Struggle to Control a Continent In 1750, the American continent was home to the great Iroquois Confederacy. The seven nations that made the confederacy dominated the smaller nations. Their homeland extended from the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River, over the Appalachian Mountains, and south to Georgia. The confederacy had elaborate trade systems. Their alliances with other nations created security and protection for the people. The Iroquois used the many waterways as trade routes. The network of waterways let people travel, connect, and trade.
The Allegheny River and the Monongahela rivers meet to form the large Ohio River. This place was known as the Forks of the Ohio. The land surrounding the rivers was called the Ohio Country. The Ohio River flows southward to join the Mississippi River, which flows down to the Gulf of Mexico. The Iroquois knew the Forks of the Ohio gave access to the continent. Into this vast empire of the Iroquois While reading the article, use the map to find the locations discussed in the text.
FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR LAND CLAIMS
Ensign Joseph Coulon de Villiers de Jumonville was a member of a prominent military family in the colony of New France. Jumonville began his military service at the age of 15, serving under his father for a number of years. Jumonville’s older half-brother served as the military leader at Fort Duquesne, located in the Ohio River country in what is now Pittsburgh. On the morning of May 27, 1754, Jumonville led 35 French soldiers from Fort Duquesne to detain Ensign Joseph Coulon De Jumonville
Tanaghrisson the Half-King Tanaghrisson the Half-King was another important individual during the French and Indian War. Tanaghrisson was a member of the Seneca Tribe. The Seneca Tribe was part of the Iroquois Confederacy. He was chosen by the confederacy to lead the native peoples living in the Ohio River Valley. The fur trade was necessary for Tanaghrisson and his people. He told the French he was their friend and ally against the British. This protected his family and kept them trading with the French. Then, when the British came, Tanaghrisson and his people also became friends and allies with the British. This allowed his people to trade with the British. Tanaghrisson traded with both the French and the British, but ultimately sided with the British during the French and Indian War. He served as a scout for the British, including a young
British forces in the area. He awoke that morning to gunfire. Virginia soldiers and their Native American allies were in the midst of the French soldiers. There are many conflicting reports from that day. What is known is that Jumonville and some of his soldiers were killed. The French had their theories as to how this happened, while the Virginians told a different story. The Native Americans had a completely different story than the French and the Virginians. According to the Articles of Capitulation, the document that outlined the terms of the surrender of Fort Necessity, Jumonville’s brother Louis Coulon de Villiers stated, “... Since the English have in their power an officer and two cadets, and, in general, all the prisoners whom they took when [they] assassinated Sieur de Jumonville they now promise to send them with an escort to Fort Duquesne …” Jumonville’s death sparked a series of events that set the world on a course toward war.
British officer named George Washington. In May 1754, Tanaghrisson told Washington a French military party was nearby. He led Washington and his men to meet Ensign Joseph Coulon de Jumonville’s camp. Tanaghrisson left Washington and his men at Fort Necessity following the death of Jumonville. He moved his people away from the Ohio River to an area in the Allegheny Mountains near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, where he died in the fall of 1754.
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