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Seeking
new land for settlement, the expanding
population of Britain’s North American
colonies pushed over the Appalachian
Mountains into the Ohio River valley.
Alarmed by this intrusion, the French
and First Peoples expelled the settlers
in 1754 and an undeclared war broke out
between the French and British colonies.
Beginning in 1755, Britain and France
sent thousands of professional soldiers
to North America. In 1756, fighting began
in Europe and both nations formally declared
war.
Despite
several impressive Canadien, French,
and First Peoples victories in the Ohio
valley, along Lake Ontario, and near
Lake Champlain, the tide of war gradually
shifted in favour of Britain. British
naval forces isolated New France while
a British army attacked Louisbourg in
1758. It surrendered after a seven-week
siege, leaving Québec vulnerable.
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