Struggle for Empire

A Bibliography of the French and Indian War

James G. Lydon

• Publisher: Taylor & Francis
• Year: 2018
• Print ISBN: 9781138545526
• eBook ISBN: 9781351000017
• Edition: 1
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: World History
• Index: History

Originally published in 1986. The French and Indian War (Seven Years' War) occurred in the mid-eighteenth century. The concern of this bibliography is with the North American experience in this war, with excursions into the West Indies to examine collateral events which involved Anglo-Americans from what is now the United States. Emphasis is placed on contemporary accounts of this war and upon twentieth century writings, and contains a variety of sources.

PART I

TOPICAL DIVISIONS

I

GENERAL REFERENCES

1. Alvord, Clarence Walworth. THE ILLINOIS COUNTRY, 1673–1818. Springfield: Illinois Centennial Commission, 1920.

A broadly based, general work, this study on French, English, and American settlements in Illinois has for the most part been superceded by more modern writers.

2. _______. THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY IN BRITISH POLITICS. 2 vols. Cleveland: Arthur H. Clarke, 1917.

Alvord clearly and innovatively evaluated British politics as they related to this vast area, over time. He produced a very important work to which later authors have had to react. His material on Pontiac’s War is especially valuable.

3. Blanchet, Jean G.P., ed. COLLECTION DE MANUSCRIPTS CONTENANT LETTRES, MÉMOIRES, ET AUTRES DOCUMENTS HISTORIQUES RELATIFS À LA NOUVELLE-FRANCE…. 4 vols. Quebec: A. Coté, 1883–1885.

The documents collected by Blanchet were taken from the Quebec provincial archives or gathered from foreign depositories. The material covering New France in the eighteenth century is quite useful.

4. Boorstin, Daniel J. THE AMERICANS: THE COLONIAL EXPERIENCE. New York: Random House, 1958.

Boorstin includes a section (ps. 341–372) on “Warfare and Diplomacy” which reviews colonial military responses over the whole period down to the Revolution. His comments on militia and their value, arms employed, and attitudes toward organized military forces are of considerable interest.

5. Boulle, Pierre H. “Some Eighteenth Century French Views on Louisiana” in John Francis McDermot, ed. FRENCHMEN AND FRENCH WAYS IN THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. Champaign-Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1969.

In this article Boulle presents an important revisionist view of French attitudes concerning the development and expansion of Louisiana.

6. Bridenbaugh, Carl. CITIES IN REVOLT: URBAN LIFE IN AMERICA, 1743–1776. New York: Knopf, 1955.

Bridenbaugh produced an excellent urban history of the five major cities of British North America. The impact of the war is delineated in sections on “Fortunes of War,” “Urban Problems in Wartime,” and “War, Expansion and Prosperity.”

7. Buck, Solon J., ed. “The importance of the upper Ohio country in 1758—a contemporary view.” WPHM, 17 (1934), 123–125.

This excerpt from the NEWPORT MERCURY of December 5, 1758 was probably written by James Franklin, Jr. It emphasizes the importance of the valley in light of the movement under Forbes to reconquer it.

8. Caldwell, Norman Ward. THE FRENCH IN THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY, 1740–1750. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1941.

A compact study, solidly researched, covering administration, population, fur trade, Indian relations, and the struggle with the British for the Ohio area. It provides valuable background for scholar and student.

9. Callan, Louise. “The Political régime of the French in the valley of the Mississippi.” MAM, 1 (1929), 4–36.

French political structures and French policy in the Mississippi Valley are reviewed here to 1763.

10. Crane, Verner W. THE SOUTHERN FRONTIER, 1670–1732. Durham: Seeman, 1929.

Crane argues that an appreciation of the history of the Indian trade is fundamental to an understanding of Indian-White relations in the southeastern area. His study is solid background for an understanding of expansion on the Carolina frontier.

11. Dorn, Walter L. COMPETITION FOR EMPIRE, 1740–1763. New York: Harper,1940.

Dorn’s study is an excellent synthesis of this period. It is the best work in English on the European background of these wars but weaker on events occurring in America; it provides a valuable overview.

