Janine McAuley
The History of the Seven Years War
Seven Years' War
During the late 1750's and early 1760's, Fredrick of Prussia's invasion of the German state of Saxony had sparked a worldwide series of conflict that also raged in North America. This war was known as the Seven Years' War. It was one of the largest struggles between England and France for dominance in world trade, naval power, and control of the land in North America.
For nearly a century, the French and the British had coexisted peacefully in North America. The French explored and claimed a vast region of the land, from Louisiana in the South to the Great Lakes in the North. This region, enclosed by four major cities: Montreal, Detroit, New Orleans, and Quebec, was the Centre of the French empire in North America. (www.digital) history.org For the British, their empire was located at the eastern coastal line of the Atlantic Ocean. Both the French and the British had built communities, trading posts and fortresses to secure a hold on their own claims.
Yet, by 1750's, things began to change as both English and French settlements expanded. The religious and commercial tensions began to produce many new conflicts. During this period, the English were getting prepare for the great population leap across the Appalachians into the Ohio valley and beyond. They were not impressed when France tried to claim the Ohio Valley as part of the French territory in the same year while they were prepared to use that region for settlement purpose. To prevent the English from expanding into the French territory, the French were prompted to construct new fortresses in the Ohio Valley. British had interpreted this action as a threat to their mid-western settlements. In turn, the British too began to make military preparations and started to build fortresses.
For the next five years, tensions between the French and the British continued to increase until the summer of 1754 when war finally broke out. The...