Research Project

 

Jared Chomyc

Research Paper

History 1120

Dr. Tracy Penny Light

November 23, 2016

 

 

 

The Seven Years War is an event that resulted in the shaping of relations between several different cultures. It led to even more strain on the relationship between European settlers and the indigenous people of North America. This event also led to a massive change in how the people of both France and Britain defined themselves. The aftermath of this war, led to the Royal Proclamation of 1763 which failed in almost every aspect of what it was trying to accomplish. The Proclamation was intended to create borders and set up land for both the British victors and the indigenous people. However, these made up lines were not respected by the indigenous people. So to fully understand the results of the Seven Years War three things must be examined in further detail. First, it is important to see how this event led to the shaping of British and French culture. This will help to provide more insight into how a war across the Atlantic Ocean could affect an entirely different country. Secondly, understanding the relationship between the indigenous people and the Europeans both during and after the events of the war is essential to provide insight into the consequences of the war. Finally, the reaction of the people of North America to the Royal Proclamation must be considered in order to fully understand the distance between British rule and the reality of North American life.

It is easy to see how Europeans living in North America would be affected by the Seven Years War, but what is interesting is that both Britain and France were also affected by the conflict. In Hamish Scott’s article he argues that nothing had such a “lasting effect on political society”[1] as the Seven Years War did.  What this proves is that the war was a conflict that over time has been glossed over, when in reality it led to everlasting changes in all the cultures involved. The French Prime Minister Richard Waddington wrote that the war was the moment that “French lost their empire and thus their future”[2]. This goes to show how the war had a huge impact on how the French viewed themselves both politically and as a nation. The fact is, that the political world of France would drastically change after the results of the war. In the article Scott even goes as far as to say that the “Seven Years War can all too easily be viewed as the prelude to the modern warfare of 1792–1815 unleashed upon Europe by Revolutionary France”[3]. So in his view the Seven Years war had such a profound effect on France that it may have helped to start the fire that would become the French revolution. Scott goes on to quote John Entick who wrote that the war established the “dignity of the British crown, the terror of British arms, and the commercial interest of our nation in every quarter of the universe”[4] this shows the attitude of the British, which was very much reflected in the Royal Proclamation of 1763. Culturally, there has been an apparent lack of interest in the impacts of the Seven Years War. Which is unfortunate because this conflict led to many renegotiations between what it meant to be British and French in this time period. For the French it acted as a catalyst to begin what would become their ultimate revolution. Whereas, for the English it cemented their arrogance and what they viewed as their rightful place in both the world and the universe. However, the British and the French were not the only people to be affected by this war. There was also the indigenous people of North America and their relationships with the Europeans as a result of the bloodshed of the Seven Years War.

Since first contact with the indigenous people began there has been friction between the goals of the European settlers and the realities of the indigenous. This fact was only intensified as a result of the Seven Years War. In Elizabeth Hornor’s article she studies the capture of many white Europeans during the conflict of the Seven Years War. What she found is that although there were many examples of common reactions to captivity there were also several accounts of captors who began to feel a sense of family and belonging to their enslavers. Hornor states that there were many people who “walked the line between being members of a family and prisoners of war”[5] this proves how the Seven Years War unintentionally caused a familiar connection between white Europeans and the Indigenous people. The war proved to be quintessential in Europeans forming familial relations with their indigenous captors. Although this in no way justifies the actions of the captors, it does help to understand the viewpoints of both the Europeans and the indigenous people. Hornor goes on to describe the relationship between both Native people and Europeans as “very blurry”[6] which helped to motivate the British Monarchy to draw invisible lines with the Royal Proclamation. However, they could not succeed in reversing the relationships that had evolved as a result of the Seven Years War. That being said, not all the relationships were happy at this point. In many cases there are examples of captives feeling alienated as a result of seeing their “friends, family, or acquaintances killed and often scalped”[7] which led to many people seeking to escape back into their hometowns. James Smith is an interesting case of how even though his captors viewed him as family he always saw them as enemies. This shows how some captives never tried in integrate themselves into the indigenous ways of life. They adapted as little as possible, in James Smith’s case he only did what was necessary to avoid angering his captors. Smith in particular waited years before trying to escape. Hornor explains that “The process of deciding to escape illuminates the degree to which extended captivity was successful in blurring the lines that separated former enemies”[8]. It is important to remember that these accounts of captivity are occurring during the Seven Years War and will come to shape Indigenous and European relations forever. What Hornor explains is that as a result of prolonged exposure to indigenous life it began to show the Europeans that their way of life was not so different from their own. Because of the relationships that were formed during this time it made the specific ideas and outlines of the Royal Proclamation harder for North Americans to follow. Understanding the Proclamations effects is the final key to understanding how the Seven Years War effected everyone involved.