12. Downes, Randolph C. COUNCIL FIRES ON THE UPPER OHIO. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1969.

Covering Indian-White relations in this area from 1750–1800 from the Indian point of view, this work serves as a valuable antidote to the usual pro-Anglo Interpretations of historians.

13. Eccles, William J. FRANCE IN AMERICA. New York: Harper and Row, 1972.

Eccles, currently the dean of Canadian colonial historians, offers a valuable reassessment of the history of New France. About one fourth of the work deals with our period and provides an excellent review of military events of the Seven Years’ War in America.

14. ______. THE CANADIAN FRONTIER, 1534–1760. Albuquerque: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1969.

Here Eccles contributes a general study of the French frontier. Chapters seven and eight are pertinent; it is of value for its emphasis on trade and commerce.

15. ______. “The Fur Trade and Eighteenth Century Imperialism.” WMQ, 3d ser. 40 (1983), 341–362.

French use of the fur trade as a conscious and successful instrument of foreign policy and Indian alliance is argued here.

16. Fiske, John. NEW FRANCE AND NEW ENGLAND. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1902.

This is a dated, general study of the events of the long struggle against the French. It is pro-English in view.

17. Folmer, Henry. FRANCO-SPANISH RIVALRY IN NORTH AMERICA, 1524- 1763. Glendale: Arthur H. Clark, 1953.

Folmer’s monograph, though quite detailed, provides very little information on the mid-eighteenth century ( about twenty pages).

18. Ford, Worthington C., ed. “Broadsides, Ballads, … printed in Massachusetts, 1639–1800.” MAHSC, 75 (1922), 99–177.

Ford’s collection contains short titles of broadsides, including calls for enlistments, privateer announcements, and other pertinent material.

19. Gipson, Lawrence H. THE BRITISH EMPIRE BEFORE THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 15 vols. Vols. 1–3. Caldwell: Caxton Printers, 1935. Vols. 4–15. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1939–1970.

Gipson’s monumental study of this period is the starting point for research in this area. The wars in America are placed in context with Britain’s world struggle against France. Enormously valuable as a synthesis, it has some minor weaknesses of interpretation but it is, nonetheless, THE classic work. Volumes six through eight deal directly with the French and Indian War; volume nine covers its results. The last two volumes are bibliographical and manuscript guides to the period.

20. Hofstadter, Richard. AMERICA AT 1750: A SOCIAL PORTRAIT. New York: Knopf, 1971.

A view of the structure of society in the British North American colonies at mid-century is presented here. A valuable background study, it was published posthumously and is unfortunately incomplete.

21. Jefferys, Thomas. NATURAL AND CIVIL HISTORY OF THE FRENCH DOMINIONS IN NORTH AND SOUTH AMERICA. London: Thomas Jefferys, 1760.

The author depended very heavily upon Charlevoix’s book of travels for this contemporary view of France in America. Material on the West Indies is included.

22. [Kennedy, Archibald]. SERIOUS ADVICE TO THE INHABITANTS OF THE NORTHERN-COLONIES, ON THE PRESENT SITUATION OF AFFAIRS. New York: [n.p.], 1755.

Here is another contemporary pamphlet, written by a New York official, which deals with the French threat to the British colonies. See also “Photostat Americana,” Massachusetts Histor ical Society, 1937. Kennedy is the attributed author.

23. ______. SERIOUS CONSIDERATIONS ON THE PRESENT STATE OF THE AFFAIRS OF THE NORTHERN COLONIES. New York: James Parker, 1754.

In this pamphlet, Kennedy proposed solutions to the problems created by the French expansion in Northern America.

24. Knollenberg, Bernhard. ORIGIN OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, 1759–1766. New York: Free Press, 1961.

An important monograph by this author sees British wartime policies as laying the basis for imperial problems in the future His work is accurate, meticulous, and detailed and thus has great value for both schola...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Series Introduction
• Preface
• Abbreviations
• PART 1: TOPICAL DIVISIONS
• PART 2: GEOGRAPHICAL DIVISIONS
• Author Index
• Subject Index