The correct answer is D. The major causes of the French and Indian War were disagreements between the French and the British over land claims and the fur trade.
Explanation:
The French and Indian War was a war between France and Britain in North America between 1754 and 1763. The war ended with the Paris Peace Treaty, whereby France lost its territory in North America.
It began with a dispute between France and the United Kingdom over the control of the Ohio River Valley and, on a larger scale, was a competition for influence in most of North America. Fur trade formed an important factor for the inhabitants of both the French and English colonies in America. In 1727, with the permission of the Iroquois, the French had built a base at the mouth of the Niagara River, from where they ruled the beginning of the fur trade routes. At least in principle, the French also possessed the Mississippi River, from the Great Lakes to Louisiana. However, the Rich Valley area of the Ohio Valley was threatened by Pennsylvania and Virginia migrants. To control the threat, Detroit's French commander Pierre-Joseph de Celoron de Blainville proposed the construction of a fortress chain from Lake Erie to the Ohio River. However, merchants from English settlements had already settled in the area. The Virginia colony maintained the area as its own and had begun to hand over land from the area to migrants since 1752.
The French began to forcibly expel English-speaking merchants from the controversial area by force in 1752 and, for example, the important Pickawillany trading station was destroyed. At the same time, the French began to build fortifications in the area to strengthen their position. In 1754, however, the trading position of the Ohio Trading Company near present-day Pittsburgh was destroyed. Fort Duquesne, French, was established in its place. In response to the actions of the French at that time, young Colonel George Washington later established a fort called Fort Necessity about 60 kilometers south of the French base. On May 28, Washington forces defeated a French reconnaissance force and, in response, the French besieged Fort Necessity on July 2. The French and their Indian allies had a larger number of defenders, and Washington decided to surrender the fortress to the French, leaving with their troops back to Virginia. The Colony of Virginia asked for help from Britain, where the idea of war with the French was initially rejected. However, when it became clear that the Virginia troops could not cope with the French army's regular troops, King George II sent Major General Edward Braddock to Virginia. Admiral Edward Boscawen, for his part, was in charge of the Navy to prevent French reinforcements from entering Canada. The war thus expanded from the Ohio Valley into a war on a larger scale.
