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War of Jenkins' Ear Offically Declared
The War of Jenkins' Ear is offically declared. The reason that the British used for show on why this war was declared was that when an English sea captain named Robert Jenkins was illegally smuggling slaves onto a Caribbean Island, some Spaniards caught him and cut off one of his ears. This gave the British reason to believe that a war should be declared against Spain. However, this war was really created as an excuse for the English to take land from Spain. -
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War of Jenkins' Ear
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End of War of Jenkins' Ear
The War of Jenkins' Ear ends with the treaty of Aix-la-Chapel, a treaty that put things back into the state they were before the war. Nothing was accomplished in this war except the loss of some British and French soldiers and more conflict between the French, British and Spanish.This eventually led to the French and Indian War. -
The French and Indian War Begins
Although the French and Indian War was not offically declared until 1756, battles still occured. The first battle was a small attack. Led by 22-year-old Lietenant Colonel George Washington, a Virginia militia, (In a surprise attack) started a battle that killed 10 frenchmen at Fort Dusquene. George Washington and his troops then retreated to build Fort Necessity. This was one of the first battles of the French and Indian War. -
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The French and Indian War
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The Albany Congress Meets
In the June-July months of 1754, Benjamin Franklin called a meeting of what is known as the Albany Congress: a group of representatives from 7 of the 13 colonies and 150 Iroquois. This was an attempt to get the Iroquois as English allies. Although it failed, everyone could see that the Native American's battle tactics were very interesting. Ben Franklin believed that just like the Iroquois, the colonies should unite to defeat the French. -
Battle Of Fort Necessity
Fort Necessity was an English Fort built by George Washington when he and his troops retreated from Fort Dusquesne. It was a very small fort. When it was attacked by the French in July of 1754, General Washington and his men were outnumbered. However, they held their own until it started to rain, flooding the Fort. Washington escaped, learning a valuable lesson; don't build a fort on low ground. -
Battle of Monongahela
Led by Major General Braddock and George Washington, a large army was told to push the French out of the Ohio territory and atempt to take control of Fort Dusquesne. They outnumbered the French and Native Americans 2 to 1. However, the French won the battle because of their allies who used clever surprise attack tactics. General Braddock was killed in the battle. This fight signaled to the English that the French were a very worthy opponent along with their Native American allies. -
The Battle of Lake George
Eventually, William Johnson was able to get the Iroquois to unite with the colonists. He then led them to Albany to fight French troops led by a sucessful German Leader. These French Troops were attempting to take control of Lake George. With only Iroquois and a few colonists, he, surprisingly enough, was sucessful in beating the French at Lake George. This was a major victory for a few reasons, including that this battle showed the British and colonists that the Iroquois had a lot to offer. -
French and Indian War Offically Declared
Although there were battles earlier, the English officially declared the French and Indian War on the French in 1756. The causes of this war include disputes over land, rivalries between the two countries, and even that they were trading with different Native American Tribes for fur. The war lasted 13 years before the Treaty of Paris. -
Battle of Fort Oswego
Fort Oswego was an English Fort in New York. Led my Marqui de Montcalm, an army of French troops attacked the fort, eventually winning and capturing 1700 prisoners and 121 cannons. This was one of the few clumps of early battles in the war that the French won. This capture interrupted the English's presence on Lake Ontario and helped gain French Power in the Great Lakes area of the continental U.S. -
Siege of Louisburg
When Sir William Johnson started to take control of the English in the French and Indian War, he made some changes, including starting a Siege on the French Fort of Louisburg. He did this because he realized that the French mainly depended on the two rivers of Niagra and the Saint Lawrence River. He knew that if the British controlled them, they could keep supplies from going to the French in the Great Lakes and Ohio River Valley. So, after seven weeks of being cut off, Louisburg surrendered. -
Battle Of Quebec
The Battle of Quebec was considered as one of the most important battles of the French and Indian War. Both sides were confident, and both knew this battle was very important. The brilliant French General was paired up against the very smart young General Wolfe. In the Middle of the night, the English crept up on the steep cliffs of Quebec, and surprised the French in the morning. Both generals were killed, but the English had won. -
The French Surrender of Montreal
The very end of the French and Indian war was signaled by the Battle of Montreal. After the Siege of Louisburg, the French were forced to retreat to Montreal for a final stand. Unfortunately, they were greatly outnumbered by the 17,000 British soldiers. By September, the English surrounded the French, and instead of choosing to fight, French generals chose to surrender. -
The Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris was signed as a signal of the end of the French and Indian War. The Treaty mostly distributed land between the French, English and Spanish. It gave the English all the land from the Mississippi East, the Spanish received New Orleans and all the land West of the Mississippi (mostly given from France to keep out of English hands. Most of the Western Territory was still Native American land, thought not for long.
