Officially beginning with England’s declaration of war on France, the Seven Years War, referred to as the French and Indian War in America, was a global conflict…but clashes and skirmishes between England and France had already been occurring in North America for several years.
During the early 1750s, France’s expansion into the Ohio River Valley repeatedly resulted in armed confrontations with the British colonies. The year 1756 marked the first official year of fighting in the Seven Years War…during which the British faced a string of defeats against the French and their extensive network of Native American alliances.
Nevertheless, in 1757, British Prime Minister William Pitt (the elder) identified the potential for imperial expansion that a victory over the French could create and heavily borrowed funds to support an enlarged war campaign. Pitt financed Prussia’s battle against France and her allies in Europe while compensating the colonies for raising armies in North America.
By the year 1760, the French had been driven out of Canada, and by 1763, all of France’s European allies had either reached separate peace agreements with Prussia or faced defeat. Additionally, Spain’s attempts to assist France in the Americas were unsuccessful, and France encountered defeats against British forces in India.
The conclusion of the Seven Years War came with the signing of the treaties of Hubertusburg and Paris in February 1763.
In the Treaty of Paris, France ceded all claims to Canada and transferred Louisiana to Spain, while Britain acquired Spanish Florida, Upper Canada, and various French territories overseas. This treaty solidified Britain’s colonial and maritime dominance, enhancing the strength of the 13 American colonies by eliminating their European adversaries to both the north and south.
Fifteen years later, the resentment felt by the French regarding the loss of most of their colonial empire played a role in their decision to intervene in the American Revolution, siding with the Patriots.
