The French and Indian War or Seven Years' War was one of the major events leading to the American Revolution. The French and Indian War began in 1754 when George Washington and General Edward Braddock sought to defend British land that they believed the French were conquering with their expansion into the Ohio River Valley. In 1755, Governor William Shirley of Massachusetts moved many French settlers from that region to the Nova Scotia region to avoid any confrontation if these settlers sided with their home country. These people were exiled from their homes and moved to the British colonies in a very cruel and violent manner. This is one of the first examples of Britain's oppressive nature towards people they see as a threat to what they believe is the best solution. The British military effort, at the time, was not as passionate or successful. Both George Washington and General Braddock suffered major defeats at the hands of the French and their allies, General Braddock was even killed in one of the first battles before this war had officially begun. It was only later in the war that the English were able to successfully defeat the French. The war officially began in 1756 and ended in 1763, but this war is much less important than the great event it caused. More than anything, this war was the first step towards the American Revolution. As anyone with even the slightest knowledge of European history can tell you, the French and the English don't like each other. Some French and British people still hate each other today for problems that happened 100 years ago. So in addition to the already present conflict between France and Great Britain there is a new one in the pursuit of conquering more land and power for their cou...... middle of paper ...... in the following years. Pontiac's Rebellion left Britain short of money after having to pay for two consecutive battles. The English sought money from the colonies without giving the colonies any say. This led to the famous phrase “no taxation without representation”. Another thing that happened during the French and Indian War was a very little publicized meeting between the colonists. This was the first meeting the colonists had on their own initiative. The meeting was called by Benjamin Franklin and was known as The Albany Plan of Union. Although the meeting had few results, it should still be considered a success because it showed that there were settlers willing to gain independence. Excessive taxation and the fact that the colonists saw someone opposing the English were the main events that led to the American Revolution.