Rivalry Leads to War

• ​The system of slavery becomes legalized throughout the colonies

• ​Profits grow in colonies due to the work done by enslaved people

• ​France, Spain & other Euro powers continue to settle and colonize the Americas

• ​-belief of: more land claims = more resources = more dominance over rivals

• ​Monarch (Kings and Queens) want more resources to grow empire - Spain found silver & began to mine

• ​France found wealth in Fur trade, selling beaver & otter pelts in Europe

• ​England got wealth from cash crops & lumber from trees

• ​Europeans did not respect the land claims of Native Americans

  • ​Claimed much of the land in the americas despite millions NA's living there

• ​The more territory each country controlled , the more land it could use to settle and colonize

• ​the competition over territory & resources led to a lot of conflicts between the Big 3

​What this breaks down to for European Powers in North America

• ​During the 1600 & 1700's land claims were a hot mess

  • ​did a country own land simply b/c their explorer got there 1st?

    • ​if so, how far did they have a right for their claim to extend?

  • ​could you hold onto a claim even if you did not occupy the land?

  • ​What about the NA's? (they were there 1st)

• Territorial disputes heated up by the increasing value of the nat'l resources

  • led to a lot of conflict involving the Europeans and Native Americans.

  • ​From 1607-1775, wars were constantly fought between European Powers & NA's

• by 1750 GB, had colonized the eastern coast of North America

  • also claimed large portions of Northern Canada

• ​France's territory centered around the Great Lakes & the St. Lawrence River

• ​Spain controlled Florida, Mexico and the SW region of North America

• Tension stemmed from competing claims over the Ohio River Valley by France and GB, neither willing to give up claims

• ​ORV rich in nat'l resources

• ​France had good relations w/ Native Americas

• ​GB began moving onto the land

• ​Both countries began building forts to assert their claims​