From the Warpath to the Plains of Abraham

The Flash animation that I am presenting today is a little treasure for history teachers: « From the Warpath to the Plains of Abraham ». It is very appropriate for history classes in North America, but may also be useful in Europe. In fact, it presents the stakes of the war in Europe and its results on conflicts in North America. The site is sponsored by the National Battlefields Commission. Everything is so well design and illustrated and includes some short videos from time to time presenting actors impersonating historical characters. The activity is very interactive and students are invited to clicks on different parts of pictures to go through all the content.

At the beginning of the activity, students must choose among four characters: the French, the British, the Canadian or the Amerindian. These characters represent the four main chapters of the activity. By clicking on the French, we realize that the King of France, Louis XV was really in a catch-22. By clicking on the British, we get introduced to the king of England, George II and its desire to exercise his power and authority. We get to know him better and we learn about his desire to colonize land west of the Ohio Valley with the Amerindians being a barrier. That is how he realized that he had to fight and start a war to win North America!

By clicking on the Amerindian, we realize that they decided to team-up with the French and they were very useful warriors to support French troupes during the war. They obviously had different combat techniques. Traditional symbols related to the Amerindians are also presented as well as rituals that come with alliances. Finally, we get to see where each tribe were located in North America as well as the ones who were involved with the war in Quebec.

By clicking on the Canadian, we learn a lot about the problems brought by the war in New France and its impacts on Canadians. We realize that they were hungry, discouraged and harvesting was very poor. That is why food was not readily available. In addition, everyday, their chance of winning the war was diminishing. The colony was difficult to defend. On the other hand, rich people could celebrate, take part in festivities and had a lot of food.

This interactive game is a must for anyone who wants to learn more about this period.