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Step away from the powdered wigs and marble statues of Europe—the Seven Years' War began in the mud and mosquitoes of the American wilderness. Join us as we trek into the Ohio Country, a forgotten crossroads that sparked global conflict.

The Ohio Country wasn't empty forest—it was prime real estate. Rivers connected in every direction like an 18th-century transportation hub, making it the most strategic territory in North America. The French needed it to connect their empire; the British colonists craved it for expansion; and the Native nations who actually lived there—Shawnee, Delaware, Mingo, and the powerful Iroquois Confederacy—fought to maintain their independence amidst these imperial games.

Enter 21-year-old George Washington—ambitious, inexperienced, and deeply connected to Virginia land speculation companies. When Governor Dinwiddie sends him to deliver a message to French forts, Washington returns with intelligence and newfound fame. But his second mission turns disastrous. After ambushing a French party and allowing their leader to be executed by an Iroquois ally, Washington finds himself surrendering at a rain-soaked Fort Necessity, unwittingly signing a document admitting to assassination.

This seemingly small frontier clash convinced Britain to send regular troops, launched colonial attempts at unity with the Albany Congress, and ultimately ignited a global war fought across five continents. Before Washington became the marble man on the dollar bill, he was a muddy, defeated young officer who accidentally started a world war.

Subscribe to hear what happens next, as we head to Albany in 1754 where colonial delegates tried to forge a united front against the looming French threats. We'll see how their plans for alliance promised much, but revealed even more about the colonies' deep divisions. The Albany Congress may not have solved the crisis, but it left a legacy that would echo far beyond this war.

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