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How did John Cabot’s explorations support British claims in North America?

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Painting of Edward Braddock and British troops in uniform advancing through dense forest, facing Native American and French fighters during the French and Indian War near Fort Duquesne. — French and Indian War British commander Edward Braddock and his troops preparing to march on the French-held Fort Duquesne (now Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) during the French and Indian War.

John Cabot’s voyages in 1497 and 1498 served as the foundational basis for British territorial claims in North America, which later became a central point of contention during the French and Indian War.1

Commissioned by King Henry VII, Cabot reached the North American coast—likely Newfoundland, Labrador, or Cape Breton Island—in June 1497. Upon landing, he formally took possession of the territory for the English crown. By demonstrating the viability of a route across the North Atlantic, his explorations helped establish the precedent for future British colonial expansion.23

Centuries later, these early explorations were cited by the British to justify their sovereignty over vast regions of the continent, including the Ohio River valley. This claim directly conflicted with French territorial assertions based on the later explorations of René-Robert Cavelier, sieur de La Salle, ultimately fueling the imperial rivalry that triggered the war.1