The Royal Proclamation of 1763 inherently had a very official British authority in both its wording and intent. The Proclamation divides North America into two groups its “loving Subjects” [9] and “the several Nations or Tribes of Indians with whom We are connected”[10]. The problem with this division between the indigenous people and the Europeans is that it does not account for the relationships built between them before the time of the Proclamation. It is also easy to comprehend how it would be difficult for some North Americans to take orders and obey invisible lines from a monarchy who they have never known or acknowledged. As a result the Proclamation was in many ways unsuccessful. Hornor goes as far as to say that “The events of the nineteenth century built on the idea of strict separation that the Line introduced”[11]. By saying this she suggests that the fear and assimilation of Indigenous culture was a direct result of the invisible lines in which the Royal Proclamation introduced. The Proclamation also helps to give insight into the British mindset at this time. After becoming the victors of the Seven Years War the British became much more arrogant and set in their ways. Examples of this are seen in the Royal Proclamation where the Monarchy cordoned off certain sections of land for their military soldiers and captains. It is also clear, that the British only gave the indigenous people land to “appease the Native American alliances that they inherited from the French”[12]. However, both the indigenous people did not respect these invisible lines and in some cases “ungrateful, greedy colonists disregarded the measure and poured over the Line”[13]. This goes to show the apparent disregard for the British monarchy and their “Privy Council”[14] which is understandable considering how in many ways the ideals of the British Empire did not align with the realities of North American life. What becomes clear after this examination is that English, French, and Indigenous life would never be the same after the events of the Seven Years War.

In conclusion, the Seven Years War brought about a change in cultures that resulted in different viewpoints from all parties involved. The British gained an overwhelming confidence and as a result tried to cement their control with the laws stated in the Royal Proclamation of 1763. The French defeat resulted in political changes that may have been a catalyst to the French Revolution of 1789. The war also gave way to a relationship between indigenous people and Europeans that could not have happened without it. That is the relationship between captor and captive or in some cases the integration of European prisoners into indigenous culture. The war also resulted in the Royal Proclamation of 1763 which despites Britain’s best efforts proved to be ineffective. This resulted from Indigenous people completely disregarding what they viewed as invisible lines from an unknown and unwanted ruler. The Seven Years War is an event in history that tends to be glossed over, but in reality led to many cultures either revaluating or reaffirming beliefs that they had prior to the confrontation. What becomes certain after studying the war is that cultures and relationships are constantly being redefined based on different events, especially warfare. The most important thing becomes valuing the effects of the Seven Years War and ensuring that the historiography is recorded effectively.

 

 

 

Bibliography

George R, “A Proclamation,” The London Gazette, October 7, 1763.

Hamish Scott, “The Seven Years War and Europe’s Ancien Régime,” War in History 18 (2011): 419-455.

Hornor, Elizabeth, “Intimate Enemies: Captivity and Colonial Fear of Indians in the Mid-Eighteenth Century Wars,” Pennsylvania History 82 (2015): 162-185.

 

[1] Hamish Scott, “The Seven Years War and Europe’s Ancien Régime,” War in History 18 (2011): 421.

[2] Scott, “The Seven Years War” 422.

[3] Scott, “The Seven Years War” 424.

[4] Scott, “The Seven Years War” 429,

[5] Elizabeth Hornor, “Intimate Enemies: Captivity and Colonial Fear of Indians in the Mid-Eighteenth Century Wars,”

Pennsylvania History 82 (2015): 164.

[6] Hornor, “Intimate Enemies,” 166.

[7] Hornor, “Intimate Enemies,” 168.

[8] Hornor, “Intimate Enemies,” 174.

[9] George R, “A Proclamation,” The London Gazette, October 7, 1763, 1.

[10] R, “A Proclamation,” 1.

[11] Hornor, “Intimate Enemies,” 181.

[12] Hornor, “Intimate Enemies,” 164.

[13] Hornor, “Intimate Enemies,” 164.

[14] R, “A Proclamation,” 1.