The Journal of Major George Washington and The Real First World War by Fred Anderson - Literature review Example

The paper "The Journal of Major George Washington and The Real First World War by Fred Anderson" is a perfect example of an essay on history. When he was twenty-one years old, George Washington was sent to deliver a letter to the French by the Governor of Virginia, Robert Dinwiddie, in French Fort in Ohio, where there had been a lot of fort expansions. This was his journal, taking account of his journey and experiences while he was there.  The French began constructing forts in Ohio in 1753 because the Ohio Company agreed with the Indians for them to build forts.

This alarmed the French. Now because there are a lot of French Forts in the area, this alarmed the British as well, sending a militia named George Washington in order to assess the French military and to deliver the British demands as well. Together with Jacob van Braam (the French interpreter), Christopher Gist and several Native Americans (which includes the “Half-King” Tanacharison), they traveled by horse to Ohio. It took them ten weeks. While he was there, Washington not only delivered a letter but also practiced diplomacy.

Interviewed French deserters and studied the natural topography if it indeed were suitable for building forts. He also estimated the strengths of the forts and the architecture, to prepare for the next expedition. Upon his return to Virginia, the governor asked him to write a report. This was the report and it became very popular reading, and the Virginia government offered him £20 for it.The Real First World War by Fred Anderson This essay focuses on the impact of the Seven Years’ War on the history of America, and also the French – Indian War.

Around the 1600s, the Europeans – Spanish, French, Dutch, English – started arriving in America. These people gave the natives (Native Americans) diseases and other foreign substances that made the Native Americans extra vulnerable. However, this also made trading between civilizations better - as the volume of trading increased as well, especially to Indian communities. However, the diseases were fatal to the Native Americans. This made him observe that the Europeans took advantage of the weaknesses of the natives and fought with each other for territory.

Now, the French and British were the ones who fought with each other, but then again, the British won, even if the French kept their economy intact. This made the British very feared as a nation, and because of that, no one wants to join them, making them diplomatically weak. So when the American Civil War came, the British lost. This was more tragic for Indians. They really lost their autonomy on their land because the Europeans took over, dividing America into East and West territories. Indians with French leanings were ostracized and were embroiled in deeper crises, and without the French backing them up, their battles could not keep up.

America would not become what it would be today without these events, and Anderson thinks that the people should put more importance on the significance of the role of the Indians in the history of America, how the tragedy meant for them and the new Americans, and how great its impact is on the history of Europe as well.