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Pittsburgh was basically the flashpoint for the French and Indian War. The French built Fort Duquesne at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers, which form the headwaters of the Ohio River and provided a critical gateway to the interior of the continent where France had other settlements.
At the same time, the British colonies were expanding their territories, and they were determined to take control of the three rivers. The battle for control of the confluence ultimately gave the British control of the Ohio Country (the lower Midwest between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River), and ensured that English would become the primary language used in North America, instead of French. It was also the springboard to the dominance of the British Empire during the 18th Century.
Fort Duquesne was destroyed and replaced by Fort Pitt, which was named for William Pitt, who was the leader of the British House of Commons at the time. Pitt started dedicating more military resources to ousting the French from the middle of the North American continent. Pittsburgh was settled in 1758 near the fort, and incorporated in 1771. Later on it became a disputed territory between Pennsylvania and Virginia, with the Mason-Dixon Line survey ultimately placing it in Pennsylvania in 1780.
Paying for the French and Indian War is what led to the "taxation without representation" that the colonists later revolted against, so in a way, the fight for the control of the confluence and the interior of the continent was the catalyst for the American Revolution.
Doesn't Detroit have some of the most French history outside of the Gulf Coast? I swear there was a thread on this a while back.
City of Detroit was founded by the French as a fur trading post. It's flag has the fleur-de-lis on it. We all know Cadillac the car, but Cadillac is actually the surname of the founder of Detroit. Detroit's name is comes from the French for "strait", as in the body of water it sits next to.
And consider part of the city planning. Some of it is based on Paris. In fact, Detroit was once called "Paris of The Midwest".
The first western settlers in the MN/WI/NI northwoods were fur trappers, and their legacy mostly remains in names of places (Eau Claire, La Crosse, Racine, Lake Butte des Morts). Even "English" places often have French roots, like where I grew up: the water on the north side of Door County was originally known as Porte des Morts ("Death's Door") due to all the shipwrecks.
Then the Germans and Polish moved in and took over the end. Everybody polka!
The Hudson Valley area of NY and Charleston SC both have a little bit of a French Hueguenot influence. Even the HS sports teams at New Paltz and New Rochelle high schools are nicknamed the Hueguenots.
The Hudson Valley area of NY and Charleston SC both have a little bit of a French Hueguenot influence. Even the HS sports teams at New Paltz and New Rochelle high schools are nicknamed the Hueguenots.
For example the imprisoned leader of AIM, the American Indian Movement, Leonard Peltier, has a surname that is derived from the French Canadian name Pelletier.
And Buffy Sainte-Marie?
Let's not forget that French and French Canadian priests brought Roman Catholicism to much of "the North".
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