of office law. >> thank you. >> you're welcome. you're welcome. all right. >> for more information about the andrew johnson national historic site visit their website. to learn more about tours with historian and author richard smith go to presidents and patriots.com. you're watching american history tv all weekend, every weekend on cspan 3. david narrett teaches a history course which examines early american history emphasizing the

conflicts between colonist and natives, the relationships between american freedom and slavery and the growth of the british empire in north america. >> welcome to our class in colonial history. today our subject is the seven years war or the french and indian war. as the two names tell us, this war at least a duel meaning, a multifacetted meaning because it was a conflict fought in various areas of the globe. it was a conflict that began in 1754 in north america. through that beginning of the war in north america, france and britain came to be at war with

each other and formally in europe, france and britain went to war against each other in 1756. by that time, as you'll see, their colonies in north america and their forces in north america were already joined in conflict. to understand the french and indian wars it's traditionally called american u.s. history and also the seven years war. one has to put it in the a very broad perspective of north american history and even european history, of course. looking beyond europe and france and britain in various corners of the globe. the war would be fought in north america where it began. it was joined in europe on large scale and involved nations such as russia, austria, prussia, as

well as france and britain. toward the end of the war, spain would join on the side of france complicating the matter still. today, our focus will mainly be on the conflict in north america. of course, that was the land of native people and of many distinct indian people and their land, their present, their future. all of those were at stake. every bit, if not more so than for the european empires contesting for power abroad and the french and british colonyists. really to understand the war, we look at the imperial

perspective, the conflict between france and britain for overseas mast eemastery and mas north america. now, geography is very important to understand during the conflict in north america and really you have four principles known to north america that we're going focus on today. one is the area where the war began, the ohio country. we talked a little about this last time how the war began in the ohio country in 1754. when the colony of virginia challenged the french building a fort in the ohio country.

the war also involved acadia or nova scotia, an area on the eastern coast of canada. it's very important during the conflict. the war also involved the region of the lake champlain corridor. it's largely between two state, new york state on the western side of the lake and on the east, vermont. the northern tip of the lake does touch canada. lake champlain was important in the war.

it could be an artery of invasion moving north ward or south ward as we'll see at various points of the conflict. lastly, of great importance was the saint lawrence river. the great river of canada. beginning with its source in the great lakes and of course, it's course downstream moving northeasterly all the way to the atlantic. quebec being the main french fortress and most powerful single point in canada. it was to be very significant in the conflict. let's take a look at a modern map and get a sense of this geography. today, beyond skudiscussing the military history, i'd like to

give you a sense of the human dimensions of this conflict and the various people and interests involved. the struggle, the sufferings which were great. the hardships, not least of the acadia, the french colonyist of acadia who were largely exported. we'll also talk about a battle that occurred in the lake champlain corridor, actually, on the shore s of lake george and triggered a famous episode that's featured in the movie, "the last of the mohicans". we'll talk about the turning

point in the war. the french and their native allies were doing well. in 1757, when william pit rise to power as the first minister in england, kings first minister, what would be prime minister today, the british adopted a more effective work policy that made north america a central theater of the war and brought more resources to north america, which helped british victory ultimately. that british victory will see occurred through the occupation of certain points including quebec. we'll talk about the british campaign that culminated in the conquests of french canada in 1759-60. let's turn to a modern map to

give you a sense of the geography that i've outlined here. we can see that the -- there's an outline of the british colonies along the seaboard. also an indication of roughly where the appalachian mountains lad lay dividing coastal inspeterii. we also see on this map the location of lake champlain. you can see it as a corridor between the hudson river which

empties in new york bay. it reaches to a river approach montreal. who would control this artery, that's very important for the determination of the conflict. we also talk about acadia or nova scotia, which is here, an important region. next, we'll begin with the ohio country because this is where the conflict began in 1754. let's continue. well, historians used maps to get a sense of not only the

relationship between gegraphic regions, and that's very important but historical maps such as this one which dates to 1756 and was drawn in paris gives us this type of sense of how europeans perceived the north american landscape. it tells the us what they knew most about, what thai kney knew about. it shows you little red dots where there are settlements or towns in areas of the british colony. here is the st. lawrence. montreal would be here and quebec here. we get a sense of how people living at that time, especially policymakers, government leaders

perceived the landscape. one of the most interesting features of this map, which is b in the state library of virginia, is that it is french and gives you a french perspective. the line that presumes to be a boundary here indicates where the french believe the boundary to be between the british and french colony. there's so no consensus between britain and france about where their respective colonies merge. there is a contested frontier or border land between the british colonies and french canada. the country at stake is almost

entirely an indian country. that is where the war begins. why does the war begin here in the ohio country? it really began because of french policy thinking about british expansion and how british expansion must be stopped. not only the expansion of settlement which the french were concerned about giving the fact that the british colonies were growing so rapidly in population and by the mid 1750s, the british colonies has a population approaching one and a half million people. the population of roughly 80,000 perhaps in the st. lawrence river valley and neighboring

regions. how could they possibly stave off english control of the continent when beneficiary colonials, those within the british colonies numbered a million and a half. there were several hundred thousands slayed among the total population in the british colony. the french were not only concerned about the expansion of british population and the movement westward, but also of trade that british colonial traders from pennsylvania and virginia were venturing into the ohio country. they were going to capture the fur trade and draw it towards the british colony and away from canada.

