<P> The 1763 Treaty of Paris ended the major war known by Americans as the French and Indian War and by Canadians as the Seven Years' War / Guerre de Sept Ans, or by French - Canadians, La Guerre de la Conquête . It was signed by Great Britain, France and Spain, with Portugal in agreement . Preferring to keep Guadeloupe, France gave up Canada and all of its claims to territory east of the Mississippi River to Britain . With France out of North America this dramatically changed the European political scene on the continent . </P> <P> At first only the imperial powers of Europe had the resources to support and expand settlements in North America . As time went on the colonies became more powerful and sought independence from the Old World . These demands for more autonomy sparked several wars, including the American Revolutionary War (1775--1783) and the Mexican War of Independence (1810--1821). The last major colonial power on the continent, the United Kingdom, granted dominion status to Canada in 1867 and slowly turned over its remaining land to that country over the next 100 years, with the last land transfer being the Dominion of Newfoundland in 1949 . Throughout this period, France maintained the small North American territory of Saint Pierre and Miquelon off the coast of the island of Newfoundland . </P>

Map of the united states during the revolutionary war