USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -The French claimed the Upper Ohio River Valley. They wanted to trade with the American Indians and control the area. The British also claimed the Upper Ohio River Valley.

Detailed explanation-2: -The French and Indian War, the North American phase of the larger Seven Years’ War, began after a series of incidents in the upper Ohio River valley, which the French and British governments both claimed as their territory.

Detailed explanation-3: -Both France and Great Britain claimed ownership of the Ohio Valley. In 1749, Capt. Pierre Joseph Céloron de Blainville asserted France’s claim to the region by placing this lead plate and five others along tributaries of the Ohio River-a traditional way of marking territory.

Detailed explanation-4: -Specifically, regions around the Ohio Valley into the Ohio River and up near the Great Lakes produced the largest controversy. France, who first discovered the Ohio country, claimed control because they had not only arrived in that area first but also established trading centers to ensure a lasting hold on the region.

Detailed explanation-5: -The Ohio Valley provided resources for settlers, such as fur-bearing animals that brought a profit from the fur trade. Both French and British fur traders competed for these resources.