Cultures in Conflict: As Assessment of Frontier Diplomacy during the French and Indian War

The French and Indian War of 1754-1763 was the fourth and final struggle for colonial dominance in North America. The long struggle for empire in North America between France and England began with King William's War (1689-97), followed by Queen Anne's War (17021713), King George's War (1744-1748), and finally the French and Indian War During each conflict, both the French and English enlisted Amerindian aid; however, the strategic objectives within each alliance were usually quite different. While the European powers warred over economics, trade, and territory, Native Americans agreed to enter each conflict "based on what they considered their best interests in protecting their territories, maintaining trade, or settling old inter-tribal scores. Cultural impacts on coalition warfare and differing strategic objectives among Amerindians and the European powers are the focus of this paper. Although the French and Indian War often found Europeans and Native Americans fighting alongside one another, expectations regarding strategic objectives, tactical objectives, and even concepts of operations for campaigns varied greatly. While the European powers, especially the French, recognized that different expectations and goals existed within coalitions involving Amerindians, they did not fully perceive the strategic implications that could result from the uncontrolled actions of native partners.

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