1. The Colony’s Political and Social Organization Review
Nouvelle-France
The Colony’s Political and Social Organization Review

2. Political Organization of Nouvelle France
Company of One Hundred Associates
Cardinal Richelieu and 100 investors
Goal: to establish a French Empire in North America
Trade
Settlement
Conversion to Christianity

3. Royal Government in Nouvelle-France
The Company of 100 Associates did not achieve their goals for settlers and income
King Louis dismissed the company and made Nouvelle-France into a royal colony in 1663
Governed by Royal Government
Under control of King and appointed council

4. Royal Colony of New France
Ultimate control by King
Sovereign Council was appointed by King
Eventually there was greater autonomy from France
Leadership from France, then from people born in colony
Early years of royal rule: great interest; later: war took focus
The distance from France was a challenge
Permission for actions had to go by mail which took a long time
Quebec would make decisions on its own rather than wait

5. Government in Nouvelle France

6. Who were these people? King of France Governor Intendant Bishop
Louis XIV
Governor
Military matters and external policy
Intendant
Administered justice, policies and finances
Bishop
Handled religious affairs, clergy, education, welfare/sick
Captains of the Militia
Citizens selected by peers, reported concerns of habitants to intendant, informed citizens of government plans
Seigneurs
Soldiers, merchants, or nobility who rented land grant to habitants
Had to build manor house, be present on land, build grist mill
Habitants
Paid taxes (tithes) to Church and annual fees for land, fishing and hunting rights, and use of grist mill

8. Daily Life in Nouvelle France
Seigneurial System
Long narrow river lots
Each lot had access to water, a roadway, to the mill/church/ other lots.
Could be divided lengthwise again, or new lots could be put on the edge of existing ones.

9. Daily Life in Nouvelle France
Role of the Church
Religious (Catholic) services
Focused on conversion of First Nations to Christianity (seen as a “need” for both parties involved)
Recollects were the first to arrive in 1615
Social needs
Jesuits (Catholic)
Arrived in 1625 for conversion mission
Lived in the First Nations communities in order to understand the culture and learn the language, which would result in better success in conversion.
Material benefits to conversion (gifts from Church, eg. Guns/metal goods)
Role of the Church
Provide religious services to colony & conversion of FN to Christianity (a “need”)
Roman Catholics also helped with social needs (education, hospitals, assistance to poor)
Recollets were first missionaries in 1615
Jesuits
Larger missionary group
1625 came to NF to convert FN, as it was believed to be a service to mankind
Lived in FN to learn language and culture and have better success in conversion
Catholic converts given guns, non-catholics were not
Father Jacques Marquette

10. Daily Life in Nouvelle France
Ursuline nuns
Managed first schools and hospitals
Conversion was not their main goal

11. What kind of people do you think were interested in coming to Nouvelle-France?
Rich? Poor?
Men? Women?
Old? Young?
Merchants? Farmers?

12. Daily Life in Nouvelle-France
Les Filles du Roi – The King’s Daughters
Imbalance of 1 woman per 6 men
Single and widowed women from France offered money (50 francs and travel expenses; baby bonus if you had over 10 kids)
Move to Nouvelle-France, find a husband and raise a family as colonist
By 1671 there had been ~700 births in Nouvelle-France

13. Daily Life in New France
Role of the military
Unfriendly relationship with Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) who had an alliance with British
In 1666 a 1100 man regiment was sent to Quebec
Two expeditions against Iroquois, the second led to the burning of villages and destruction of winter supplies (such as a stockpile of grain)
This influenced the Haudenosaunee to sign a peace treaty with colonists
Quebec also had a militia for defense, consisting of all able-bodied men age who trained for defense and undertook public works projects (roads, bridges, buildings)

14. Geography of North America
Two theories:
Expansion
Keep it small
Mercantilism, colonization, a trade route to Asia, and dominance in the competition for power relied on expansion to the west.
Staying close to Quebec would mean that the small population would not be stretched so thin to protect a very large land mass.
By 1740, the territory of New France went all the way to the Gulf of Mexico – this region was called Louisiana

15. The Fur Trade- was one of the great items in the mercantile triangle, which led to further exploration into the interior and more series of battles between the French and British.
Offered economic strength to New France
System of mercantilism (First Nations trapped & hunted fur-bearing animals, prepped them, and sold them to the French and English to be shipped back to Europe.
Economic viability = ability for New France to survive economically without France
Mercantilism = beaver leaves community and New France, heads to France, sent back as hat
FN men trapped beaver, FN women prepared it for market
French made business and cultural contact with people further in further into North America as they sought out new sources of the fur
Increased trade relationships as French migrated deeper into the interior due to the Beaver being ‘over trapped’ near Quebec.
How would colonization have been different if beaver hats weren’t en vogue in Europe?

16. Coureurs de Bois
Young men who left settlements to go live/trade with First Nations in N. areas where fur was plentiful and in good quality.
“runners of the woods”
Beaver scarce along St. Lawrence lowlands
What would you do to get the beaver you need for trade?
Leave settlement, live and trade in northern areas with First Nations
Living in colonies meant they were under the eye of the priests and French officials.
Counterproductive to Christianization.
Young men left the watchful eye of the community officials and religious Jesuits, and went to live in FN communities in the North
Many men began to prefer the freedom of that life, and understood/appreciated the culture of the First Nations, staying to live with them
Were not in good favor with government officials, as they went against what missionaries were teaching