Colonized America

The aftermath of the Indian Wars stands the Imperialist cost inflicted by colonial ambitions, religious fanaticism, and cruelty. the Seven Years' War left a lasting impact on global power dynamics. The Treaty of Paris in 1763 officially ended the war and reshaped territorial control.

Map of North America 1763

## Colonized America

### Precced by

* Indian Wars
* War against Pirates

# Pontiac's War

Britain gained control over various French territories in North America, while Spain acquired Louisiana from France. These changes set the stage for further tensions and conflicts, particularly between the American colonies and the British Empire.

The years following the Seven Years' War were marked by increased tensions between the American colonies and Britain. The British government's attempts to assert control and impose taxes on the colonies, such as the Stamp Act of 1765 and the Townshend Acts of 1767, met with resistance and protests from the colonists.

In May 1763, Native Americans, alarmed by policies imposed by British General Jeffrey Amherst, attacked a number of British forts and settlements. Eight forts were destroyed, and hundreds were killed, the rebels were unable to drive away the British.

From July to August 1764, Having secured the area around Fort Niagara, the British launched two military expeditions. The first expedition, led by Colonel John Bradstreet, was to travel by boat across Lake Erie and reinforce Detroit. Bradstreet was to subdue the natives around Detroit before marching south into the Ohio Country. The second expedition, commanded by Colonel Bouquet, was to march west from Fort Pitt and form a second front in the Ohio Country.

Bradstreet left Fort Schlosser in early August 1764 decided to negotiate a treaty with a delegation of Ohio natives led by Guyasuta. Bradstreet exceeded his authority by conducting a peace treaty rather than a simple truce, and by agreeing to halt Bouquet's expedition, which had not yet left Fort Pitt. Gage, Johnson, and Bouquet were outraged when they learned what Bradstreet had done.

Gage rejected the treaty, believing that Bradstreet had been duped into abandoning his offensive in the Ohio Country. Bradstreet continued westward, unaware his unauthorized diplomacy was angering his superiors. He reached Fort Detroit on August 26, where he negotiated another treaty.

Colonel Bouquet, delayed in Pennsylvania while mustering the militia, finally set out from Fort Pitt on October 3, 1764, with 1,150 men. He marched to the Muskingum River in the Ohio Country, within striking a number of 50 villages. Although the military conflict essentially ended with the 1764 expeditions, A Shawnee war chief named Charlot Kaské traveled as far south as New Orleans in an effort to enlist French aid against the British.

In 1765, the British decided that the occupation of the Illinois Country could only be accomplished by diplomatic means. The treaty at Fort Ontario on July 25, 1766, was made.

# Dunmore's War

In 1770, a pivotal event known as the Boston Massacre took place. On March 5th of that year, tensions between British soldiers and Boston colonists escalated, leading to a clash in which British troops fired into a crowd, the first to fall was Crispus Attucks, a fugitive slave and merchant seaman near the front, followed by four other men and forty-fifty others.

The region south of the Ohio River and west of the Kanawha River, was claimed by British officials. This led to resistance by Ohio tribes. The Shawnee organized a confederacy against the British and Iroquois, but they faced the Virginia militia in subsequent conflicts. Colonial settlers, explorers, and surveyors arrived in the region, interacting with Native Americans along the Ohio Valley.

In 1773, Daniel Boone's attempt to establish a settlement in Kentucke was met with hostility from native tribes. His son and others were attacked, leading to tensions and violence. These events started the Dunmore's War.

The Yellow Creek massacre occurred across from the mouth of the Yellow Creek on the upper Ohio River in the Ohio Country, near the current site of the Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack and Resort. It was carried out by a group led by Jacob Greathouse and Daniel Greathouse. 30 natives were killed on April 30.

On July 26, 1774, forces under Angus McDonald crossed the Ohio River to attack the villages of Wakatomika. McDonald commanded a battalion of about 400 men divided into eight companies, including Michael Cresap, George Rogers Clark, and Daniel Morgan as three of the company commanders.

