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The '''French and Indian War''', also known as the North American phase of the [[Seven Years War]] in Europe, was a war fought between [[Britain]] and [[France]] from 1754 to 1763 in territory that became Canada and the United States. [[Native Americans]] fought for both sides, although mainly on the side of the French. The British were victorious, ending France's control of Canada and the Mississippi Valley. [[Spain]] was granted [[Louisiana]] as compensation for the loss of [[Florida]].  The war was officially ended with the signing of the [[Peace of Paris|Treaty of Paris]] in 1763.

The '''French and Indian War''', was the North American phase of the [[Seven Years War]] in Europe. It was a war fought between [[Britain]] and [[France]] from 1755 to 1760 in territory that became Canada and the United States. [[Native Americans]] fought for both sides, although mainly on the side of the French. The British were victorious, ending France's control of Canada and the Mississippi Valley. [[Spain]] was granted [[Louisiana]] as compensation for the loss of [[Florida]].  The war was officially ended with the signing of the [[Peace of Paris|Treaty of Paris]] in 1763.

[[Image:GW1755.jpg|thumb|250px|Colonel [[George Washington]] of the Virginia militia]]

[[Image:GW1755.jpg|thumb|250px|Colonel [[George Washington]] of the Virginia militia]]

==Name==

==Name==

The war is called the ''French and Indian War'' because the British army and the American colonials fought against the French army and its Indian allies.  A few Indians fought on the British side.  French Canadians call it the "War of the Conquest."  Europeans call it the "Seven Years War" because it lasted 1756-1763.  Most of the war was fought in Europe.

The war is called the ''French and Indian War'' because the British army and the American colonials fought against the French army and its Indian allies.  A few Indians fought on the British side.  French Canadians call it the "War of the Conquest."  Europeans call it the "Seven Years War" because it lasted 1756-1763.  Most of the war was fought in Europe.  There had been a series of "French and Indian" wars since 1690, and this was the last and most important of them.

==Soldiers==

==Soldiers==

The war also increased a sense of American unity. It brought men from different colonies together for the first time.  British officers trained American ones (most notably [[George Washington]]). Legislatures and officials of the American colonies had to cooperate intensively, for the first time, in pursuit of the continent-wide military effort.

The war also increased a sense of American unity. It brought men from different colonies together for the first time.  British officers trained American ones (most notably [[George Washington]]). Legislatures and officials of the American colonies had to cooperate intensively, for the first time, in pursuit of the continent-wide military effort.

The British and colonists triumphed jointly over a common foe.  The colonists' loyalty to the mother country was stronger than ever before.  However, a disunity was beginning to form. British Prime Minister Pitt waged the war in the colonies with the use of troops from the colonies and tax funds from Britain itself. This was a successful wartime strategy, but after the war was over, each side believed that it had borne a greater burden than the other.  The British complained that the colonists paid little to the royal coffers.  The colonists replied that their sons had fought and died in a war that served European interests more than their own. The British answered that the colonists' poor discipline made them inferior soldiers anyway.  This dispute was a link in the chain of events that soon brought about the [[American Revolution]].

The British and colonists triumphed jointly over a common foe.  The colonists' loyalty to Britain grew stronger.  However, trouble was forming. With France gone, the Americans no longer needed the protection of the British. The British paid for an expensive war and decided their rich colonies should pay part of the cost through taxes.  They did not consult Americans on the matter, and this led to increasingly strong protests and finally the [[American Revolution]] in 1775. The British furthermore felt colonists' poor discipline made them inferior soldiers and thus had an exaggerated view of the power of the British army  to compel the Americans to obey London.  

===Memory===

===Memory===

[[Image:1755reenact.jpg|thumb|340px|modern reenactment]] In his great novel ''The Last of the Mohicans'' (1826), [[James Fenimore Cooper]] used a historical setting and relied heavily on historical documents. Cooper's fiction strayed little from his sources on historical incidents in 1757 during the French and Indian War. He simply invented some contextual features. Cooper resorted to artistic judgments when his sources were inadequate, but his porytrayals were highly realistic.<ref> Ian K. Steele, "Cooper and Clio: The Sources for 'A Narrative Of 1757.'"  ''Canadian Review Of American Studies'' 1989 20(3): 121-135. </ref>

[[Image:1755reenact.jpg|thumb|340px|modern reenactment]] In his great novel ''The Last of the Mohicans'' (1826), [[James Fenimore Cooper]] used a historical setting and relied heavily on historical documents. Cooper's fiction strayed little from his sources on historical incidents in 1757 during the French and Indian War. He did invent some contextual features. Cooper resorted to artistic judgments when his sources were inadequate, but his porytrayals were highly realistic.<ref> Ian K. Steele, "Cooper and Clio: The Sources for 'A Narrative Of 1757.'"  ''Canadian Review Of American Studies'' 1989 20(3): 121-135. </ref>

==Further reading==

==Further reading==

* [http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCESubjects&Params=A1''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (2008)] good short articles  

* [http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCESubjects&Params=A1''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (2008)] good short articles