Political Relations in the Seven Years’ War: Britain, France, Indian, and the American Colonies
...ions that existed between British regulars and American colonists, an example being the mutiny of regiments headed to Crown Point in the summer of 1756. This book undoubtedly gives favorable credit towards the role Indians played in the war; however, due to the books excessively in-depth content, it would be best to look elsewhere when seeking an informational work concerning the French and Indian War. Stephen Auth focuses his book The Ten Years’ War particularly on Indian-White relations in the war, and how these relations led to the turning points of the battles. Auth confines his book to the events which took place in Pennsylvania during the French and Indian War, which makes his book quite unique. Another aspect to this work which singles out its viewpoint is Auth’s portrayal of the Indians’ side of the story. Many of the authors give credit to the Indians and describe the role which Indians played in the Seven Years’ War, but Auth is the only author who dives into the individual thoughts and stratagems. Auth sets out to explain why the Indians chose to behave the way they did in international diplomacy. He sees his goal in this reasonably short work to exterminate the view of Indians in the war as being “peculiarly irrational creatures incapable of long range calculation and planning” . Auth makes a good and relevant point in this work, but he seems to leave out the role of the colonials in the western Pennsylvania battlefield. Auth spends most of this work dealing with the individual treaties between Indians (particularly the Delawares) and Europeans. He still writes a valid argument, not awarding too many attributes to the Delaware Indians; admitting that they were pushed around. Although not a full and thorough account of the French and Indian War, The Ten Years War is a good read in taking away the savagery of the Indians and portraying European-Indian relations with “the Indians consistently pursuing well-defined goals” . The Siege of Quebec, published from the original journals of John Knox, provides an excellent look into the mind of a British captain during the French and Indian War. Although not a scholarly work, the journals of Captain John Knox give the reader a primary source to the events of the French and Indian War. Knox also allows the reader to see how little the Indians were thought of, despite their immense influence in the war’s outcome. The Journals show the inhuman characteristics the British associated with the Indians. The editor and author of the introduction to the work is Brian Connell. He provides a historical background in the introduction which is almost as biased as the unscholarly soldier’s journals. Connell attributes the victory of the British in the war entirely to the British, not considering Indian or colonial influence. Connell gives a portrayal of a selfish child to the American colonies, stating that after the war the colonists failed to appreciate the effort Britain had taken by sending 40,000 troops to North America, but instead “when the home country tried to present the bill after the war in the shape of organized taxation and customs dues, the ungrateful colonists fought the measures with ingenuity and contumely” . This original version of Captain John Knox’s journals, though biased, is still a good example for European perspective on the war. Paul Kopperman’s Braddock at the Monongahela is another work dealing with one important part of the French and Indian War, as opposed to the entire history of the war. Nevertheless, Kopperman’s insights into Braddock’s military blunder provide further information to the causes and influences which shaped the outcome of the war. Kopperman focuses his entire book on this one major British military loss, and he states that this loss actually helped lead to the British victory of the war. Kopperman believe that had it not been for this humiliating defeat, the British would have never been stimulated enough to put an all-out effort towards the war. Kopperman does not fail to link the Indians’ role either, attributing Indian success to the major cause of Braddock’s defeat; Kopperman also sees this battle to be a turning point for the French, giving the French their initial spurt of victories in the war because “Thousands of Indians who had been straddling the fence to see which way the impending war would turn now allied themselves with the French” . The book’s focus on a narrow topic provides the reader with little overall grip of the war, but Kopperman makes an excellent argument in establishing Braddock’s defeat as one of the most important battles in the French and Indian War. Richard Middleton’s book, Colonial America, is a well-organized and informative work concerning the entire history of colonial America. This would serve as an excellent textbook for any American Colonial History course. Middleton’s long work had an extensive section concerning the political, cultural, and military events of the French and Indian war. This section is the best overall summary of the war of any of the listed authors. Middleton’s book provides a very modern historical outlook into the society of colonial America; dedicating entire sections to the lives of women, African Americans, and Indians. Middleton exerts little bias in the work, trying to stay neutral with the history; and he gives proper credit to the Indian influence and contribution to the war. Not only does Middleton give credit to the Indians’ contributions to war victories, but he also agrees with Stephen Auth’s views that Indians were not so pushed around in their diplomacy, stating, “The Iroquois, among others, had made a fine art of playing one European power against another” . The only people Middleton failed in crediting to help of the war effort were the southern colonies. Middleton specifically states that the Southern colonies contributed virtually nothing to the war effort. This is the only biased statement of him, and overall Colonial America provides a good insight to the different aspects of the French and Indian War. William Nester wrote two good books concerning the events of the French and Indian War, The First Global War and The Great Frontier War. His two books together constitute the French and Indian War as a whole. In Nester’s first book, The Great Frontier War, Nester dives into the thoughts and events which led up to the sparking of conflict in 1754. He starts out by describing the economy and society of France and Britain before the war. Nester explains that the French and Indian War-as well as the four conflicts between Britain and France in colonial North America beforehand- was a result of conflicting diplomatic views and negotiations. The two empires had a constant struggle in establishing rights to more and more land to colonize. Nester does not add in that this land also was disputed by the Indians, but he credits the Indians with their influence in the battles. He gives insight as to why Stephen Auth would base his book on Indian-colonist relations in Pennsylvania in his statement, “Pennsylvania’s defense had traditionally relied on buying the allegiance of neighboring Indian tribes” . He then goes into the initial conflicts, ending his book with the events of 1755, just prior to the official declaration of war. In his book The First Global War, Nester gives an entire account of the events of the French and Indian War from 1756 and onward, going all the way up to the eve of revolution in the colonies. Nester holds the standpoint that instead of seeing the war as a French loss, both sides actually benefited from the Treaty of Versailles in 1763, because it ended the cause for conflict in the colonies and it eased off the economic burden of France’s colony; Nester stating that, “all of Versailles ministers and financiers must have breathed a huge sigh of relief at having shed their burdensome North American empire” . Nester goes on to provide an excellent account of the events of the war, giving credit to the British, the Indians, and the colonists in the final victory. Nester organizes his lengthy book chronologically, he uses a variety of sources, and he inserts philosophical quotes into his work which make the reading quite inspiring. This book would be excellent by itself in providing a reader with all the information needed on the French and Indian War. Both the works of Nester give accurate and seemingly unbiased accounts of the war and the factors which played a role in it. In Alan Rogers’ book Empire and Liberty, Rogers deals with the emerging conflicts between colonials and the British during the French and Indian War. Unlike Anderson’s view of...