CHAPTER 4

PROVINCIAL AMERICA AND
THE STRUGGLE FOR A CONTINENT

Officer, 42nd Highlanders, "The Black Watch," as he appeared during the Revolutionary War. Before 1758 the regiment wore buff facing. After the ill-fated assualt on Ticonderoga (8 July 1758), the 42nd was accorded royal status, hence the change to blue.

 

 

 

STUDY GUIDE QUESTIONS

4.a.1-3

Diversity of the Colonies, ca. 1763 (click for Word.doc)

4.b.2

French Indians, British Indians

4.c.3

Regulars, Militia, & Indians

4.c.4

Strategic Locations

4.c.7

War and Credit

4.c.9

Seeds of Colonial Resentment

xword solution (scroll down)

related Chapter 4 links

[b.3]

FRENCH INDIANS & BRITISH INDIANS

LANGUAGE GROUP

TRIBAL LANDS

ALLIANCE

REASON

6 NATIONS of the IROQUOIAN CONFEDERACY

New York state

Britain

Close contact with English traders. Iroquoian Indians became addicted to English manufactured goods.

ALGONQUINS & HURONS

Canada &
Great Lakes

France

French fur trappers, administrators, and Jesuit missionaries treated the Indians fairly well. Many were converted to Christianity, including some Mohawk and Seneca Indians of the pro-English Iroquoian Confederacy.

[c.3]

REGULARS & MILITIA

regular troops

Three main types of forces fought during the French & Indian War. Obligation for military service fell unevenly on colonial society. The "selective" nature of the draft remains with us today.

The most dependable soldiers were found in the regular army. This means the "red coats." Professional soldiers were:

  • British regular army (could include American recruits)
  • Ranger Companies (Robert Rogers recruited skillfull backwoodsmen to provide reconaissance for British generals).

militia

When the British government requisitioned troops for a campaign, the most obvious American source was the colonial militias. The recruits came in two forms:

  • American volunteers
  • American "draftees" selected from the militia rolls.

To recruit men, town elders drafted the most "expendable" men from the militia rolls.

British attitudes toward American recruits

British officers detested American troops. They thought of them as the "scum of the earth," which in many cases was true. One British regiment--the 60th Royal Americans--was only about one third colonial American. The rest were Poles, Irish, Swedes, and Germans.

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[c.4]

STRATEGIC LOCATIONS

This map features Cape Breton Island, the site of the French fortress of Louisbour. If your were the Marquis de Montcalm, the French commander in New France (Canada), why would Louisbourg be important in your defense plans?

[c.8]

WAR AND CREDIT

Bishop Berkeley noted that, "Credit is the principle advantage which England hath over France." Britain also had other advantages:

  • efficient customs collecting
  • sales taxes
  • no classes in England exempt from direct taxation.
  • elective assembly (parliament)
  • savings during peace time.
  • Bank of England (est. 1694) extends credit and loans.
  • Able government promotes public faith.

In 1987, Yale historian Paul Kennedy published The Rise and Fall of Great Powers. He argues that Britain won its wars against France for the reasons listed below: He contends that economic strength and financial flexibility enable nations to fight prolonged wars. Looking at the table under "Seeds of Colonial Resentment", how long did the 4 wars between Britain and France last?

XWORD SOLUTION

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WWW LINKS TO CHAPTER 4

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