1. French Settlers & First Nations
New France
French Settlers & First Nations

2. New France
New France is the term used to describe the territory in North America claimed by France
New France when it was most successful stretched from the Atlantic Coast to the foothills of the Rockies, and from Hudson Bay to the Gulf of Mexico

3. Think about it
Who is in the picture? What is happening? What message is the artist giving in this picture?

4. Why Come to North America?
France wanted to become an international power
Many European countries were founding colonies all over the world
Why do you think that would be?

5. 1534 Voyage 1
Jacques Cartier arrived in Quebec and put up a large cross to show that France claimed the land
The cross had the words “Vive Le Roi de France”
The local Iroquois chief, Donnacona objected and Cartier told him not to worry it was only for navigation
Cartier then left the area and took Donnacona’s two sons with him back to France against their will

6. Quote
Pointing to the cross, (Donnacona)…pointed to the land all about as if he wished to say that all this regions belonged to him, and that we ought not to have set our cross without his permission
~Jacques Cartier~

7. Think about it:
Who is in this picture? What is going on? What message is the artist giving in this picture?

8. 1535 Voyage 2 Cartier returned to Stadaconda (Quebec City)
Spring of 1536 Cartier takes 10 villagers, including Donnacona, and forced them to return to France with him
All but one little girl, died soon after arriving in France
Think about it: What would have caused their deaths?

9. Secret of Anneda
Cartier took Donnacona and the villagers to France with him against their will even though Donnacona had saved Cartier’s life
Cartier and him men were sick with scurvy
Donnacona shared with Cartier the secret of white cedar tea (Anneda), a cure for scurvy.
The French said God had saved them rather than the assistance of the Iroquois

10. Voyage
Cartier returned in 1541 and admits that Donnacona died but said the others decided to stay in France where they lived as “Great Lords”
The Iroquois were deeply suspicious of Cartier and France
Cartier brought 1500 settlers with him and he set up a colony near Stadaconda
The colony was closed down in 1543 when the few settlers who survived both scurvy and the winter returned to France

12. Jacques Cartier History Minute

13. 1550s-1580s New France did not have gold but it did have fur
Beaver fur was very fashionable in Europe and was used to make felt
The European beaver was almost extinct
French businessmen realized they could make lots of money with the North American beaver
From 1581 to 1584 many businessmen organized trips to North America to make money from beaver

14. Fur Trade
As more and more traders arrived word spread amongst the First Nations that they could trade beaver pelt for many goods such as axe heads, blankets, fish hooks, pots, fire arms and ammunition
At first the trade was based on respect and cooperation as both sides had lots to gain

15. Coureurs de Bois
Young men of New France saw that they could make lots of money from beaver pelt and they decided to work for themselves not a company
They became expert canoeists and were called Coureurs de bois
Trading between First Nations was done through family connections and many stayed to live with a First Nations band through the winter
Some adapted to the First Nations way of life and married
Their children were known as Metis
This created ties between the French traders and First Nations

17. Trade Trap First Nations Europeans
First Nations were exposed to alcohol through trade
New French settlements meant they were pushed out from the best hunting areas
To get the European goods they now wanted so badly they ended up selling land and moved away from their traditional life
Able to get fur relatively cheaply which in turn meant profit for European businesses
As the First Nations got more dependent on them they also managed to get land and claims
As beaver pelts became more popular the North American beaver was facing extinction

18. Birth of New France Settlement 1
By 1598 France decided they wanted to make New France a permanent settlement and sent Marquis de la Roche to Canada
De la Roche was given a MONOPOLY on the fur trade
To get this monopoly he had to guarantee a certain number of settlers to the colony
He was unsuccessful

19. Settlement 2
Pierre du Guast, Sieur de Monts was given the monopoly and settled in what is now Nova Scotia
It was so cold that few settlers survived the winter
In spring he moved to the mainland and created Port Royal in an area still known as Acadia

20. Samuel de Champlain 1608 Champlain worked for Sieur de Monts
He convinced his leader to take colonists to settle along the St. Lawrence River
They created the fort in what is now known as Quebec City
This was first permanent settlement in New France

21. Samuel de Champlain
The early years were hard but the population of Quebec City grew slowly
In 1633 Champlain was made governor of New France
To protect his settlement he worked with local First Nations people
He supported the Huron against the Iroquois
The Iroquois ended up being enemies of France in a war that lasted over 90 years!

22. English Enter
In 1661 two traders tried to get a license for a monopoly from France so they could trade in fur in a new area for fur trade
France said “No” so they went to the British who said, “Yes”
The British wanted to make money off of the trade as well and saw this as their chance

23. Hudson Bay Company
In 1670 the HBC was created and they had all the fur in Rupert’s Land
This gave them a monopoly on all fur around the Hudson’s Bay
Forts were erected and the British waited eagerly for the fur to arrive
It did of course and the British had a network of forts
Britain and France were now competing to make the most money and control the most forts and land in Canada

24. HBC v. NWC
Scottish and French fur traders joined together to form the North West Company (NWC)
The NWC competed with HBC (Hudson’s Bay Company)
These traders competed fiercely and sometimes violently

25. Let’s Talk About it:
The history of New France is usually told from the point of view of the French settlers and fur traders. The truth is that there were more First Nations people than French and they actually controlled the fur trade at the beginning. Why is the perspective of the French settlers told more often than the First Nations. Explain.