French and Indian War

European Trade Goods

My Native American Project is on the French and Indian War. During the war which lasted over 70 years there were many trades. Europeans brought to the New World things the natives had never seen, such as guns. Guns such as the flintlock musket were some of the more popular European trade goods. Glass beads were also and interest to Native Americans. They replaced the decorative quill work that had traditionally been applied to moccasins and headbands. Other ornaments introduced by the French were brass bells, brass rings, lead crosses, silver bracelets and silver gorgets. Most items were made of metal. These items replaced traditional objects made of stone, bone, and shell. For example, iron knives replaced knives made of chipped stone; iron ax-heads replaced celts made of ground stone; and iron hoe blades replaced blades made of mussel shell. Iron was a popular substitute because it was more durable and stronger than the usually Native American tools. Most European trade goods were not absolutely necessary for the Natives but were more convenient, such as the brass kettle. Even long after the kettle had been broken it could still be turned into something useful like an arrowhead. Woolen Blankets were also sold to Natives which helped many because it provided more heat than the traditional blanket. Other European trade goods include: mortar and pestle, mirror, and copper teakettle.

Territory

Territory was a major factor in the French and Indian War. Certain territories gave either the French or English a certain advantage in battle. Others gave an advantage in trade. Both New France and New England wanted to expand their territories with respect to fur trading. The French claimed the vast territory between Appalachian and Rocky mountains. English had the East Coast in which were its colonies. The English also had most of the surrounding area of the Hudson Bay. Some territories were neutral; territories where both French and English owned. Newfoundland was not a neutral area but the English had South Newfoundland and the French the North. Acadia, which is now modern-day New England was a neutral territory because or certain trade routes near the St. Lawrence River. An area near Lake Ontario was also neutral for the same reason. Spain was out of the fight for North America early and settled with New Spain, which is now Mexico. The Spanish controlled Florida during the French and Indian war also. The Rocky Mountains to the west were left unclaimed by Europeans. All these territories influenced the outcome of the war.

Geographic Features of New World

One thing that was important to both French and English was the geographic features of North America. Waterways were used for easy transportation. In the fur-trade both French and English needed an easy way to transport their goods from North American interior. The French controlled the fastest way, the St. Lawrence River. Using the St. Lawrence River the French dominated the fur-trade. Since the French claimed St. Lawrence as there’s they were allies with the surrounding Natives. Since the French controlled St. Lawrence the English needed another way to transport the furs to Europe, the Hudson River. Due to the shorter length than the St. Lawrence River there were less trade post on the way to the Atlantic Ocean. Using the Hudson River the English stayed up with the French in the fur-trade. The Great Lakes and Hudson Bay where was most of the furs came from. These waterways were the home to beavers, raccoons, muskrats, minks, and red foxes. With the fur-trade came economic wealth for both countries and these waterways helped them. The whole east coast was also a geographic feature that had importance in the French and Indian War. The east coast was home to the English Colonies. In the area around the coast copper, mica, pearls, maize, shells, gourds, skins, nets and many more were traded. At last, the biggest body of water involved in the French and Indian War was the Atlantic Ocean. This, of course, was the only way to get all of the trade goods and furs to Europe from the New World.

Relations

During the French and Indian there were many relations betweens the Indians and the Europeans. The French were allies with the Algonquian Indians and the English were allies with most Iroquois. The Algonquians and the Iroquois weren't just one tribe, they were a group of many. Algonquian tribes allied with the French included: Shawnee, Ottawa, Mahican, Delaware, and Sauk with many more spread throughout the northeast. The Iroquoian Tribes of Mohawk, Seneca, Oneida, Cayuga, and Onondaga had formed a strong alliance. They pledged to come together as one for the protection of all. This made them respected by the Algonquian tribes scattered throughout this region. The French had better relations with Indians because when the English came they pushed the Indians off their hunting lands, and relations became strained. The French had long, friendly relations because they lived among them for many years and adapted to their languages. Without good relations with Indians there would have been no fur trade because the Indian Tribes Huron, Ottawa, and Ojibwa were the main founders. Before they were beaten the Dutch established a very successful trading relationship with the Iroquois. When the English took control of it they inherited the Indian partnership. Most of the time the Iroquois were not happy with their share of the fur trade. The French and Algonquian tribes dominated most of the fur trade and the Iroquois resented their success. Without these relations betweens Indians and Europeans there would have been a very different outcome of the New World.

Reasons for North America

The long struggle between the French and the English in America was known as the French and Indian Wars, but was not as the name suggest wars between the French and the Indians. All the fighting was done between the French and Algonquian Indians and the English and Iroquois. The American conflicts were closely related to the wars in Europe between France, England, Spain, and the Netherlands. Each time war broke out in Europe the effects were felt around the world where they had colonies or trade posts. In North America the French and English colonists used these European wars as an excuse to start their on battles over lands and trade. The main reason for North America was land and trade. This is what caused the Dutch, English, French, Spanish, and the Netherlands to fight over. The population English colonists was more than twenty times the the French population of New France. This gave the English and advantage because they had more people. The English having a bigger population was a result of encouragement to immigrate to the New World. Another reason of England's for the New World was a place to send troublemakers. Anyone who was not content for life in England was to be sent to the New World to make sure England stayed a good country. The reason for the French population being small was that little was done to encourage immigration. Most of the French population was made up of adventurers, traders, explorers, and priests. There were few French families in New France. The French and Indian war started the oldest business in North America(Hudson Bay Company), set the borders for our new states, and introduced a whole new way of life for the Native Americans.