Group Presentations: The Seven Years War

Group presentation 2: The Seven Years War

            The seven Year’s war is regarded by many historians as the first World War, which involved the Spanish, French, and British. The war took place in Europe, Prussia, Russia, the Philippines, Africa and the Americas. The Seven Year’s war was a product of tension between the French and British over land in North America, the seven years was moved into action when the governor of Virginia ordered George Washington to lead troops into the Ohio area, which was French territory, in order expand its empire in North America. George Washington was forced to surrender, France saw this as a start of hostilities  and joined forces with Spain.  The “Mother country” passed the Stamp Act, Sugar Act, Quartering Act, and the Proclamation of  1763 aimed at imposing taxes on Americans in order cover their fees for being involved in the war. These taxes made no sense to the Americans, they viewed, that after years of neglect suddenly Britain focuses attention to them only to tax them for a war they themselves did not choose. These colonist did not accept these taxes and in 1767 Britain  suspended the Legislature of New York for failure to comply with the Quartering Act. In 1768, two British regiments killed and wounded eleven citizens including Crispus Attucks, a mulatto.  In 1775 the a British cargo ship full of tea was stationed at the Boston Port, colonists dressed as Native Americans and dumped all of the tea into the Harbor, this became known as the Boston Tea Party. British parliament angered by this passed the Quebec Act, which closed Boston’s port, limiting Bostonian trade. Colonists were both resilient and dedicated to establishing their rights as British citizens, creating a basis for the ideas of the American Revolution and the Enlightenment.

George Washington