But what was the French & Indian War about?

…is reader Ellie’s follow-up question. I don’t know the precise answer, however I can say with some confidence that it was a contest to determine who was going to be the boss in North America. The French would have loved nothing more than to push the British right off the edge of the continent. Given what “New France” looked like at the outset of the 18th Century, you could see why they thought they had a pretty decent shot at it.