Name: ______Date:______

3-4 Document Worksheet

Document 1
France was Great Britain’s rival inNorth America. New France, France’scolony included eastern Canada, the GreatLakes region, and the Mississippi Rivervalley.
Most French settlers were not interestedin establishing large, populated colonies inNorth America. Most French settlers werefur traders or Catholic priests who wantedto convert the Native Americans. Becausethe French settlers relied on the NativeAmericans for their fur trade, theyestablished better relations with the Native
Americans than the English did.
Document 2:
As the French and British empires inNorth America grew, conflicts arosebetween the two nations. In 1754, fightingbroke out between the British and Frenchover western land around the Ohio River.That year, Virginia troops led by GeorgeWashington marched to the Ohio River todrive out the French. The French and theirNative American allies easily defeated theAmerican troops. This battle marked thebeginning of the French and Indian
War.
For the next several years, fightingcontinued between British and Frenchforces to determine who would rule NorthAmerica. The French beat the Britishduring much of the early fighting. Then, in1757, the English king appointed WilliamPitt to the government. Under Pitt’sleadership, the British began winningbattles.
The British army’s victories promptedthe powerful Iroquois Indians to supportthem. This agreement gave Britain someNative American allies to balance those ofFrance.
In 1759, British forces defeated theFrench at Quebec. With this victory theBritish had won the war. The two nationssigned a peace treaty signed in 1763. As aresult of the Treaty of Paris, France gaveup Canada and all of North America eastof the Mississippi to Britain.Although Great Britain won the war, itstill faced problems. Native Americans didnot like British settlers moving west ontotheir lands. Led by Pontiac, an Ottawachief, a group of Native Americansattacked British forts. During peacenegotiations with the Native Americans,the British gave them blankets infectedwith small pox. The disease killed many inthe group. As a result, the NativeAmericans surrendered.
To prevent further fighting with NativeAmericans, the British government issuedthe Proclamation of 1763. The
proclamation forbid colonists from settlingwest of an imaginary line along theAppalachian Mountains. Many colonistswere angered by the proclamation. Theyargued that it kept them from settling moreland. Colonists ignored the proclamationand continued to settle west of the line.
Document 3:
Great Britain’s financial crisis after thewar resulted in new laws that angered thecolonists. To crack down on smuggling inMassachusetts, British officials searchedthe homes of colonial merchants. Thispractice outraged the merchants.After winning the French and IndianWar, Britain left troops in North Americato protect the colonists from NativeAmericans. However, many of thecolonists disliked the presence of thetroops. These colonists felt that Britainkept the troops there to keep them in line.
Maintaining troops in North Americaonly added to Britain’s economic woes.The British had spent a great amount ofmoney to win the French and Indian War.
As a result, the nation was heavily in debt.Hoping to lower the debt, King George IIIchose a financial expert, GeorgeGrenville, as Britain’s prime minister.Grenville wanted to raise money fromthe colonies to help pay off the war debt.His first act was to reduce smuggling orillegal trading—which hurt Britain in losttax money.
In 1764, The British Parliament passedthe Sugar Act. The act did three things. Itcut the import taxes on foreign-mademolasses. This was done with the hope thatcolonists would pay a lower tax rather thanrisk arrest by smuggling. Secondly, itplaced a tax on certain imported goods thathad not been taxed before. Thirdly, the actstrengthened the enforcement of smugglinglaws by establishing a new court—knownas a vice-admiralty court. In this new court,a single judge—not a jury of sympatheticcolonists—decided cases. This meant thataccused smugglers faced a greater chanceof being found guilty.

Document 1 Question(s):

  1. What territories did France control in North America?
  1. How were French settlements different from the English ones?

Document 2 Question(s):

  1. How did the French and Indian War start?
  1. What was the major result of the French and Indian War?
  1. What was the Proclamation of 1763? Why did it happen? How did the colonists react?

Document 3 Question(s):

  1. What types of things did the British do that angered the colonies?
  1. What did the Sugar Act do?

Writing Assignment:

Directions: Using the space below and/or a separate sheet of paper, answer the following question in the form of a short essay (of at least one paragraph) using the question answers, documents, claims and evidence from above:

  • Inquiry Question: What is the main idea, issue or theme that ties these documents together? What evidence can you offer to support this idea, issue or theme?