Transcript Chapter 2 The French in North America

Chapter 2
The French in North America
Chapter Inquiry:
What kind of society did the
French colonists create in their
North American colonies?
This section will explore the
following outcomes…
• The social and economic
factors for European
imperialism.
• The ways in which
European imperialism
impacted the social and
economic structures of
the Aboriginal societies
you studied in Chapter1.
Chapter 2 Vocabulary
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Colony
Empire
Imperialism
Monopoly
Acadians
Metis
Sovereign Council
Habitants
Seigneurial System
Jesuits
Canadiens
• Colony  A territory controlled by
another country.
• Empire  A network of colonies
controlled by a single country.
• Imperialism  A country extending its
control over other countries , often
using economic or military means.
• Monopoly  When only one company or
group is allowed to sell or trade a
product in a certain area.
• Acadians  A Francophone citizen of
Acadia.
• Metis  People of mixed First Nations and
European ancestry who identify
themselves as Metis people. They are
distinct from First Nations, Inuit and nonAboriginal peoples.
• Sovereign Council  A government with three
officials: a Governor, an Intendant, and a Bishop,
set up by King Louis XIV (14th) to govern the
colony of New France.
• Habitants  A Francophone farmer of New
France.
• Seigneurial System  A social system based on
nobles (or seigneurs) who rented land to farmers
(or habitants); the habitants had to give seigneurs
a portion of their annual crop and pay other fees,
and the seigneurs had to build a mill and a
church on their land for the farmers.
• Jesuits  An order of missionaries who
came to North America to convert First
Nations peoples to the Catholic faith.
• Canadiens  A Francophone
descendent of the settlers of New
France living anywhere in North
America, including the West (in use
until about the First World War)
1) The most fascinating part of
Aboriginal cultures in North
America was…
2) My Prediction of how
Aboriginal life will be
disrupted by European
contact is…
EUROPEAN IMPERIALISM
• When Europeans first came to Canada, they created new
settlements called ‘colonies’.
•
Colony: a territory of land that is controlled by another country.
• Empires are networks of colonies controlled by a single
country, called the Home Country.
• Colonies did not have control over their own political or
economic affairs – decisions were made by the home
country.
Imperialism is the domination by one country of the political,
economic, or cultural life of another country or region.
A time period in history where powerful European countries
would go into other nations and attempt to take them over
and control them.
They did this so that they could build their Empires.
• These 2 countries
eventually competed with
each other for territory in
Canada.
• This competition eventually
led to war between these
2 countries in a fight for
who would control North
America.
European Imperialism
• The 2 most powerful
European imperial
countries were Britain and
France.
New France
• In this chapter, we will investigate why France
was interested in building a colony in North
America.
• We’ll look at the journeys of some French
explorers as they set out to claim new lands for
France.
• In Chapter 1, you learned about the societies
and economies of three different First Nations. In
this chapter, you’ll look at these same aspects of
New France.
European Imperialism
Europeans began arriving in
the land we call Canada
1000 years ago. They were
the Norse, who sailed from
Scandinavia. In the 1400s, long
after the Norse had left North
America, sailors from Spain, Portugal, and possibly England
crossed the Atlantic to catch fish off the shores of presentday Newfoundland and Labrador. These fishermen were
followed by many other Europeans, who came across the
ocean as explorers and colonists. In this section, you’ll
examine the different reasons why the imperial countries of
Europe decided to cross the ocean to North America. You’ll
see why they wanted to claim colonies here.
Looking for a New Silk Road
•
•
For centuries, the countries of
•
Europe traded with Asia to
obtain spices, tea, silk, porcelain,
and precious gems.
To bring these goods home, the
Europeans travelled a route
known as the Silk Road. This long
overland route crossed through
Asia and Eastern Europe. The
route was dangerous - ambush
parties would often attack the
traders, they would either steal
the traders’ cargo or charge
them a large payment, or “tax,”
to pass through the territory.
•
By the 1400s, the Europeans
were eager to find another route
to Asia, preferably a water route.
In 1492, Queen Isabella sent
Christopher Columbus west
across the Atlantic – this began
an interest in the land of the
west.
RECALL
• Why were the
Europeans looking
for a new route to
Asia?
• Why did Queen
Isabella send
Christopher
Columbus west
across the Atlantic
in 1492?
Why were the Europeans
looking for a new route to
Asia?
