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Louisiana.
In 1682, Robert Cavlier claimed the entire Mississippi Valley for Franch and named it Louisiana. The population grew to about 70,000 by 1754. They had friendly terms with the Hurons and other Native American tribes which helped develope trade and eventually caused the growing French empire to clash with the that of the British. -
Opening of the French and Indian War.
After the French built Fort Duquense in the Ohio River Valley where the British had previously granted 200,000 acres of land to planters, the Virginia governor sent militia to evict France. Led by young officer, George Washington, British militia attacked French soldiers followed by a French counterattack. The following battle in July forced Washington to surrender. These battles at Fort Necessity were unknowingly the start of the French and Indian War, for control of North America. -
A Dramatic Turn.
In September, 1759, the war took a dramatic turn in favor of England. In the Plains of Abraham outside of Quebec under General James Wolfe the British troops caught the French and their commander, the Marquis de Montcalm, of guard. They won the battle which led them to a victory of the war. -
Proclamation of 1763
To avoid future conflicts with the Native Americans after the Ottawa captured eight British forts in Ohio due to the loss of the war and fear that with the new settlers game would be scarce, the British government issued the Proclamation of 1763 which banned all settlement west of the Appalachians. The Proclamation Line was established but was hard to enforce on the colonists. -
Treaty of Paris.
At the end of the war Britain claimed all of North America east of the Mississippi River, including Florida (aquired from Spain). Spain gained the French lands west of the Mississippi River, including the city of New Orleans. France kept control of a few small islands near Newfoundland and in the West Indies. -
The Sugar Act.
After the war tensions rose between the colonies and Britain. George Grenville came to serve as prime minister in 1763. He soon started to anger merchants by enacting the Sugar Acts because he suspected the smuggling of goods. The acts halved the duty on forgein made molasses, placed duties on certain imports, and most importantly, strengthened the enforcement of the law. Smuggling could now be tried in a vice-admiralty court. By the end of 1764 tensions were rising more and more.
