Final answer:
Pontiac's War was a conflict initiated by Native American leader Pontiac and a multi-tribal confederacy against the British following the French and Indian War, leading to changes in colonial policies and exacerbating racial tensions.
Step-by-step explanation:
Pontiac's War: A Catalyst in Colonial American History
Following the French and Indian War, tensions were high as Native Americans saw British settlements expanding into their lands. Pontiac, a leader of the Ottawa nation, leveraged a message from the prophet Neolin and rallied a confederation of tribes to launch a resistance against the British in 1763, leading to what is known as Pontiac's War. This conflict saw Native American forces attacking forts such as Fort Detroit and engaging in raids in Ohio and Pennsylvania; however, by fall of 1764, the uprising had been suppressed by the British military. Key outcomes of Pontiac's War included the Proclamation of 1763 and reflected both the dependence of Native Tribes on European trade and Britain's tenuous control over the Ohio Valley.
The brutality of the war exacerbated racial tensions and catalyzed a perception of racialized warfare between Native Americans and colonists. The war ended in 1766, but its repercussions on race relations and colonial policies continued to influence the trajectory of American history, creating ripples that echoed into the American Revolution.