The French and Indian War in North America had 5 major causes that led to this World-wide conflict. The first cause was who was going to control the waterways and conflicting claims of the same territory. The French made big money from fur trade with the Native Americans. They had no intentions of developing land settlements. Instead, France was setting up trading posts and missions along the St. Lawrence waterways. Britain disagreed and believed they were losing agricultural and trade potential. They saw this as a means to expand their growing global empire. The English settlers moved over the Appalachians to the Ohio River Valley for its rich soil and water routes to the Mississippi. The French sent military forces to remove the settlers but failed to do so. They began to construct forts at specific checkpoints as forts became a focal point in this battle. Who was going to control the Great Lakes, Mississippi, Gulf Coast, St. Lawrence, and the Ohio River Valley?
Secondly, how much trouble could a semi-aquatic rodent cause? Beavers were a hot commodity leading up to the French and Indian War. Fur trade was booming as trappers worked hard to catch beavers as they were selling for twenty times the cost in Europe compared to North America. Felt hats were the hot item of the time period as the burly frontiersmen spent months at a time in the wilderness harvesting the beavers. Felt hats were made from fur that was processed by plucking the hair and then brushing with a mercury solution. (Mad Hatters) Trappers and traders were making so much money the government stepped in to regulate it. France and England put regulations and rules for trading in place. They also began to tax the fur trading industry. Traders and trappers disliked the government regulations and ignored the rules by selling to the highest bidder. Native American tried to control trade in their own areas.
Religious differences had a major impact on this conflict as well. The French had Jesuit missionaries venture into the wilderness to create relationships with the Algonquian Indians. Their goal was to convert as many Natives to Catholicism as possible. Catholicism was the official religion of New France and protestant were not allowed to settle in this area. The missionaries were unsuccessful at converting most of the Natives but did create a close relationship that would
Explanation:
