Explain the causes and effects of the Seven Years War, the French and Indian War

Have you heard of the Seven Years War? Did you know that it actually lasted for nine years? Did you know that it’s also called the French and Indian War? If you didn’t answer yes to these questions then this AP® US History crash course on the Seven Years War is for you! As an APUSH student, it’s not too important to know the specifics of the fighting and the battles themselves, so this review will focus mostly on the effects and the impacts of the war. This should help you with any Seven Years War multiple choice or essay question that comes your way!

What was the Seven Years War?

The Seven Years War was a conflict between France and Great Britain that lasted from 1754 to 1763. It’s known as the Seven Years War because most of the fighting took place in the seven-year period between 1756 and 1765. In America, the war is known as the French and Indian War.

Cause of the Seven Years War

The main cause of the war was a disagreement between Great Britain and France over territory. Both the British and the French had colonies in North America, but they were not living peacefully together in the new world. France kept trying to expand into the Ohio and Mississippi River Valleys, forming alliances and trade agreements with the Native Americans there, but the British already had claims to the land. In 1749, the Governor of Virginia awarded a land grant to the Ohio Company. When the company asked the French to recognize their claims to the land, the French and Native Americans who lived there refused. This and several subsequent territory disagreements provoked the outbreak of war.

Key Events of the Seven Years War

Like I said before, it’s not too important to know the specifics of the fighting, but it’s useful for your own background knowledge.

Fort Necessity, 1754

The first battle of the war was a defeat for the British. The Governor of Virginia sent an army, led by 21 year-old George Washington, to try and remove the French from their forts in Western Pennsylvania. They wanted to stop French expansion, but Washington lost 1/3 of his men and he was forced to surrender.

Fort Duquesne, 1755

A similar outcome happened a year later at Fort Duquesne, where 2/3 of British General Edward Braddock’s forces were killed.

The Expulsion of the Acadians, 1755 – 1763

The British took over Nova Scotia and kicked out 11,000 French Acadians. Most of the Acadians died during the Expulsion, but the ones who were lucky enough settled in Louisiana, where they became Cajuns.

For most of the early parts of the war, the British were unsuccessful, but in 1759, when they captured Fort Duquesne, Fort Ticonderoga, and Fort Louisbourg, things began to look up for them. Their biggest victory, however, came in September, when the British conquered the French at the Plains of Abraham near Quebec. Montreal surrendered the next year.

The Treaty of Paris (Peace of Paris)

The Seven Years War officially ended with the Treaty of Paris in 1763. The terms of the agreement were this:

Britain got Canada from France and Florida from Spain.

Britain got all French land east of the Mississippi River, but not New Orleans.

France got Guadalupe and Martinique, Caribbean sugar islands that were valuable for trade.

Spain got Cuba and the Philippines.

Economic Impacts of the War

By the end of the war, Britain was in major debt. Before the war, the colonists had contributed very little financially to the country. The British policy of Salutary Neglect, which basically meant that the British left the colonists alone, ended when the British needed money. Britain believed that the colonists should share some of the financial responsibility of the empire, which, you guessed it, meant taxes! And tax the colonists they did!

Currency Act – Britain disallowed the colonists from forming their own currency.

Stamp Act – Britain imposed a tax on over 50 commonly used goods, which enraged the colonists because there was no way they could get around it.

Stamp Act Congress – In response to the Stamp Act, the colonists formed the

Stamp Act Congress to boycott British goods.

Declaratory Act – Britain reinforced their authority to tax whatever they wanted.

Social Impacts of the War

During the Seven Years War, the colonists viewed themselves as equal to the British soldiers, but as you can probably guess, the British didn’t agree. There was still a sense of superiority among the British, which only served to infuriate the colonists who had risked their lives to fight in the war. This is when an emergence of a separate colonial identity began to form.

In addition to this newfound identity, new philosophies were taking hold in the colonies that undermined traditional political authority. The idea of Republicanism, which meant a government without a king, was gaining popularity. A second type of philosophy, “liberalism,” was also taking root. This was a philosophy defined by John Locke as rights to life, liberty, and property. This essentially mean that citizens gave up some of their freedom in exchange for government protection.

Other Important Results of the Seven Years War

The most obvious impact of the French and Indian War was a shift in the balance of power and territorial changes. France was basically gone from North America and British colonies were expanding quickly. Because of this, the Native Americans were the real losers of the war. The alliance they had with the French was over and the Native Americans were left defenseless to the whims of the British colonists.

But they didn’t back down so easily. In 1763, Indians from the Ottawa and Delaware tribes launched an armed revolt known as Pontiac’s Rebellion. It was a failure in terms or removing the British from their territory, but they did manage to kill hundreds of colonists. Britain realized they needed to slow down their colonization of territories to avoid more conflict, so they responded with the Proclamation Line of 1763. This forbid colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains and reserved that territory for Native Americans. The settlers ignored this British policy, which was a pattern they began to follow from then on.

The increased tensions between the British and the colonists in the aftermath of the Seven Years War eventually led to the American Revolution.

What You Need to Know for the APUSH Exam

A 2012 AP® US History free-response question asked for an analysis of the effects of the French and Indian War and its aftermath on the relationship between Great Britain and the British colonies between 1754 and 1776.

This question shows that it’s more important to focus on the impact the Seven Years War had on Britain and its colonies, then the actual events and battles of the war. If you understand how the war eventually led to the American Revolution, you are on your way to a great score on the APUSH exam!

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