0. Louisiana: The History of an American State
Chapter 6
Louisiana’s French Colonial Era:
Struggle and Survival
Study Presentation
©2005 Clairmont Press

1. Chapter 6: Louisiana’s French Colonial Era: Struggle and Survival
Section 1: The French Come to Louisiana
Section 2: Louisiana as a Proprietorship
Section 3: A Royal Colony Again

2. Section 1: The French Come to Louisiana
ESSENTIAL QUESTION:
What were the effects of the French exploration of Louisiana?

3. Section 1: The French Come to Louisiana
What word do I need to know?
colony

4. Section 1: The French Come to Louisiana
France wanted to expand trading area in New World
1673: exploration of Mississippi River (to discover Northwest Passage) by Louis Joliet & Father Marquette
Return trip north due to risk of encounter with Indians / Spanish soldiers

5. Timeline: 1673 A.D. – 1712 A.D.
1673: Joliet & Marquette explored the upper Mississippi
1682: La Salle claimed Louisiana for France
1699: Iberville est. Fort Maurepas
1712: Crozat became proprietor

6. Timeline: 1714 A.D. – 1736 A.D. 1714: Natchitoches founded
1717: Company of the West became Louisiana proprietor
1718: New Orleans founded
1729: Natchez uprising
1736: Chickasaw War

7. Exploring the Mississippi
1682: exploration of La Salle, to find water route to China & spread religion of France
All land drained by Mississippi River claimed by La Salle for Louis XIV
Land named Louisiana (“Land of Louis”)
Return of La Salle to France to report discovery
Continuation of La Salle’s mission (a failure)
Off-course route of fleets
Frustration / deaths of many colonists
La Salle’s men mutinied & he was murder by his men

8. The French Colony Set in motion by La Salle
French fort needed to guard Mississippi River (recognized by Louis XIV)
Spanish fort built on the Gulf of Mexico at Pensacola Bay
British hoped to build at the mouth of the Mississippi River
French interests represented by French Commander Pierre Le Moyne and his younger brother, Jean Baptiste Le Moyne

9. Fort Maurepas
Fort at Pensacola: held by Spanish – the best harbor near the Mississippi River
Ship Island claimed by Iberville
Primitive huts built as a temporary camp
Letter to La Salle found in 1685 – proof 13 years later of French discovery of Mississippi River
Gulf Coast: a better location for Iberville’s fort (near present-day Biloxi)
Trees plentiful to build the fort

10. A Struggling Colony Challenges facing French colonists: the British
the local Indian tribes
Bienville successfully bluffed a British captain into leaving the Mississippi River
English Turn, along the Mississippi River, still on today’s map
Blended with the Indians at first, but conflicts later initiated to keep them from unifying against the French

11. Other Forts
Fort Mississippi built 54 miles above the mouth of the river
Fort Maurepas, French headquarters, moved due to flooding
New fort, Fort Louis: built to keep the English out of Mobile Bay – later became the city of Mobile
Commanded by Henri de Tonti until his death from yellow fever in 1704

12. Leadership Happenings as Iberville returns to France War in Europe
Iberville required to return to military duty
Iberville’s requests for colonists / supplies ignored
Hard times in France created by war
Supply ships involved in war effort
Louisiana colony left defenseless / inadequate supplies

13. Leadership 1702: Death of Iberville (in Havana)
Challenges facing Bienville
New leader of colony (1701)
Faced criticism / complaints from officials & priests
Conflicts regarding confusing structure of government
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14. Section 2: Louisiana as a Proprietorship
ESSENTIAL QUESTION:
What were the effects of the Company of the West and the collapse of the Mississippi Bubble?

15. Section 2: Louisiana as a Proprietorship
What words do I need to know?
proprietorship
Superior Council
land grant
Mississippi Bubble
slave
plantation
Code Noir

16. Louisiana as a Proprietorship
Introduction
- Ending of costly war in Europe
- Push by British colonies to expand trade with Native Americans
- Colony needed as buffer against British
Proprietorship established by King Louis XIV
Charter (contract) given to one individual (proprietor)
- Total control by proprietor
- Certain requirements of proprietor
Operate colony as a business
Send on regular basis supplies/settlers
Maintain French laws of government

17. Antoine Crozat
1712: Proprietorship of Louisiana given to Antoine Crozat by French royal government
Money loaned to King Louis XIV by Crozat
Expectations by Crozat to find gold/silver in colony
Little interest in settlers/agriculture
Primary motive as proprietor  profit
Selection of new governor (Antoine de Lamothe, Sieur de Cadillac)

18. Antoine Crozat Difficulties faced by Cadillac (as leader)
Refused to smoke Indian calumet
Exhibition of rude personality
Ongoing conflicts among government officials
Cadillac’s credits for organizing colony
Establishment of Superior Council to help govern colony
1st official suggesting indigo & tobacco be grown to sell
Efforts to convince Crozat to send more people to Louisiana

19. Natchitoches
Louis Juchereau de St. Denis selected by Cadillac to command fort at Natchitoches
Possessed knowledge of Indian languages and frontier skills
Educated in Paris
1714: Fort St. Jean Baptiste (present-day Natchitoches) built by French on banks of Red River
Established to build trade with nearby Spanish (illegal)

20. Natchitoches Missions by St. Denis to seek trade
Eventually St. Denis jailed
Warned to stay out of Spanish territory
Continued trade efforts between Spanish colonists
French goods desired by Spanish (especially medicine)
Spanish silver desired by French

