Question 1

Identify the participants in the Seven Years War

Accepted Answer

Spain, France, and Great Britain

Question 2

Describe France and Britain's conflicts in New France prior to the French and Indian war

Accepted Answer

Generally, Britain would fight against either France, Spain, or both. Prior to the French and Indian War, Britain would fight the French over New France (Canada) and their French beaver trappers, who were expanding their travels into contested lands. France lost a lot of their territory in New France, but Native Americans especially suffered in these early conflicts.

Question 3

Describe the importance of the Ohio River Valley in the French and Indian war

Accepted Answer

By 1754, the Ohio Valley became a hotspot for conflict. The British saw this area as their gateway to western expansion, and the French viewed it as their vital link between their possessions in Canada and the Lower Mississippi Valley.

Question 4

Describe the battle at Fort Duquesne in Pittsburgh and which Native American groups were allied with the French and British, respectively.

Accepted Answer

Western Pennsylvania would become the sight of the first shots of the French and Indian War, a conflict pitting the British and their Iroquois Indian allies against the French and their Huron Indian allies. This was part of the larger worldwide war between the British and French known as the Seven Years' War. George Washington, a young Lt. Colonel from a wealthy Virginia family, was sent by the Governor of Virginia to an area near Ft. Duquesne (Pittsburgh) to lay claim to this land. Washington engaged French troops in a 10-hour battle and was defeated by French forces at nearby Fort Necessity in 1754.

Question 5

Describe the British's motive in the Albany Plan, describe the actual Albany Plan, and why it never passed.

Accepted Answer

In 1754, the British created a meeting for the colonies in Albany, New York. Their motive was to entice the Iroquois Indians to remain their allies and also to unify the disjointed 13 colonies against their French enemies. 
Ben Franklin, the “First American,” famed patriot, and future Founding Father, represented Pennsylvania as one of the seven colonies to attend. Note that yes, only seven of the thirteen colonies sent representatives to the Albany Congress.
Franklin’s Albany Plan attempted to establish a colonial government based on home rule. It called for three things:

A Grand Council would be formed with elected representatives from the different colonies to oversee matters of common defense, western expansion, and Indian affairs.

A President General would be established and appointed by the King who would preside. They would have the power to veto decisions made by the Grand Council.

The Council would be authorized to collect taxes for military expenditures.

The Albany Plan was seen as a radical proposal at the time, as it called for a level of colonial unity and self-governance that was unprecedented. It was ultimately rejected by the British government and the colonies, but it is considered an important early attempt to address the growing tensions between the colonies and the mother country and to find a way for the colonies to work together for their mutual benefit. The colonists felt it did not give them enough authority, while London argued it gave them too much.

Question 6

What was the battle of Fort Necessity

Accepted Answer

The Battle of Fort Necessity was the first major engagement of the war in which the British colonists, led by George Washington, were defeated by French and Native American forces. This was the first attempt to evict the French from the Ohio River Valley.

Question 7

Describe Braddock's Expeditions

Accepted Answer

General Edward Braddock was a British army officer who was sent to North America during the French and Indian War to expel the French from the Ohio River Valley. In 1755, he led a large expeditionary force that included British regulars, colonial militia, and native allies, with the goal of capturing the French fort at Fort Duquesne.

Braddock's expedition was a disaster from the start. The British and colonial troops were not used to fighting in the dense forests of North America and were unfamiliar with the guerrilla tactics used by the French and their native allies. The expedition was also beset by logistical problems, including a shortage of supplies and difficulties in getting the heavy artillery needed to besiege the fort across the rough terrain.

Despite these challenges, Braddock pressed on with his attack on Fort Duquesne. On July 9, 1755, his forces were ambushed by a French and native force led by Captain Daniel Liénard de Beaujeu. The British and colonial troops were caught off guard and suffered heavy losses, including the death of General Braddock himself. The survivors retreated in disarray, and the expedition was a complete failure.

The defeat at the Battle of the Monongahela, as it came to be known, was a major setback for the British in the French and Indian War. It also had significant consequences for the future of North America, as the failure of Braddock's expedition emboldened the French and their native allies, who went on to inflict further defeats on the British in the years that followed.

Note that this occurred in 1755, which was one year before the war was formally declared in 1756. Remember, Native American tribes continued to exploit both the British and French forces during this ongoing conflict.

3.2 The Seven Years’ War (The French and Indian War), AP United States History Flashcards