USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -The French settlements were north of the British colonies along the Saint Lawrence River and the Great Lakes and southward to the Mississippi River. Both claimed the land between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River known as the Ohio River Valley.

Detailed explanation-2: -In 1754, the French built Fort Duquesne where the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers joined to form the Ohio River (in today’s Pittsburgh), making it a strategically important stronghold that the British repeatedly attacked.

Detailed explanation-3: -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-4: -To control the Ohio Valley, the French built a string of forts from Lake Erie towards the Forks of the Ohio. The British captured Fort Duquesne in 1758 and replaced it with a fort of their own.

Detailed explanation-5: -New France, French Nouvelle-France, (1534–1763), the French colonies of continental North America, initially embracing the shores of the St. Lawrence River, Newfoundland, and Acadia (Nova Scotia) but gradually expanding to include much of the Great Lakes region and parts of the trans-Appalachian West.