Final answer:
The British and French vied for control over the Ohio River Valley to link their land holdings, control key trade rivers, and expand their territories, often at the cost of displacing Native American inhabitants. This struggle was central during the French and Indian War and had lasting implications for British colonial policy and the discontent that fueled the American Revolution.
Step-by-step explanation:
The British and French wanted control of the Ohio River Valley for several strategic and economic reasons. It was a region of substantial conflict outlined in the events of the French and Indian War (1754-1763), which was part of the global Seven Years' War. The Ohio Valley was crucial for connecting land holdings, controlling major rivers necessary for trade and movement, and for the expansion of territory at the expense of American Indian lands.
British interests, particularly from Virginia, were heavily tied to expansion and land speculation, which included the desire to stabilize wealth and status as tobacco prices stagnated. The Ohio Company of Virginia was granted half a million acres in the valley by the British crown in 1749, but the French also claimed this land and sought to protect it by constructing Fort Duquesne. This confrontation over land claims eventually erupted into military actions, with notable figures like George Washington becoming involved in the early skirmishes.
After the war, the British victory allowed colonists to look forward to settling in the Ohio Valley. However, the British government, wanting to avoid conflict with Native American tribes and additional military costs, prohibited settlements west of the Appalachians, leading to colonial discontent. In this way, control of the Ohio River Valley was not only a matter of territorial dominance but also directly linked to the tensions that contributed to the eventual American Revolution.