If you were to lost all the important conflicts in American history, say the top ten, I would guess that the French
and Indian War comes in dead last in terms of its brand recognition. Most people probably don’t even know who fought in
the war…um, the French and the Indians, right? Well, no. Not quite. The fact is, the
French and Indian War was a very significant
conflict, whose result could have changed American history (i.e. we could be speaking French).
This year marks the 250th anniversary of the start of the French and Indian War in New York. In fact, while the war
raged throughout Canada and all the way down to Pennsylvania, most of the key events of the war took place in upstate
New York. And so beginning this summer, historic sites from Fort Ticonderoga along the Vermont line to Old Fort
Niagara in western New York
have created a series of
events, including battle re-enactments and colonial military encampments to make people a bit more aware of what
the FI War was about. And perhaps it’s about time.