How to Explain the French & Indian War to Kids

The British won the French and Indian war, although the consequences were damaging.

The French and Indian War was fought between 1754 and 1763, when the British faced a combined army of Native Americans and the French for control of the eastern portion of North America. The battles that were fought helped shape the future of the United States, with George Washington serving as a colonel in the British army. Although Britain won the war, the effects led to the Declaration of independence just 13 years after the war's conclusion.

Instructions

1. Give the children the historical context of early European colonization of North America. Discuss the early colonial period and how each of the major European countries established settlements on the Eastern seaboard of what is now the United States and Canada.

2. Explain to the children the sides involved in the conflict. Ask three children to come to the front of the class. Give one of them a French flag, one a British flag and one a Native American headdress. Explain to them the situation in North America in 1754 and why the French and Native Americans allied with one another.

3. Describe the methods of fighting during the period, including how the British soldiers marched in straight lines, making them easy targets for the Native Americans and French fighters. Discuss the nature of pitched battles, where both sides would face one another on a battlefield before fighting.

4. Explain to the students about key battles. The most important battles were in 1759, when the British captured Fort Niagara and Fort Quebec. This gave Britain control of the east coast of Canada and the colonies. Help the students visualize how the British forces climbed 300-foot-tall cliffs outside Quebec to surprise the enemy.

5. Discuss the consequences of the war, which was to undermine the French monarchy at home and lead to the beginnings of the French Revolution. For its part, Britain taxed the colonies to pay for the war, which was one of the causes of the American Revolution. The colonists also learned how to fight an effective war, which they learned from the tactics of the Native Americans. George Washington, who was a colonel during the French and Indian War, used many of these tactics against the British in the American War of Independence.

References

• Kidport: The French and Indian war
• Social Studies for kids: The French and Indian War