How Did Britain's War Influence In North America

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In the spring of 1754, a twenty-two-year-old officer named George Washington led a small

group of soldiers over the Allegheny Mountains. The Virginia militia's mission was peaceful: to

construct a fort near the head of the Ohio River. It turned to disaster when a Seneca chief

persuaded Washington to attack some French soldiers nearby. The skirmish lasted no more

than fifteen minutes. When it was over, ten Frenchmen were dead, including a French ensign

tomahawked by the Seneca chief.

These were the first shots in a war called by various names: the French and Indian War in

North America, the War of Conquest in French-speaking Canada, and the Seven Years' War

in Europe. "A volley fired by a young Virginian in the backwoods of America set
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France lost its influence in North America, and Britain emerged as the preeminent

colonial power. Despite their promise to the Ohio Indians, the British built Fort Pitt on the

previous site of Fort Duquesne.

Britain's victory was to have other implications. "The war that changed the world in the

eighteenth century was one that was bad for the victor," says Anderson. Discontent grew

among the colonists, who became outraged by heavy taxes levied to pay for the war and by

restrictions on settling beyond the Allegheny Mountains.

"British officials saw a need to impose order on a big, sprawling, disorderly empire," says

Stephenson. "And the colonists believed the British were victorious because of their

participation. They expected to be treated as equals, as partners in a great venture to expand

the empire and defeat their enemies."

A new, separate American identity was budding. "People like George Washington were

toasting the British victories and were proud to be members of the British Empire,"