Introduction

"Hi everyone! We are Group 5, also known as the Dominators. I’m 6AIWP, and I’m here with my
teammates 4EGQM, 9ZUW], and 1TNAD.
Today, we want to take you back in time to the 1750s. Most people think of the American
Revolution when they think of U.S. history, but before that happened, there was a different,
massive conflict that changed the world forever: The French and Indian War".
But don't let the title fool you. It wasn't a war between the French and the Indians. It was actually
a huge struggle between two superpowers Britain and France fighting over who would control
the rich lands of North America.
In our presentation, we are going to show you how a young, 22-year-old "George Washington"
accidentally helped start this war, why the British kept losing at first because of their fancy red
uniforms, and how this victory for the British actually became the 'spark' that led to them losing
their American colonies later on.
So, sit back, and let’s dive into the small event that changed everything'"

Get started

"If we want to understand this war, we need to look at the whole situation. This wasn't just a
small fight in the woods. It was actually part of a much larger global conflict called the "Seven
Years' War". Imagine two massive empires, Britain and France, fighting all over the world in
Europe, India, and here in North America. It was basically the first 'World War.'"

"So, why were they fighting? It was mostly about money and resources a system called
'mercantilism'. Both sides wanted to monopolize the most valuable things the land could offer:
thick animal furs for fashion, tall timber for ships, and massive amounts of land to grow their
empires."

“So, let’s check out what the map looked like at that time. On one side, you had the "13 British
Colonies". They were booming! Their population grew from 250,000 to about '1.6 million people'
by 1760. Because they had so many people, they were desperate to move west across the
Appalachian Mountains.
On the other side was "New France". They didn't have many people, but they had a huge
network of forts and trading posts. They described their colony as a 'tenuous highway' a long,
thin line of river routes connecting Canada in the north to Louisiana in the south. To protect this
'highway,' they built forts that blocked the British from moving west."

"The place where these two worlds crashed together was the "Ohio River Valley". Both sides
called it the 'gateway' to the interior of the continent. It had rich soil for farming and was the best
place for the fur trade. The French needed it to keep their empire connected, and the British
wanted it for new settlements."

"This is where a famous name enters the story, "George Washington". But he wasn't a famous
general yet. He was just a 22-year-old major in the Virginia militia.
First, he was sent on a diplomatic mission to tell the French to leave, but they basically told him
'No'. Then, things got messy. In 1754, Washington and his men ambushed a small French
party. During the fight, a French officer named "Jumonville" was killed. The French were furious
and called it an 'assassination'.
The French pushed back hard. Washington had to build a small, messy fort called 'Fort
Necessity'. It was in a bad spot, it rained heavily, and he was eventually forced to surrender.
This was the only time Washington ever surrendered in his life, and it was the spark that
officially started the war."

"While the fighting started, the British colonies realized they were not organized. In 1754, they
met at the "Albany Congress" to try and work together.
This is when 'Benjamin Franklin' created the famous "Join, or Die" cartoon the one with the
snake cut into pieces. He was telling the colonies that if they didn't unite, they would be
defeated by the French. But guess what? The colonies didn't want to give up their individual
power, and the King didn't like the idea either. The plan failed, leaving the colonies divided just
as a world war was beginning."

"If we want to see why the war started so badly for the British, we have to look at the two
different 'vibes' of colonization.
The French didn't really want to build big cities. They were mostly there to sell animal fur.
Because of this, they integrated deeply with Native American tribes. French traders often
intermarried with indigenous women and respected Native autonomy. This led to very strong
alliances with tribes like the Algonquins and Hurons.
The British Side: The British didn't act the same way. They were looking for more and more
land. They wanted to build large-scale settlements and farms, which meant taking land away
from Native tribes. Because of this, their alliances like the one with the "roquois Confederacy"
were often strained and strictly business like."

"When the fighting began, it was a clash of two very different military styles.
The British 'Redcoats' fought in "European style". They marched in rigid, straight lines and fired
all at once in 'volleys'. This worked great on the flat fields of Europe, but in the thick North
American forests, it made them easy targets.
The French and their Native allies used a style called "la petite guerre" (the little war). They
used hit-and-run attacks, hid behind trees, and used the woods for cover. They were mobile,
quiet, and deadly."

"The biggest example of this clash was "Braddock’s Defeat" in 1755. General Edward Braddock
led a massive force of about 1,300 British regulars to capture "Fort Duquesne".
Braddock was very stubborn. He insisted on marching in perfect lines and even built a road
through the woods just to move his heavy cannons. Near the Monongahela River, they were
ambushed by a much smaller French and Native force. The British stayed in their lines, while
the French and Natives picked them off from behind trees. It was a catastrophe. Braddock was
mortally wounded, and the British lost hundreds of men while the French lost almost no one."
"Things looked dark for Britain until "William Pitt" took over the strategy in 1757. Pitt decided to
go 'all in' with a "Total War" strategy.
Outspending the French: "Basically, Pitt decided to stop playing it safe and threw everything
Britain had at the problem. He used their massive wealth to outspend the French, using the
Royal Navy to choke off their supplies until they were starving. At the same time, he flooded
North America with over 50,000 soldiers and started paying local colonists to join the fight. Most
importantly, he fired the old-fashioned leaders and brought in young, hungry commanders who
weren't afraid to get their hands dirty in the woods."

"By 1759, the British were winning. They captured "Fort Niagara", which cut off the French
supply lines to the west. But the biggest prize was “Quebec City”, the heart of New France.
The British General James Wolfe came up with a crazy, daring plan. In the middle of the night,
his soldiers secretly climbed up 170-foot high cliffs to reach a flat area called the Plains of
Abraham.
When the sun came up, the French commander, Montcalm, was shocked to see a British army
waiting for him. The battle only lasted about 15 minutes. The British used a 'meat-grinding' style
of firing where different groups of soldiers took turns firing non-stop which completely shattered
the French lines. Sadly, both commanders, Wolfe and Montcalm, were killed in the fighting, but
the British won the city."

"The war officially ended with the "Treaty of Paris in 1763". This was a massive change for the
map of the world. France was effectively kicked out of North America. So, Britain now controlled
almost everything east of the Mississippi River. On paper, it was the greatest victory in British
history."

"But this victory came with a huge problem, the 'bill'.

The war was incredibly expensive. Britain’s national debt almost doubled, reaching about '£133
million'. And to pay this debt, the King and Parliament decided the American colonists should
pay their share. They started passing new taxes like the 'Stamp Act' and the 'Sugar Act'. This
made the colonists furious because they had no say in the matter, leading to the famous cry,
"No taxation without representation"."

"The final moment the colonists were betrayed was the "Proclamation of 1763". After the war,
the King was worried about more fighting with Native American tribes. So, he drew a line on the
map and forbade the colonists from moving west into the Ohio Valley the very land they had just
fought and died for. Colonists like "George Washington" felt betrayed by their own King."

""In the end, Britain got exactly what they wanted, but it cost them everything. They won the
land and kicked out the French, but they ended up totally broke and stressed out. It’s like
winning a huge prize but realizing the taxes on it are so high you can't actually afford to keep it.
They trained colonial officers like George Washington, who learned exactly how the British army
fought. And most importantly, by trying to tax and control the colonies after the war, Britain
accidentally planted the seeds of the "American Revolution".
As the saying goes, Britain won the war, but in doing so, they began losing their colonies.
And that’s the end of our presentation about the French and Indian War. We hope you enjoyed
learning how this war changed history forever. Thank so much you so much for listening. See
you later.