Road To Liberty: The French & Indian War

Despite its misleading name, this conflict (also known as the Seven Years’ War) was a war between the  French and the British, from 1754 to 1763, throughout what is now the American Northeast, for control over the Ohio River Valley and eventual westward expansion. 

Through almost a decade of fighting, the British ultimately prevailed, thanks to an impenetrable naval fleet and the strength of their American colonists and Iroquois allies.. The success of British forces was due in no small part to the fiscal liberality of William Pitt the Elder, who served as leader of the House of Commons in the middle of war, and later as prime minister. The generosity with which he amassed British resources was matched by his confidence, which he proved as British colonists faced losses abroad, and demand for his leadership grew at home: “I am sure I can save this country,” he said, “and nobody else can.” 

After the war ended, the British gained control of Canada and all French lands east of the Mississippi River. They also found themselves overwhelmed by debt. To recover their losses, British Parliament taxed the American colonies from across the Atlantic, and the seeds of revolution were sown.