The French and Indian War
(1754-1763)
With the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, both sides would get the land they lost during George's war back (Anderson 1).
In 1748, a group of Virginians formed the Ohio Company to navigate the Western Lands, which they were interested in. Meanwhile, the French were looking into the possibility of claiming the Northern Ohio region. The French acted first, moving South from Canada and founded two Forts. This would cause Virginia Governor, Robert Dinwiddie, to send a young George Washington with a message to the French, protesting. The quest for the land would rely on the possession of the land where the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers met. The English began a Fort at the spot, but they were overtaken by the French, who would build Fort Duquesne in 1754 (Parkman 1).
Dinwiddie would send an expedition out with George Washington, who would defeat a small force of Native Americans and French, but would withdraw and create a fort called Fort Necessity. The Fort wouldn't hold up for long, and Washington would end up surrendering Necessity to the French on July 4th, 1754 (Parkman 1).
This would set off worries, and a meeting would me arranged in Albany, New York in 1754. Seven commissioners of British Colonies would talk about the Iroquois, since a war with the French was impending. A Treaty was concluded, but the Native Americans in Pennsylvania would ally themselves with the French because of an issue with the purchasing of land. Also proposed at this meeting was the uniting of the colonies by Benjamin Franklin, but that was rejected by the Colonial Legislator and the King (Parkman 1).
Fighting would ensue the meeting, and thus the French and Indian War began (Parkman 1).
British decided to capture the major French forts in the West. These forts were Fort Duquesne, Fort Frontenac, Fort Niagara, and the posts at Ticonderoga and Crown Point. Besides the forts, they also wanted to take the major French cities: Louisburg, Montreal, and Quebec. A expedition in 1755 to get Fort Duquesne by Edward Braddock for the British was a complete failure, and an attempt to blockade Canada by Admiral Boscawen also proved worthless (Parkman 1).
Following 1757, a change was made within the British. An elder named William Pitt was awarded the power to supervise the war and battles in America, this would lead to key captures by the British army. Louisburg was taken by Lord Amherst, and Fort Duquesne would be renamed Fort Pitt after General John Forbes captured it for England. Joseph de Montcalm, a great French Commander, was able to defend Fort Ticonderoga from James Abercromby in 1758, but the Fort would fall to Admiral Amherst the following year. Also, Sir William Johnson was able to reduce the French holdings and influence with the help of the Iroquois (Parkman 1).
The war shifted and became a fight for the St. Lawrence River and Quebec. Montcalm would square his army against the army of the great English leader, James Wolfe. The big battle was the battle at the Plain of Abraham in 1759. Both Wolf and Montcalm were killed in the battle, but Quebec would fall to the British. A year later in 1760, Montreal would fall to the British, and the war was pretty much over. It officially ended in 1763 when the Treaty of Paris was signed (Parkman 1).