Countries were competing against one another. They feared one another so they tried to conquer land to make them bigger. This continued until it led to war.

In 1753 the French began building forts to back their claim to the land between Lake Erie and the Ohio river and, Washington traveled west to build a fort but, he arrived too late and he was forced to surrender once the French arrived.

The Albany Congress:

The british government feared war and called a meeting of colonial meetings. They hoped to have an alliance with Iroquois tribes so they could fight the French.