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The French and Indian War resulted from ongoing frontier tensions in North America as both French and British imperial officials and colonists sought to extend each country’s sphere of influence. In North America, the war pitted France, French colonists, and their Native allies against Great Britain, the Anglo-American colonists, and the Iroquois Confederacy, which controlled most upstate New York and parts of northern Pennsylvania. In 1753, before the hostilities outbreak, Great Britain controlled the 13 colonies up to the Appalachian Mountains. Still, beyond lay New France, a huge, sparsely settled colony stretched from Louisiana through the Mississippi Valley and Great Lakes to Canada. (See Incidents Leading up to the French and Indian War and Albany Plan)

The border between French and British possessions was not well defined, and one disputed territory was the upper Ohio River valley. The French had constructed several forts in this region to strengthen their claim on the territory. British colonial forces, led by Lieutenant Colonel George Washington, attempted to expel the French in 1754 but were outnumbered and defeated by the French. When news of Washington’s failure reached British Prime Minister Thomas Pelham-Holles, Duke of Newcastle, he called for a quick undeclared retaliatory strike. However, his adversaries in the Cabinet outmaneuvered him by making plans public, thus alerting the French Government and escalating a distant frontier skirmish into a full-scale war.

The war did not begin well for the British. The British Government sent [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0199845328/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0199845328&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=2ad7b476f8a23747bd3854f3a9e46716 General Edward Braddock] to the colonies as commander in chief of British North American forces. Still, he alienated potential Indian allies, and colonial leaders failed to cooperate with him. On July 13, 1755, Braddock died after being mortally wounded in an ambush on a failed expedition to capture Fort Duquesne in present-day Pittsburgh. The war in North America settled into a stalemate for the next several years. In Europe, the French scored an important naval victory and captured Minorca's British possession in the Mediterranean in 1756. However, after 1757 the war began to turn in favor of Great Britain. British forces defeated French forces in India, and in 1759 British armies invaded and conquered Canada.

Facing defeat in North America and a tenuous Europe position, the French Government attempted to engage the British in peace negotiations. Still, British Minister William Pitt (the elder), Secretary for Southern Affairs, sought the French cession of Canada and commercial concessions that the French Government found unacceptable. After these negotiations failed, Spanish King Charles III offered to come to his cousin, French King Louis XV, and their representatives signed an alliance known as the Family Compact on August 15, 1761. The terms of the agreement stated that Spain would declare war on Great Britain if the war did not end before May 1, 1762. Originally intended to pressure the British into a peace agreement, the Family Compact ultimately reinvigorated the French will to continue the war. It caused the British Government to declare war on Spain on January 4, 1762, after bitter infighting among King George III’s ministers.

News had reached Europe of the British capture of Havana and with it the Spanish colony of Cuba. Spanish King Charles III refused to agree to a treaty that would require Spain to cede Cuba. Still, the British Parliament would never ratify a treaty that did not reflect British territorial gains during the war.

The diplomats completed their negotiations and signed the preliminary Treaty of Paris on November 3, 1762. Spanish and French negotiators also signed the Treaty of San Ildefonso simultaneously, which confirmed the cession of French Louisiana to Spain.

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Although British King George III and his ministers favored the treaty, it was unpopular with the British public. However, the treaty contained enough concessions to war hawks that the British Parliament ratified the Treaty of Paris by a majority of 319 to 64. The treaty went into effect on February 10, 1763.