The Seven Years War

The Seven Years War officially began in 1756 in Europe, but started two years earlier, in 1754, in North America (Ohio Valley) when a  major from the 13 Colonies (later to become the United States) George Washington, ambushed a small French detachment.

This was the catalyst for the great war to come.

From that moment on, both France and England sent troops to defend their colonies in North America, albeit not in equal numbers. For France, the war in Europe was the top priority, so the country sent just a few troops. It also considered it was more important to protect its colonies in the West Indies, since sugar cane was more lucrative than the fur trade in New France.

Great Britain, however, was determined to destroy France's colonial empire, so it sent more than 20,000 soldiers to America. American colonists couldn't defend themselves against the " Canadians", who used guerrilla warfare techniques (military tactics, inspired by the Native peoples., in which small armed groups make hit-and-run attacks and raids on enemy ground). 

Some of The 13 Colonies felt they needed to destroy New France and its Native allies because they were preventing the States from acquiring and occupying new land in the Ohio Valley. (New England had a very large population and sought new land to occupy and farm.)

Although New France did well in the war until 1757, the tide proceeded to turn - in favour of the British troops, who won several victories right up until the Battle of the plains of Abraham in 1759, when James Wolfe defeated the army of Montcalm.

The following year, Vaudreuil was forced to surrender in Montreal.

France was defeated on all fronts (West Indies, India, Europe and America).

In a bid to save the colonies which brought in the most money, France gave up New France in the 1763 Treaty of Paris in exchange for keeping the West Indies.

This move angered the Native allies, who were the Canadians' allies. Some of them regrouped under the leadership of Pontiac, an Ottawa chief, and attempted to continue the war, known as Pontiac's Rebellion (1763-1766), which was ultimately unsuccessful.

Pontiac grew unpopular with other Native Peoples and was assassinated in 1799.

(From histori.ca)