they realized if they lost control of the fur trade, and it was drawn mostly to the british then canada would be worthless and lost. the thinking was this, where the native people's made economic alliances as they made their economic alliances with the british, they would also make their political and military ones with them too. trade would sway native people in a certain direction. the french attempt in the early 1750s was to foreclose that. it was called the ohio country which had no definite boundaries at the time. the ohio country consisted of parts of what is today the state

of pennsylvania as well as ohio. it marked the beginning of the ohio river where the rivers meet to form the ohio. their the french established a forth in 1754 called fort dusquene. the british colonial in virginia were concerned about that. they would not easily tolerate that. virginia claim boundaries stretching to the south sea.

if a certain number of colonies could be situated there, that company by right from the king could receive a grant of up to 500,000 acres. there was much at take. it was not only interest of ordinary british colonials in colonies such as virginia that were at stake.

of course, the colony of virginia in 1753 decides to send a message to the french in the ohio country. we know who they send as their messenger. he sends our young hero, george washington, all of 22 years old. right? just a young colonel of militia. he goes on a mission westward from virginia to the ohio country and all the way north to lake eerie to notify officials there who have accomplished forts and have hundreds of men there. this territory by right belongs to britain and not to the king

of france. they made it quite clear that he this land all the way to ohio belongs to france, and it's not british. fort dusquene with the force of 3 to 400 men. the fighting would begin that spring and summer of 1754 that marked the beginning of the french-indian war.

a war that spread far beyond this limited area. i don't think really washington or the french who were immediately involved or the native peoples of that particular region, the delawares and the miamis and others could forsee exactly what would come from this early clash. let's move through the nextline. this is a -- the journal of washington. very interesting that he kept and during his first journey to the ohio country where he went as a imbaa sar of the government. he said this land in the ohio region belong to the british,

not the french. washington's journal was publ h published in williamsburg, virginia, not only there but also in london. it had an impact on the government in london and london was being appraised that there was a conflict between the british colonies and the french in the ohio country. in 1754, ware of the hostilities are about to begin and tensions are mounting. several of the british colonies send delegates to albany in the colony of new york to confer together. that's called the albany

congress. one of the delegates is benjamin franklin. franklin representing the colony of pennsylvania believed as others did that the colonies would have to work together. that is the british colony, which did not have a history of working very well together or very strong ties among themselves. the colonies were custom apart from new england. the new england colonies would work together but the colonies to the south would operate more or less on their own individually. the albany congress where delegates of several colonies met in 1754 discussed how they could cooperate more effectively

together. the plans did not bear fruition as benjamin franklin tells the us. no colonial congress or grand council, as franklin conceived, developed from the albany congress. nevertheless, franklin's idea, which he shared with others of drawing the colonies more closely together, under british rule, so they could form a common policy in front against the french. it was very important.

franklin expressed it through famous cartoon. it chose the colonies as a snake. they will join together or they will die separately. he chose to picture them from north to south, head to tail. new england grouping those together, new york, new jersey, virginia, north carolina, south carolina. i forgot georgia. maybe that was a little distant. he knew georgia was just a new and beginning colony and might not con tribute to much to the common effort. franklin ended the detail of this colonial dragon. the point is he wanted more effective unity working together towards common end.

now, where was the early battle of the french and indian war occur or the seven years war in north america. the british, of course, will call this the french and indian war. the name as we'll see in today's lecture can be a little misleading because not all indian people sided with the french. they shifted in loyalty. some were neutral at the beginning. others joined the french. some had wait and see attitude. some would change sides during the war. native people belonged to a principal group. we have to think of them as irricoy. within that native confederacy,

let's say the mohaw. you have to do the same with other native groups. the name french and indian war can be used to indicate the seven years war north america. it's important to remember it doesn't really mean all the natives are on the french side or that they stay on one side throughout the war. again, native people's enter this conflict for their own reason, for their own interest and we'll see that they're interest are not identical at all to the french. let alone to the british. what is fort necessity? it's a site in south western

pennsylvania today. then it was in this broad region called the ohio country. it was where washington in the summer of 1754 established a simple crude force in a meadow. there was a large meadow there and that has been preserved today amidst a great farm of endless mile. washington thought i'll establish a defensive position here. there had already been at that time the first skirmishes. the french who were several hundred came to contest washington. they were stronger and forced him to surrender in july, 1754.

this first military action of washington in the war is a failure. they're able to surrender on honorable terms and permitted to return to virginia. the french have sent the message they they will not have a easy time. the french will rely on native allies such as the delawares. the french were calling upon the assistance of native peoples who has been forced westward by british colonial in eastern pennsylvania.

some of these people forced westward, harbor a resentiment. this helps to explain why some of them aided the french in this early stage of conflict. >> now in 17547 and into 55, the british government decided that the conflict in north america was serious enough that british troops should become directly involved. this is a very interesting point. the year is 1755. war has not yet been declared between britain and france. yet, there is fighting in north america that's already begun. the british government makes the decision to send twoeg