21. Crozat’s Failure Continued struggle of Louisiana colony
Ending of government support (death of Louis XIV, 1715)
Trading with Spanish (illegal) and Indians - a failure
French disinterest in farming
No profit made from colony
Contract as proprietor not totally fulfilled
Gave up proprietorship (after 5 years)

22. The Company of the West Next proprietor of colony (group of investors)
John Law (head of proprietorship group)
Developed paper money system for France
1717: Company of the West created by John Law to operate Louisiana colony
1718: Settlement designed / laid out by Bienville (became city of New Orleans)
Land grant given to directors in exchange for settlers to live on the land

23. A Search for Colonists
Early real estate advertising used by John Law in efforts to attract people to Louisiana
German farm families recruited as colonists
Experienced, hard-working people
Cleared land, planted gardens
Saved colony from starving
Need still for more settlers
Prisoners sent to colony rather than jail
Arrival of dangerous criminals (unable or unwilling to work)
Problems in the colony
Vagrants (homeless people) shipped to colony
Goods not often sent to colony by the Company
Available goods more costly

24. The Collapse of the Mississippi Bubble
Continued investments / expansion of the Company
1721: Collapse of the Company (called Mississippi Bubble)
The Company of the Indies (in charge of colony)
Continuation of Bienville as governor
Needs of Louisiana
an adequate army
more dependable settlers
a good export crop

25. The Code Noir
1716: Beginning of slavery in Louisiana (to provide workers for colony)
slaves from West Africa
rice added as staple food for colony (assistance from slaves)
Indigo & tobacco (Louisiana’s 1st cash crops)
1724: Code Noir established by Bienville
governed conduct / treatment of slaves
protected slaves as property

26. A New Governor Complaints about Bienville as governor
Etienne de Perier – new governor
Mission: to bring harmony to colony
Well-respected in French navy
Saw potential in Louisiana’s forests
Desired to improve trade with French colonies of West Indies

27. The Natchez Uprising
Peaceful relations between colonists and Indians at Fort Rosalie (built 1716: Fort Rosalie built on land belonging to Natchez Indians)
Good land seized from Natchez Indians by fort’s commander
Natchez Indian attack of Fort Rosalie (called “Natchez Uprising” – deaths of 250+ colonists)
Loss of farms / tobacco plantations / desire to stay in colony
1731: Colony returned to King by Company of the West
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28. Section 3: A Royal Colony Again
ESSENTIAL QUESTION:
What problems were faced by the various groups that attempted to colonize French Louisiana?

29. Section 3: A Royal Colony Again
What word do I need to know?
casket girls

30. Bienville Returns Challenges facing Bienville upon return as governor:
Calm the settlers / restore ties with Indians
Shortage of livestock & good tools
Inadequate supply of money
Few ships available to transport goods
Food rationing in colony & reliance on barter and warehouse credit

31. War with the Chickasaw
Conflicts between tribes used often to advantage of French and British
French goods generally preferred by Choctaw
British (trading partners & allies with Chickasaw)
Chickasaw (enemies of French & Choctaw)
French fearful of peaceful relations between Chickasaw and Choctaw
France’s colony threatened by possible trading partnership between Choctaw and British
Eventual war lasting for several years between Chickasaw and French
Several defeats suffered by Bienville
1742: Retirement of Bienville as governor of colony

32. A Different Kind of Governor
1742: New governor (Pierre Francois de Rigaud, Marquis de Vaudreuil)
Halted Indian raids on settlements
Worked out peace agreement with Chickasaw
Used kindness and dignity to calm internal conflicts in colony
Improved living conditions & prosperity for colony
Formal ceremonies & parties established
Governor credited with 1st Louisiana Mardi Gras ball

33. The Last French Years 1752: Vaudreuil designated as governor of Canada
Louis Billouart, Chevalier de Kerlerec appointed governor of colony
Tensions between French and British increasing
Stage set for French and Indian war
Caught in middle of squabbles with commissary commissioner
1762: Colony given to Spain

34. Life in the Colony
Began as a struggle in French colonial Louisiana in the wilderness
Challenging environment
Adaptation of people to suit location
Daily hardships faced by colonists
Elements of culture added to improve their lives

35. The People Early explorers and promoters (hardy French Canadians)
Free-spirited woodsmen (coureur-de-bois – “woods runner” in French
Preferred independent lifestyle to settling in colony
Early French colonists
Lacked survival skills for harsh environment
Many interested in search for gold & silver
German farmers (hardy, saved colony)

36. The People
African slaves (hard labor, created economic growth in colony)
Soldiers (considered as rejects of army)
Women
Scarce in the colony
Absence, causing instability in colony
1728: Arrival of “casket girls”
Some women of bad reputation sent from the streets of Paris

37. Religion
Roman Catholic: official religion of France and the Louisiana colony
Church supported by the government
Nuns & priests provided for the colony
Few of the early priests lived among the Indians as missionaries
Schools established by nuns & priests
Early days: Mardi Gras & other church holidays celebrated

38. Lifestyles
Early population of Louisiana between 6,000 & 7,000 when colony given up by France
Gambling & card playing main entertainment
Few elegant homes, majority of logs or bricks
Ignorant about diseases / health awareness
Jean Louis: money left in will (provisions for a charity hospital in New Orleans)
Clothing: made mostly from imported cloth – elegant clothing (from France) worn by wealthy

39. Success or Failure
Factors contributing to success or failure of French colony of Louisiana
Colony under regulations of France
Colony affected by hurricanes, mosquitoes, heat, & humidity
The first colonists – a poor choice?
Leaders of the colony
Those seeking to benefit colony
Those seeking profits for themselves
Trade restrictions
Inadequate funding & supplies
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