Colonial

	Note: The student must click on the hypertext and read the web pages on each of these wars.
King William’s War (1690-1697) —a.k.a. War of the League of Augsburg	This war was waged mainly in New England and New York. No British troops involved. Characterized by massacres and atrocities, particularly along the Massachusetts frontier. Massachusetts, Plymouth, Connecticut, and New York made a rare attempt to cooperate by invading French Canada, but the attempt failed. Ended with the Treaty of Ryswick (1697). Lessons of the war: (a) the colonists paid a high price for their disunity; (b) no New Englander could feel safe so long as the French remained in Canada; (c) the colonists could never drive the French from Canada without help from British troops and the Royal Navy.
Queen Anne’s War (1702-1713)—a.k.a. War of Spanish Succession	Like King William’s War, this war was fought entirely by the colonists without British aid. It was fought in both the Northern and the Southern colonies, though in the latter it was waged mainly as a secondary struggle to crush Indian opposition and take away their land. Thus, in the South, the Tuscarora War (1711-1713) was fought mainly in North Carolina, by English colonists with the aid of Creek and Yemassee allies defeated the Tuscarora tribe. 1,000 Tuscarora Indians died and 400 were sold into slavery. (In 1715, the colonists turned against their former allies, the Yemassees, and drove them out of their lands.) In the North, New Englanders failed at their attempt to capture Port Royal in 1704, but succeeded in a second attempt in 1710. This victory brought all of Nova Scotia under British control, in spite of the fact that the British government had promised—and failed to deliver—troops and ships. The War ended with the Treaty of Utrecht. The British gained all of Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, and Hudson’s Bay—areas of great wealth derived from fishing and fur trading. The cost paid by the colonists was high: 1 in 4 soldiers died. This left many widows and orphans with no means of support. Moreover, the return of disabled men meant that many other families could no longer support themselves. As a result, many coastal areas experienced economic depression, while many individuals lost social status. Property holders also paid a high cost for the war. In 1704-05, four-fifths of all of Massachusetts’ colonial revenue went to pay the cost of the war. As a result, taxes soared. However, some colonists grew rich off the war by supplying arms and material—sometimes to both sides. The combined effect of all these forces produced a growing gap between rich and poor in a society once notable for its social and economic homogeneity.
King George’s War (1744-1748)	Like the first two colonial wars, this one was fought almost entirely by colonial troops and their Indian allies. It involved no large-scale use of use of British regular troops or naval vessels. In spite of this, the New England colonists achieved a great victory in 1745 with the capture of the fortress of Louisburg, which commanded the approaches to the vital St. Lawrence River. However, in the Treaty of Aix-la-Chappelle, which ended the war, Britain agreed to return Louisburg to the French. This nullification of the colonists’ hard-won victory created much resentment among the New England colonists, who were convinced that the end of this war represented a mere lull before an inevitable resumption of conflict. If and when resumption of hostilities occurred, the colonists knew they would have to fight and die to recapture the same ground. One of the legacies of King George’s War for the colonies, then, was lasting bitterness against British policies made by distant officials with no respect for the wishes and needs of their colonists. The war also produced a growing awareness among colonial leaders—particularly in New England—of the necessity for greater unity in any future conflict. Like previous wars, this one, fought and paid for entirely by colonists, resulted in higher taxes. Finally, the war provided military experience for many colonists.
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This page last updated December 15, 2006.