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A. New France and British North America, 1713–1800 · New France and British North America, 1713 to 1800

The Seven Years' War and the Fall of New France

A2 A3About 50 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can explain the causes of the Seven Years' War in North America.
  • I can describe key events, including the fall of Louisbourg, the Battle of the Plains of Abraham and the surrender of Montreal.
  • I can explain the roles and goals of First Nations allies in the war.
  • I can explain the main terms of the Treaty of Paris (1763).

Words to know

Seven Years' War
A world war (1756 to 1763) between Britain and France and their allies. In North America, fighting began in 1754.
siege
Surrounding a fort or city to force it to surrender.
Conquest
The British capture of New France (1759 to 1760). French Canadians often call it la Conquête.
capitulation
A formal surrender, with written terms.
cede
To give up land officially, usually in a treaty.
Treaty of Paris (1763)
The treaty that ended the Seven Years' War; France ceded New France to Britain.

Let's start with a question

In 1755, New France had about 70 000 colonists. The British colonies had more than a million people. Yet for the first years of the war, France and its allies won most of the battles. How? And why did New France fall in the end?

Colonists in the 1750s (bars drawn to scale)British coloniesmore than 1 000 000New Franceabout 70 000For every 1 French colonist, there were about 14 British colonists or more.
The British colonies had far more people than New France, yet France and its First Nations allies won most early battles.

Causes

  • The Ohio Valley. Both empires claimed the rich lands south of the Great Lakes, which were First Nations lands. France built forts to connect Canada to Louisiana. British colonists, like the young George Washington of Virginia, wanted land there. In 1754 fighting broke out in the Ohio Valley.
  • The fur trade. Both empires wanted control of the trade and the alliances that came with it.
  • A world rivalry. In 1756 Britain and France officially went to war. It became a world war, also fought in Europe, India, Africa and the Caribbean.
CAUSEEVENTCONSEQUENCERivalry overthe Ohio Valleyand the fur tradeSeven Years' Warin North America(1754 to 1760)Treaty of Paris1763: New Francegoes to Britain
A simple cause-and-consequence chain. Real history has many causes and consequences; this shows only the main line.

Early French victories

At first France and its First Nations allies won key battles. In 1755, a British army under General Braddock marching to the Ohio Valley was defeated by French soldiers, Canadian militia and First Nations warriors. Under General Montcalm, the French also captured British forts at Oswego (1756) and Fort William Henry (1757), and defended Carillon (Ticonderoga) in 1758.

First Nations warriors were essential. They knew the land, moved quickly through the forest and fought with skill.

First Nations goals

First Nations did not fight just to help France or Britain. They fought for their own goals: to keep settlers off their land, to protect their trade, to honour alliances, and to keep the balance of power so that no single empire controlled them. Many Nations of the Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence valley and the Atlantic region fought alongside the French. Some Haudenosaunee, especially Mohawk warriors linked to British official William Johnson, fought with the British, and later others joined them. As the British began to win, many Nations made peace with Britain to protect their people.

The British turn the tide (1758 to 1760)

Britain sent many more soldiers and ships. New France ran short of food and supplies.

  • 1758: the British captured the fortress of Louisbourg and Fort Frontenac (at today's Kingston).
  • 1759: the British took Fort Niagara. A British fleet sailed up the St. Lawrence to Quebec. For weeks, British cannons bombarded the city and soldiers burned farms along the river.
  • 13 September 1759: British troops under General James Wolfe climbed the cliffs at night and lined up on the Plains of Abraham, outside the city walls. Montcalm attacked. The battle was short. Wolfe was killed, and Montcalm was badly wounded and died the next day. Quebec surrendered a few days later.
  • April 1760: the French under Lévis won the Battle of Sainte-Foy near Quebec, but in the spring British ships, not French ones, arrived first with help.
  • 8 September 1760: surrounded by three British armies, Governor Vaudreuil surrendered Montreal. New France was under British military rule.
France and allies winBritain wins1754: fighting begins in the Ohio Valley1755Braddock defeated1756Oswego captured1757Fort William Henry captured1758Carillon defendedLouisbourg, Fort Frontenac1759Niagara; Quebec (Plains of Abraham)1760Sainte-Foy (April)Montreal surrenders (Sept.)1763: the Treaty of Paris makes it official
The turning of the tide: French and allied wins (left) come early, British wins (right) come later. Even after the Plains of Abraham, France won at Sainte-Foy before Montreal fell.

The Treaty of Paris (1763)

The war ended with the Treaty of Paris on 10 February 1763.

