1.12: Pontiac and the war against British Imperialism

History: Beyond the Textbook

He led his forces against the mighty British military, captured their forts, forced them to surrender...and ultimately lost the war that bears his name. Odawa Chief Pontiac, an Anishinaabeg of the western Great Lakes, fought a war against the British after the latter presumed that the North American theater of the Seven Years' War had drawn to a close. The events, and results, of Pontiac's actions caused British officials to reconsider their perceptions of this portion of their growing empire that they often took for granted...and would set in motion a series of decisions that would lead to the loss of this territory, This episode of History: Beyond the Textbook, the final episode of season one, focuses on Pontiac: his background, actions, and motivations for partaking in another in a series of attempts by Indigenous forces to fight back against European colonizers.
Key People
Pontiac, Odawa Sachem and war leader
Neolin, Lenape prophet
Jeffrey Amherst, British military officer
Key Events
French and Indian War
Pontiac's War
Royal Proclamation of 1763

The second season of History: Beyond the Textbook focuses on the stories of individuals who shaped the Revolutionary era in American history, and runs from February 27-May 7.
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