1. France’s Beginnings in the New World
Samuel de Champlain- Founds Quebec in 1608
Befriends the Huron Indians and helps them against the Iroquois. Earns the French a very formidable enemy
Had colonies in the Caribbean and in Canada

2. Spread of French Influence
French fur-trappers (coureurs de bois) spread out across the continent (Terre Haute, Baton Rouge, Des Moines)
Spread of the fur trade takes the French across the Great Lakes, into Central and Western Canada, and into the Great Plains from Missouri and Arkansas to the Rockies

3. Spread of French Religion
Jesuit missionaries tried to convert Native Americans to Catholicism, but mostly failed. Exploring and map-making were two of their most important roles

4. Other French Explorations
Robert de La Salle (1682)- goes down the Mississippi River to its mouth at the Gulf of Mexico. Names the land Louisiana in honor of Louis XIV
Found New Orleans in 1718.
Allows the French to send grain from Illinois down the Mississippi for export
Wait, what do you mean this isn’t the Mississippi River?!?

5. France
1. French explorers claimed what is now Canada and the middle of the United States (Mississippi Valley)
2. This land became the French colony of “New France”
3.There were not many French in America and they did not threaten the native population
France in the New World: The French had vast but weak land holdings but usually got along with Indians, with whom they traded for furs

6. French Settlements
The largest settlements were Quebec, Canada, and New Orleans, at the mouth of the Mississippi River near the Gulf of Mexico in Louisiana.

7. French Architecture
Excellent examples of French architecture survive in present-day Louisiana and Mississippi, but there are many others in Missouri, Illinois, and Michigan, too.
French-style wrought-iron balconies can be seen in the "French Quarter" of the city of New Orleans.

8. French Food in North America
French Canadians also developed their own foods that has a French twist using local products, like maple syrup.

9. French Food in New Orleans
Cajun cooking is popular in Louisiana. A Cajun dish is usually spicy, simple to prepare, and uses locally available ingredients such as crawfish, shrimp, and fish. Popular Cajun meals are jambalaya and gumbo.

10. French Language
French remains one of the two official languages of Canada. It is the main spoken language of Quebec
Many residents of Louisiana also still speak a form of French. Detroit, Louisiana, and Montreal are all place names with a French origin.