COLONIZATION Day 2 The French in the New World American History 1 Mr. Hensley SRMHS

Europe in the 16 th Century Spain is getting rich from extracting wealth from the New World Other European states (France and England) want New World riches France, Spain and England are rivals Each wants to beat the others

A Brief History of France Joan of Arc leads France away from English domination In the 1500’s – religious wars with Catholics against Protestants Ended by Henry IV “Good King Henry” “Paris is worth a Mass”

French Exploration Jacques Cartier was the first French explorer in the New World (1540’s) The French were looking for a Northwest Passage – a northern route to China and Asia Cartier maps the Saint Lawrence river and makes contact with the natives in Canada

The Saint Lawrence River

French Traders The French discovered that the natives would trade beaver pelts for guns and metal tools Beavers were nearly extinct in Europe and their fur was valuable French traders penetrated inland, searching for pelts Coureurs de bois – they went “native”

The Mississippi La Salle (1682) was the first European to travel down the entire Mississippi He claimed everything around the river for France and named it after their king, Louis 1718: the port of New Orleans is founded

The Great American Rivers

The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence This area was rich in beaver pelts The French founded several small settlements in what is now Michigan (Detroit), Illinois and Wisconsin Often just a fort and some priests (Jesuits) French were friendly (they had to be) to the Natives

The French in Canada Samuel de Champlain founds Quebec (1608) Canadian colonists were farmers – but not very many came 1700: only 15 thousand live in New France French are allied with Algonquians – they are traditional enemies of the Iroquois

French Government and Society The French king appointed a military commander, a governor (the intendant) and a bishop for every town in New France The fur traders were beyond government Mixed-race children become known as metis

French Goals: Trade and Strategy The French made money from trade, not from extraction They were unable to effectively settle their vast lands New France became a bargaining chip in their ongoing European wars (sad story of the Acadians)

Review: The French Colonies BIG QUESTIONS: Where did the French settle in the Americas? What type of government did they have and how can we best describe their society? What were the goals of the French in the New World? The French explored the two great river systems of North America: the Mississippi and the Saint Lawrence. They used these rivers to connect their small settlements to port cities and then to France. The French had a government ruled by a representative of their King and they had a hard time attracting settlers to their colonies. Their primary goal was trade with the Native Americans, especially for furs. The French used their colonies as a “bargaining chip” in their conflicts with other European nations.