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Different sources will often quote different reasons as to why the French and Indian War started in eighteenth century North America. Core reasons will point to religious differences as well continual border skirmishes, but the issue of land ownership is arguably the underlying reason for the commencement of hostilities.

For many centuries the Americas had long been seen as a land ripe for territorial expansion, and whilst Portugal and Spain monopolised South America, North America was dominated by France and Britain. France and Britain had long been enemies and rivals when it came to territory in Europe, and from the twelfth century onwards the two nations would often meet on the battlefield. This record of warfare even extended into the eighteenth century when the two countries had fought against each other in the War of the Austrian Succession.

In North America, Britain had thirteen colonies where colonists had settled the land under the British Crown. North America though was also home to New France, where the French had also settled large parts of the continent. There was though additionally a large amount of open land that both nations laid claim to. One of the largest areas was that of the Ohio Country, It was an area that British hunters and trappers would often travel into from the colony of Virginia. The British claimed the land through usage, as well as the fact that Royal charters had also intimated that the land was part of the British territory. There was no real legal claim to the land, although the French claim was also similarly weak. The French claim being based around the fact that Robert de La Salle had explored the whole area in the seventeenth century.

Up until the middle of the eighteenth century both nations had done little about cementing their claims by moving in settlers. In fact other than trappers, the only activity that either nation had undertaken was in trading with the indigenous Indians of the area. In this area the British had the edge, and had gained a number of allied tribes through the establishment of trading posts.

As time passed though, both France and Britain viewed the Ohio Country as an area that would serve as useful land for the expansion of settlements. Influential British colonists saw it as an investment where large profits could be gained from the selling of land. The French saw it as an area that would be much more hospitable than areas of French controlled Canada.

The British were the first to react and sent in

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