after a series of wars which spread from Europe to the New World). This new war began as a dispute over the Ohio Valley. New England trappers were fierce competition against French trappers.

As the French began to extend their claim from Canada into the Ohio Valley, they built forts along the way. A young British major named George Washington was sent to kindly tell the French that they were encroaching on English land and that they should leave so the two sides could remain at peace with each other.

The first answer was "non". Washington then returned a group of Indian allies and armed Virginians who skirmished with a French encampment. Washington and his men then retreated and built Ft. Neccessity. The French attacked the fort and killed a significant number of men. Washington surrendered and was sent back to Virginia.

France had many early victories during the war including the capture of Ft. William Henry. However, the outcome of the war favored the British when their navy sailed toward France's two major settlements, Quebec and Montreal. After both French settlements fell, France surrendered. The formal treaty that ended the French and Indian War was The Treaty of Paris 1763.