US History

Colonization and Settlement (1585-1763)

This collection uses primary sources to explore perspectives on the French and Indian War.

Excerpts from the diary of Major George Washington and letters delivered by Washington to the French, 1753.

A french map of pre- and post-war North America, 1762.

A map created in 1900 showing the battle plan for Quebec City in 1759.

Speeches and treaties between William Johnson and the Iroquois, 1755-1756.

Excerpts from the diary of British soldier Luke Gridley, 1757.

Excerpts from a journal kept by Sergeant David Holden of Groton, Massachusetts, 1760.

A medal issued to Jeffrey Amherst commemorating the capture of Montreal, 1760.

A letter to William Pitt, 1762.

Excerpts from a British history of the war, 1763.

An engraving of the Death of General Wolfe on the Plains of Abraham.

Questions

1. Choose five days from British soldier [Luke Gridley’s diary](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/perspectives-on-the-french-and-indian-war/sources/214). Compare his experience to that of Sergeant Holden in [Holden’s journal](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/perspectives-on-the-french-and-indian-war/sources/215). What can we learn from these sources about soldiers’ experience of the war? 

2. Use the letter to William Pitt and the British history of the war to learn about the British perspective on the war. What do the sources tell us about England’s reason for fighting? Are the sources biased?

3. Use the [account of speeches and treaties](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/perspectives-on-the-french-and-indian-war/sources/213) to learn about the Native American perspective on the war. Why did they fight? What did they hope to win?

4. Use the letter at the end of [George Washington’s diary](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/perspectives-on-the-french-and-indian-war/sources/210) and the map to learn about the French perspective on the war. Why did they fight? What did they hope to win?

5. Analyze the [medal](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/perspectives-on-the-french-and-indian-war/sources/216) commemorating the capture of Montreal. What symbols appear on the medal? What do they represent? Do we use similar symbols today? 

Activity

Divide the class into three groups: Native Americans, French, and British. Have each group read the primary sources relevant to their assigned role and discuss their position in the war. What did they stand to gain? Why did they fight? Moderate a debate between the three groups about which one should win the war and why. Have the class vote on the winner of the debate. Then lead a discussion on the actual outcomes of the war. Did the “correct” side win? 

Teaching Guide: Exploring the French and Indian War

Resources

1. [George Washington Notebook as a Virginia Colonel during the French and Indian War](http://dp.la/item/f0b7fb1444dd7f202e86c6ff374da8cb), The New York Public Library, Digital Public Library of America. 

2. [French and Indian War/Seven Year’s War, 1754-63](https://history.state.gov/milestones/1750-1775/french-indian-war), Office of the Historian. 

3. [French and Indian War](http://www.history.com/topics/french-and-indian-war), History.com.

4. [French and Indian War](http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/w/French_and_Indian_War?rec=498), Ohio History Central. 

5. [The French and Indian War (1754-1763)](http://www.clpgh.org/research/pittsburgh/history/frenchindianwar.html), Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. 


Overview

Between the years 1754 and 1763, major powers engaged in a global struggle, the Seven Years War. In North America, this conflict was referred to as the French and Indian War. The conflict between the French and British Empires included indigenous nations.The French and Indian War helped set the stage for the American Revolution by necessitating British taxation of the American colonists to pay for the war costs. For Native American groups who sided with the French, the outcome of the conflict would prove devastating. This collection of documents, images, maps, and artifacts provides various perspectives on the war, incorporating the view from the leadership and from more marginalized groups. By analyzing, exploring, and interpreting these primary sources, students will gain insight into the experience of eighteenth-century warfare, from the point of view of the “winners” and the “losers.” 

English

Perspectives on the French and Indian War

french-and-indian-war_02_732c1d33eb211983e532f0ccc808c3f5.jpg

Courtesy of Boston Public Library via Digital Commonwealth.

Rocque, John, “Cartes generales de l'Amérique Septentrionale,” Digital Public Library of America, https://dp.la/item/732c1d33eb211983e532f0ccc808c3f5.

A french map of pre- and post-war North America, 1762.

Cite this item

Tips for Students

Item 2 of 10 in the Primary Source Set Perspectives on the French and Indian War