Battle for America

After establishing colonies in America in the early 1600s, England leaves them pretty much on their own for the next 150 years. It has its hands full trying to win advantage in the big European wars, which rage almost non-stop.

Kings battle each other in a titanic struggle for empire, with warfare sometimes spilling over into America. Battles are fought over territory, but even more to control trade, which is now widely recognized as the key to wealth.

By this time, England has seized control of both Ireland and Scotland, growing in both size and power. It is now calling itself 'Great Britain,' and is hungry for even greater empire. The 'English' are now known as the 'British.'


	Colonists against Recoats After long years of neglect, the colonists in America have little to cheer. Exports never quite seem to cover the cost of imports. During the mid-1700s, things suddenly get much worse. After waging and winning a world-spanning war for empire against the French, the British government is broke. The British now want colonists to help cover the costs, but colonists resist.



	War for Empire Warfare consumes Europe between 1600 and 1750. The British and French carry the fight across the Atlantic, in a struggle for control of America called the 'French and Indian War,' because Indians are drawn into the conflict on both sides. But the war is actually just a small portion of the much bigger war raging in Europe. After the British win, they insist that struggling colonists help pay back the war debt. Britain imposes new taxes on American imports, which leads to growing resentment of British authority.


	The Fight for America By 1750, the British have firm control of the American coastline, with forts (RED dots) guarding the approaches. The French are in a much weaker position. They also have forts (BLUE dots), but very few settlers (BLUE areas). Forts are mostly simple constructions, like the one shown above. The exception is the great French fortress at Quebec (top left), which is the gateway to all of 'New France,' but which the British manage to capture. A young George Washington fights in the British army near Pittsburgh.