The Seven Years War, or more commonly referred to as “The French and Indian War”, has been called the true First World War. In this book The French and Indian War: Deciding the Fate of North America, the author and historian Walter R. Borneman paints a detailed and elaborate picture that justifies the claim of it being the first true war of global proportions. If ever there truly was a climax to the never ending feud of the European powers that be, Borneman would like to suggest that it was The Seven Years War. Beginning roughly in 1754, the author leads us on a path of discovery that truly has no beginning and only a tentative and temporary end. The author describes in great detail the early agitations that both could have and did lead …show more content…
Borneman said “I found myself drawn to events a generation before the American Revolution with the same fascination that I had just written about events a generation after it” (Acknowledgments). The author fully embraces his desire not only in the amount of research that he did but also in the time spent analyzing and interpreting the information into written and yet living history. Borneman seems to have truly grasped the scale of the war, acknowledging that there was no real way to ever understand every aspect of neither the period nor the events that would transpire. In trying to explain the overall concept, design and intent of the book Borneman said “My goal became to present the triumphs and tragedies of this struggle; place them in the context of France and Great Britain’s greater global conflict; essentially the first truly world war; and emphasize that from seeds of discord sown here grew the American Revolution” (Acknowledgments). The book and author not only accomplish this with grace and ease but go further in explaining external events and their possible impact upon the two great European powers of …show more content…
He sums up the state of the world in an effective if not all too blunt statement saying “England and France had been at war since—well, it seemed like forever” (pg.1). This quote by itself sets the tone for what is to follow. The author constantly reinforces the idea that England and France are at odds in this first chapter. Fearing that this “feud” he describes may lead the reader to believe that the conflict is regionally centralized he goes further by saying “England and France were always on opposite sides just as surely as they sat opposite of the English Channel. By the mid-eighteenth century, however, this cross-channel feud began to take on major global dimensions, as it became evident that far more than the mastery of Europe was at stake” (pg.1). This main point of the book is a necessary trend that will continue to be seen. The very ebb and flow of the world at the time was quite simply determined by the attitudes of a few European nations and their overarching desires. The author moves forward by setting the stage for the many altercations that would ensue. He sets the main scene as North America with a supporting cast of Europe and the Caribbean in a manner of speaking. Borneman not only sets the stage early on, but goes out of his way to describe the very nature of the volatile world during the onset of the French and Indian War. He
George Browm Tindall, David Emory Shi. American History: 5th Brief edition, W. W. Norton & Company; November 1999
Lefler, Hugh T., and William S. Powell. Colonial North America. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1973.
... due to a long relationship of trade, alliance, and kinship with the French as well as the promise of "war honors" (Calloway, 2012, p. 174). In 1757, the British troops at Fort William Henry on Lake George surrendered to the French. This victory was short lived as most of the French's Indian allies attacked the surrendered fort because they felt betrayed by the terms of surrender. The native peoples unleashed a slaughter, which included scalps and captives (Calloway, 2012, p. 174). The Indians were severing ties with the French and the British war effort was increasing with vigor. The Native Americans began to side with the British not knowing what this would bring, which was more freedom and land stripped away from them.
Stokesbury, James L. A short History of the American Revolution. New York. William Morrow and Company, Inc. 1991.
Greene, J. P., & Pole, J. R. (Eds.). (2008). A Companion to the American Revolution (Vol. 17). John Wiley & Sons.
In the years leading up to the Seven Years War, there were already many skirmishes in the thirteen colonies between the British and the Native American tribes in the area.1 The first official year of fighting also led to many decisive defeats to the overextended British Empire. Many small battles for dominance between the British and the French also occurred along the Indian coast. In response to the acts of expansion by the French, the British decided to defend its own territory in North America and India.2 There were many battles scattered across the world, with significant naval battles in the Indian theatre and the Mediterranean. At first, the French won many decisive battles with the aid of its allies against the British Empire. Both countries however, were relatively equal in size and power at the time, but that would soon change. The British began to turn the tide as they made significant lead...
Davidson, James West, et al. The American Nation. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2003
Turner, Wesley. The War of 1812. The War That Both Sides Won. Toronto: Dundurn Press, 1990
The French and Indian war took place between 1754 and 1763. Here between these nine years would serve as the blue print to America’s history and future. “What began as a struggle over territorial rights between British colonist and French settlers became part of an international war between the great powers” (Schwartz, 1). To truly understand the French and Indian war, many must take a look into the past events that caused the dispute between the British and the French. During the year 1498, the British claims to the continent were based on the London Company and the sailing of the waters under the rule of King James I. This is where the British company in the latter half of the seventeenth century, under the crown established a reign or province, extending from seas to sea.
Colin G. Calloway’s The Scratch of a Pen 1763 and the Transformation of North America is a well researched, effective, and a creative story of North America during the year 1763. Calloway narrates his way through the year 1763 and talks about the effects on American History as a result of the Treaty of Paris 1763. The story illuminates the themes of racism, gender, and republicanism. Calloway has interesting techniques to approach important topics to show the topics significance. His book is very well researched and he cites a lot of different reliable sources to help make understanding the time period easier.
“The fact that we were unconsciously part of a plan to weaken and cross out the Indianness in you, to pattern your land with our grain and beets and corn and alfalfa now clearly hits me. It is like a blow to the gut to learn that the years spent on the reservation, the times wading in the Wind River, were not the free years of childhood, but the manipulations of a power hungry to exonerate itself, to free itself, to purge the treaties of any real meaning or responsibility. They stole from me my innocence, leaving me a co-conspirator, an enemy to the children I grew with ton the prairie, drove us apart when we could have and should have forged an alliance for our own survival. The force of this unremitting design has killed many of my friends and acquaintances and left me forever with a feeling of unintentional complicity and sadness.” (Wind River, Wunder)
The French and Indian War or the Seven Years War was one of the major events that led to the American Revolution. The French and Indian War started in 1754 when George Washington and General Edward Braddock tried to defend the British land that they felt the French were taking with their expansion into the Ohio River valley. In 1755 Governor William Shirley of Massachusetts had many French settlers in the Nova Scotia region moved from that region to avoid any confrontation if these settlers sided with their home country. These people were exiled from their home and moved into British colonies in a very cruel and violent fashion. This is one of the first examples of Britain’s oppressive nature towards people they consider a threat to what they feel is the best solution. The British military effort, at this time, was not as impassioned or successful. Both George Washington and General Braddock suffered major defeats at the hands of the French and their allies, General Braddock was even killed in one of the early battles before this war was officially started. It was not until later in the war that the British were able to successfully defeat the French. The war officially began in 1756 and ended in 1763 but this war is far less important than the major event it caused. More than anything this war was the first step to the American Revolution.
...h and the French and Indians, but shows some of the ironic nature of this conflict: that due to kidnapping and tribal adoption, some Abenaki Indians were likely to have almost as many English ancestors as the frontiersmen they opposed. The English frontiersmen could be as "savage" as the Indians. Brumwell does very well dispelling the clichés and stereotypes that many have become accustomed to. He uses records of the Abenaki Indian oral tradition to give a voice to both sides. It is a great book from start to finish. This is a true history buffs companion and a great addition to any library. The book is as complex in its knowledge as it is simplistic and detailed in its imagery. As a result, this book can be read by both specialists and general readers alike and can be pared with almost any text giving light to the French and Indian War or the aftermath thereof.
Limerick, Patricia Nelson. The Legacy of Conquest: The Unbroken Past of the American West. New York: Norton, 1987.
Foner, Eric and John A. Garraty. The Reader’s Companion to American History. (New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1991).