Unit 2, Period 3: Revolution, AOC, and Constitution

Unit 2, Period 3: Revolution, AOC, and Constitution

French and Indian War Sample Paragraph

One of the effects of the French and Indian War (Seven Years War) was that it caused colonists to desire more land; however, this desire for more land caused conflict with Native American tribes. Prior to the war with France, colonists were constrained to the eastern seaboard; however, with the defeat of France and the signing of the Treaty of Paris, Britain had gained control of a new “frontier” to the west of the Appalachian Mountains (Document A - HC). They felt that because they aided in the defeat of the French imperial power, they should have the right to this new land. The problem with this assumption was that this land was already settled by Native Americans decades before. This conflict over land between settlers and Native Americans existed even in 1742 (20 years before the end of the war) as Canassatego (Irquois Chief) insisted that “they [white settlers] have no Right to settle” (Document B - HC). After the war, this conflict was exacerbated as white settlers began to move west causing Pontiac’s Rebellion. Because of this, the “mother country” passed the Proclamation of 1763. Despite colonists’ military aid during the war, the mother country did not allow settlement of this newly acquired territory. While Britain claimed they were protecting them from conflict with Native Americans, the Proclamation of 1763 which came about as a result of the French and Indian War served as an ideological turning point. During a context in which colonists began to hold desires of expansion and feelings of autonomy, the mother country still felt it was necessary to protect them. However, the mother country’s attempts at protection served as a catalyst for this ideological shift as colonists viewed it as a hindrance to their goal of expansion (contextualization).