  • France ceded (gave up) Canada, Île Royale (Cape Breton) and most of its other North American lands east of the Mississippi River to Britain.
  • France kept the small islands of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon (still French today!) and fishing rights off Newfoundland.
  • First Nations were not included. Britain now claimed lands that First Nations had never given up. This led directly to the conflict in Lesson 7.
Just for fun

Fun fact: The tiny islands of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, which France kept in 1763, are still part of France today. People there pay with euros and vote in French elections, just off the south coast of Newfoundland!

Worked example

Let's explain a surprising result

Why did New France win most early battles but lose the war? Use evidence.

  1. Early strengths: skilled Canadian militia, a strong general (Montcalm), and especially powerful First Nations allies who knew the land.
  2. Later weaknesses: a much smaller population, few supplies and food shortages, and France sent fewer soldiers than Britain.
  3. British strengths: Britain's navy controlled the Atlantic and the St. Lawrence, so it could send many soldiers and cut off French supplies. Britain put huge resources into the war in North America.
  4. Turning points: losing Louisbourg (1758) opened the St. Lawrence; losing allies as Nations made peace; British ships arriving first in spring 1760.

New France was strong at first because of its allies and fighters, but Britain's larger population, navy and resources won in the end.

Avoid a common mistake

The Battle of the Plains of Abraham did not end the war by itself. The French won at Sainte-Foy in 1760, and New France surrendered only when Montreal fell in September 1760. The Treaty of Paris made it official in 1763.

Hands-on activity

Battle map from household objects

You need: a table, a blue towel or scarf (river), books (cliffs), and small objects as markers (coins, buttons or game pieces).

  1. Lay the blue towel across the table as the St. Lawrence River.
  2. Make a "city" of Quebec with a cup, and stack books along the river bank as cliffs.
  3. Put British ships (one colour of markers) on the river and French troops (another colour) in the city.
  4. Act out 13 September 1759: British soldiers climb at night and line up on the flat "Plains" (the open table top) outside the city.
  5. Explain to your grown-up why the cliffs, the river and the ships mattered.

Look for: the student explains that the navy controlled the river and that climbing the cliffs surprised the French.

Your turn

1

Name two causes of the Seven Years' War in North America.

2

Why were First Nations allies so important to France?

3

What fortress did the British capture in 1758?

4

What happened on 13 September 1759?

5

When and where did New France finally surrender?

6

What did France keep after the Treaty of Paris (1763)?

More practice: warm-up

1

In what year did fighting begin in the Ohio Valley?

2

Who was the French general at the Plains of Abraham?

3

Who was the British general at the Plains of Abraham?

4

What does "cede" mean?

5

Which battle near Quebec did the French win in April 1760?

More practice: on your own

1

Why was British control of the sea so important?

2

Why did many First Nations make peace with Britain near the end of the war?

3

Why did the population difference matter in this war?

4

Why is the Seven Years' War called a world war?

5

What was a major consequence of the Treaty of Paris for First Nations?

Challenge

1

Rank these turning points from most to least important in the fall of New France, and justify your first choice: the fall of Louisbourg (1758), the Plains of Abraham (1759), British ships arriving first in spring 1760.

2

For many French Canadians, the Conquest is remembered as a loss; for many British people at the time, it was a great victory. For many First Nations, it was something else. Explain the First Nations perspective.

3

Use historical significance to explain why the Battle of the Plains of Abraham is so famous, even though it did not end the war.

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

Which region did France and Britain fight over at the start of the war in North America?

2.

What happened at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham (1759)?

3.

When did New France surrender at Montreal?

4.

Which is the best explanation for Britain's final victory?

5.

What did France keep in North America after 1763?

6.

Why did First Nations fight in the war?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: The Seven Years' War (in North America, 1754 to 1760; officially 1756 to 1763) ended French rule in Canada. Your child learns its causes, key events (Louisbourg, the Plains of Abraham, Sainte-Foy, the surrender of Montreal), the central role of First Nations, and the Treaty of Paris (A3), and practises explaining results with evidence (A2).

How to help at home:

  • Look at the Plains of Abraham (Battlefields Park in Quebec City) or the Fortress of Louisbourg (Parks Canada) online.
  • Ask "Why did that happen?" and "What happened because of that?" to build cause-and-consequence thinking.

Common difficulties:

  • Thinking the Plains of Abraham ended the war: Montreal fell in 1760; the treaty came in 1763.
  • Seeing First Nations as helpers only: they fought for their own goals.
  • Glorifying battle: keep the focus on causes, consequences and people's experiences, including civilians whose farms were burned.