The British competed with the French for control of the fur trade. At first, the French were much more successful because they treated the Indians as equals. Over time, the British began to pay the Indians higher prices than the French. Plus, the British began trading firearms with them. The battle for control of the fur trade was one of the main factors in the French and Indian Wars. The British proved victorious in this conflict, and in 1763, France surrendered a great deal of its land claims, including Indiana, to the British.