The French and Indian War. (jan 1, 1754 – feb 1, 1763)

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in 1754, as the French expanded into the Ohio River valley and built a fort at the beginning of the river, British colonies such as Virginia attacked repeatedly. Within a year later, General Edward Braddock, George Washington, and William Shirley were defeated in a string of battles. After this, Shirley removed any French settlers living in British colonies close to the conflict and placed them in other colonies, in case they helped France. All of this action was limited by internal conflict within the British Empire. In 1756 Britain officially declared war against France and their native american allies. The British struggled to win battles until a new leader named William Pitt saw the inter-imperial conflict as a key to building a great British empire. To win the war, Pitt heavily borrowed money and put the empire in great debt. In the eyes of the Parliament, the expansion of British colonies due to the war’s conclusion benefited the Americans, so they were to pay the debt of unreturned money used to finance the war. Therefore, the American colonies were heavily taxed.

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