After making first contact on July 31 with 3 Native Americans on horseback, Native American scouts ran through a swamp, leading McDonald's battalion to an ambush. Prepared for this tactic, McDonald's battalion flanked the Native Americans, who conducted a fighting withdrawal.

McDonald sent two companies to cross the river downstream. When the Lenape did not return on August 2, 1774, McDonald ordered an attack. Along the way, they found the Mingo man from the previous day, who said the villages had refused their terms. The entire battalion entered the villages, which they burned.

On October 10, before Lewis began crossing the Ohio, he and his force were surprised by warriors under Chief Cornstalk. The Battle of Point Pleasant raged nearly all day and descended into hand-to-hand combat. Lewis's army defeated the Ohio Confederacy warriors.

Dunmore and Lewis advanced into Ohio and erected the temporary Camp Charlotte on Scippo Creek and met with Cornstalk to begin peace negotiations. By the terms of the Treaty of Camp Charlotte (October 19, 1774), the Shawnee agreed to cease hunting south of the Ohio and to discontinue harassment of travellers on the River.

After the Mingo refused to accept the terms, Major William Crawford attacked and destroyed their village. The treaty was reaffirmed in talks the following year at Fort Pitt.

# Revolution

### 1775

By February of 1775, a total of 37 newspapers were actively circulated throughout the American colonies. On February 9, 1775, the British government issued a significant proclamation, officially designating Massachusetts as being in a state of rebellion.

March 23, marked a pivotal moment when Patrick Henry, addressing the Virginia House of Burgesses within the walls of St. John’s Church in Richmond, uttered the resounding declaration, "Give me Liberty or Give me Death." This impassioned speech played a pivotal role in swaying Virginia towards allowing its troops to engage in the Revolutionary War. Henry's words stirred the crowd to fervently cry out, "To Arms! To Arms!"

April 18, witnessed a clash of arms, as 8 Minutemen met their fate at Lexington, and the British suffered 273 casualties during their retreat from Concord.

June 15, saw the Continental Congress bestow a momentous responsibility upon George Washington, appointing him as the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army. He was dispatched to Boston with the critical mandate of assuming leadership over the disparate and untrained militia stationed there.

### 1776

July 4, - The Declaration of Independence, from the pen of Thomas Jefferson and his committee, held in Independence Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

September 7, the American submersible ship Turtle attempts to attach a bomb to the flagship of British Admiral Richard Howe’s ship HMS Eagle in New York Harbor.

December 25 to 26, 1776 - At McKonkey's Ferry, General Washington and his 2,400 troops cross the Delaware River from Pennsylvania to New Jersey on Christmas Day from 4 p.m. until 4 a.m. the next morning and defeats 1,400 Hessians in the 1st Battle of Trenton, capturing 900 men.

### 1777

January 3, General Washington and the 7,000 man Continental Army defeats British General Charles Cornwallis at Princeton, New Jersey.

June 14, The Continental Congress adopts the Stars and Stripes as the national flag.

August 3, American held Fort Stanwix is besieged by British under the command of General Barry St. Leger. The British are forced to withdraw after three weeks under the duress of the fort's defenders, led by Colonel Peter Gansevoort.

November 15, The Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union are adopted by the Continental Congress in Independence Hall. It serves as the first constitution of the United States.

December 17, After John Adams, elected commissioner to France by the Continental Congress, and Benjamin Franklin engage their support for the Revolutionary War, France recognizes the independence of the 13 colonies, signing treaties of alliance and commerce. French involvement becomes the turning point of the war.

December 19, After failing victory in the battles of Brandywine, Battle of the Clouds, Paoli, and Germantown, and in response to the British capture of Philadelphia, George Washington marches his 11,000 man Continental Army into Valley Forge for the first winter encampment.

### 1778

February 6, France signs the treaty of Amity and Commerce with the United States, officially recognizing the new nation, and sends Pierre L’Enfant to be captain of engineers at Valley Forge. Later, L’Enfant would be commissioned to design the capital city of the United States, Washington, D.C.