Overview

Overview

The French and Indian War in North America marked the final chapter in the struggle between the French and British to dominate what is now Canada and the United States. The French and Indian War was the last in a series of four such conflicts. The war aggravated disputes in Europe that resulted in the Seven Years' War there. One result of the North American war was Britain's takeover of most of France's Canadian territory.

The French and Indian War set the stage for crucial events in United States history. It triggered a series of British laws that restricted the freedom of the American colonists and taxed them. After the war, the British also stationed a standing army in North America to strengthen British control in the vast new territory. Bitter colonial opposition to the changes eventually led to the colonial independence movement.

The British also fared well as a result of the Seven Years' War. They fought victoriously against the French as the European war played out. The British went on to boot most of the French out of India, positioning themselves to expand the British empire to India and southeast Asia in the 1800's.