On July 3rd, 1754, a 22 year old George Washington surrendered his small group of soldiers to French forces after a humiliating and unsurprising defeat. Called the Battle of Fort Necessity, this was the first major one of the French and Indian War, which was the main military prelude to the American Revolution. 21 years later, July 3rd of 1775, he would take command of the American Continental Army at Cambridge, Massachusetts.

As this year (2025) marks the two and a half century anniversary of one of the most significant events in all history, the American Revolution, beginning in 1775, I want to give you a new background lesson to explain that conflict by recounting the most significant event that contributed immediately to the circumstances that led to the revolution – the poorly-known French and Indian War, which was fought from 1754 to 1760. Why do I want to tell the story of the King’s hand in the conflict that established the United States? Because in spite of many arguments to the contrary, I believe the King did something special in setting up this nation as one of the few nations in history that have most honored, defended, and propagated His gospel through the liberty and industriousness of His body living within it. And because Americans, westerners, and all who have feel any influence from the U.S. should understand some of the history of how the King used its forming uphold truth and righteousness through some of the most courageous, wise, and industrious people that have ever lived on earth. And most of the basis for their uniqueness was the influence they had from the predominantly Christian and biblical education and training they were brought up with in the British colonies of North America. Therefore, let’s look at how the King first set the stage for the Revolution and the actions of its great men and women as we explore the King’s hand in the people of the young American states.

The French and Indian War between the British army and colonials, and the French and Indians, set some of the major conditions that led to the motivators for the colonists in seeking political and economic independence from Great Britain. It solidified Britain’s hold on North America with the takeover of Canada, led them to levy numerous new taxes on the colonists, contributed to the Indians’ various attitudes and stances toward the European people in the Revolution, and most importantly, served as a testing ground for many leaders and soldiers that would fight in the Revolutionary War on both the British and American sides. Key people participated in the events surrounding the war, including George Washington, Daniel Morgan, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Gage. The war shows us the great lengths men are willing to go to obtain wealth and land, protect national honor, and simply obey their superiors, even to the death. The number of lives that were either permanently deformed or lost throughout the almost decade-long war was about 8,000.

In this episode, I’ll tell you the summarized story of the worldwide prelude to the American Revolution.

Some sources for this episode:

The French and Indian War: Deciding the Fate of North America by Walter R. Borneman

Key Battles of American History podcast, French and Indian War series:

https://open.spotify.com/show/6rWhzpdYfx6and9bG9J24g?si=3a0206b0a4684eac