Which power sought to expand the Thirteen Colonies into the Ohio Valley after the Seven Years' War?

• A. The British
• B. The French
• C. The Spanish
• D. The Dutch

Answer: (A)

Britain aimed to push the Thirteen Colonies into the Ohio Valley after the Seven Years’ War because, with victory, Britain gained control of former French lands in North America and saw the Ohio Country as valuable land for settlement and trade. Expanding westward offered opportunities to grow the empire, secure resources, and provide room for veterans and new settlers, even as the government tried to manage frontier tensions with Native peoples. To curb costly clashes, Britain issued the Proclamation of 1763, drawing a line west of the Appalachians, which showed the tension between imperial aims and colonial ambitions. The other powers didn’t drive this postwar expansion: the French were defeated and lost control of the region, and Spain and the Dutch did not have the same direct push into the Thirteen Colonies’ western frontier.