In 1763 it was not uncommon for France and Britain to be at war with each other, since both sought to be the world’s dominant power. In fact, for nearly the preceding eighty years, the two countries had engaged in military conficts, usually due to territorial disputes. The Seven Years’ War, commonly known as the French and Indian War in America, was just another example of this. The war began in 1756, as both countries felt they had the rights to the Ohio Country. France had established diplomatic relations with the Native American tribes living there, particularly the Algonquin. This relationship included a trade agreement that dated back a century earlier in which the French exchanged manufactured goods for furs and other Native American items. When American colonists (still British citizens at this time, of course) began to move into the Ohio Valley territory, the French saw this as an infringement upon their territory since they had been there first. As a result, Britain and France were once again at war.