As we have seen, the task of planting colonies in the New World took
stout hearts and strong arms. The major problem was the unspectacular
one of scratching a living from the soil. There were, in addition, more
dramatic problems, such as Indian skirmishes and even full-scale war.
More and more land was being taken up by the English settlers. In New
England, an Indian leader known as King Philip organized a big Indian
drive to rid the country of English settlers. This drive was known as
King Philip’s War and was waged in the years 1675-76. In this conflict,
the Indians of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut spread
terror throughout New England and burnt many houses, but in the end were
nearly wiped out themselves. During the next century, England and France
fought for control of the Mississippi Valley. In the latter part of this
struggle, between 1754 and 1763, usually called the French and Indian
War, the American colonies found themselves the battleground for the
rivalries of two great European powers.