It is a story that captivates - this tale less told, this account of the prelude to America's war for independence. In his telling, author Fred Anderson describes Americans as being "no more familiar with [the French and Indian War's] events and significance than they are with those of the Peloponnesian War".
It was Winston Churchill, the renowned prime minister of England and respected leader during World War II, who described the French and Indian War (or the Seven Years War, as it is known in European circles) as "the first world war". It is truly a fascinating and curious development in the struggle for possession of the North American continent that surpasses the birth of the United States, and yet it is a part of a continual arc that shapes the timeline of our independence. It is also chock full of irony, recognized by Fred Anderson as follows:
It was Winston Churchill, the renowned prime minister of England and respected leader during World War II, who described the French and Indian War (or the Seven Years War, as it is known in European circles) as "the first world war". It is truly a fascinating and curious development in the struggle for possession of the North American continent that surpasses the birth of the United States, and yet it is a part of a continual arc that shapes the timeline of our independence. It is also chock full of irony, recognized by Fred Anderson as follows:
That the man who triggered the war by trying to project British power into the heart of the continent should have gone on to lead an American revolutionary army and then to serve as the first president of the United States is surely one of the greater ironies in a national history that abounds in them.
Here is a story that is more complicated than a single battle against oppressive governments. It is a story that goes far beyond a single man quickly progressing through the ranks, in spite of his mistakes and ego, to finally become the commander-in-chief and president of an infant nation. It is a story that involves more than a couple of world powers fighting in the wilderness.
Instead, we must see the French and Indian War as involving everyday farmers, families torn apart by duty, and an empire of native peoples fighting to maintain tradition. Those natives - the Indians - played a political game just as much as the nations to which they allied themselves.
Instead, we must see the French and Indian War as involving everyday farmers, families torn apart by duty, and an empire of native peoples fighting to maintain tradition. Those natives - the Indians - played a political game just as much as the nations to which they allied themselves.
The War that Made America is Fred Anderson's "Short History of the French and Indian War". I am reading this book to prepare for my week-long teacher residency at Fort Ticonderoga, New York, next month. For more information as I anticipate and reflect on my experiences at Forth Ticonderoga, please refer to the collection of links, information, lesson sets, and photographs on my Fort Ticonderoga page.
