Though most of the events in the French and Indian War took place hundreds of miles away, North Carolina was not exempt from its impact. As the European forces of France, Spain, Great Britain and their American Indian allies brought war to the New World, the colony mobilized troops, raised money, built forts and participated in several arduous military campaigns. The war had a huge influence on the colony, including a dramatic conflict between the colonial Governor Arthur Dobbs and the colonial legislature over how many troops to raise and how it would be funded. This led to an increasing sense of independence from Britain that would continue to build after the war was over. Join historian and author John R. Maass as he chronicles a significant yet often overlooked North Carolina history..
John R. Maass grew up in the Shenandoah Valley and is the founder of the Rockbridge Civil War Roundtable. He holds a PhD in early American history from The Ohio State University and is a historian at the US Army Center of Military History in Washington, DC. He serves on the editorial staff of the Journal of Backcountry Studies.