• The route was
dangerous because
ambush parties would
often attack the
traders.
• They would either steal
the traders’ cargo or
charge them a large
payment, or “tax,” to
pass through the
territory.
Why did Queen Isabella
send Christopher
Columbus west across the
Atlantic in 1492?
• Other countries like
Portugal began looking
for a new route, so
Queen Isabella of
Spain decided to send
Christopher Columbus
westward in search of
a new route.
Expanding Across the Ocean
• Why did the imperial countries of
Europe want to expand their empires?
•
•
•
•
Economics
Competition
Religion
Curiosity
Reason for
Exploration
Explanation
Economics
Europeans set up colonies so they could claim the resources
of the land for themselves. In Canada, the resource the
Europeans valued most was fur, since the beaver had been
hunted to extinction in Europe, they looked to North America
for more.
Competition The countries of Europe were often at war with one another
as they competed for land and resources. The more colonies
a country controlled, the more power and prestige it had.
Religion
Most Europeans were Christians. There was competition within
the Christian faith between the Catholics and the Protestants.
Most people in France were Catholic. Most people in England
were Protestant. Both groups wanted to send missionaries
around the world to spread their version of Christianity.
Curiosity
The Europeans were also curious about what lay beyond the
horizon. New technologies and improvements in navigation
helped them to travel farther than they had ever been
before.
#2) arguments for:
-trade - European tools and technologies simplified tasks
-an opportunity to learn about other culture's and lands
arguments against:
-loss of land and resources
-disruption to their traditional ways of life
- pressure to adopt European ways
- illness and death from previously unknown diseases
-suspicion and mistrust of Europeans
France Takes an Interest in
North America
France entered the race to find an ocean passage
to Asia in the mid-1500s. The king, François I, was
determined that his people should find a route
before the other countries of Europe. The French
decided to start their search by exploring North
America. This section
looks at some of the
reasons the French
continued to come back
to North America and
eventually built colonies
here.
Cartier Crosses the Atlantic
The king of France sent a
French sea captain named
Jacques Cartier to find a
passage through North
America to Asia.
In 1534, Cartier set out across
the Atlantic with two ships.
After 20 days at sea, he
arrived off the coast of
Newfoundland. Sailing around
the north end of the island,
Cartier entered a broad
inland sea—the Gulf of St.
Lawrence.
One day, Cartier and his men were exploring along the
shore. They came across a group of Mi’kmaq [MIG-mah]
paddling in their canoes.
Can you imagine how the Mi’kmaq reacted upon
encountering Cartier and his crew? The boat would have
been larger than any they had seen before. The style of
clothing and the language of the men on board would
have been unfamiliar to them as well.
In his journal, Cartier wrote about what happened next
from his point of view…
This is the first known written
account of trade between the
Europeans and First Nations
peoples. What things in this
account suggest that the
Mi’kmaq had traded before?
With whom do you think they
might have traded?
The Challenges of Settlement
In July 1534, Cartier landed at a place he called Gaspé. There,
he met a First Nations people called the Haudenosaunee and
their leader, a man named Donnacona.
After this meeting, Cartier took two of Donnacona’s sons,
Taignoagny and Domagaya, on board his ship. He sailed with
them back to France to prove to the king what he had found.
In 1535, Cartier returned to North America with three ships and
110 men. He brought Donnacona’s sons back with him. They
guided the French up the St. Lawrence River, deeper into the
continent.
Cartier and his crew decided to stay the winter. However, many
of the crew became ill and died from scurvy, a disease brought
on by a lack of vitamin C. But the Haudenosaunee had a cure
for scurvy. Without their help, Cartier and the rest of his men may
not have survived the winter.
Question:
What were some of the Challenges of settlement for
Cartier and his men?
Land of Riches
The Haudenosaunee told
Cartier about a land
northeast of their village
where there were fruit trees,
metals, and gems.
In the spring of 1536, Cartier
forcibly took Donnacona
and nine other villagers back
to Europe.
Cartier hoped this
information about the riches
in North America would
convince the king to pay for
another voyage.
Cartier Visits Again
Cartier returned to North America in 1542. He planned to
set up a colony along the St. Lawrence River.
By this time, all but one of the Haudenosaunee Cartier had
taken across the ocean had died in Europe, however,
Cartier told the Haudenosaunee that the people he took
were well and living in Europe. As a result, the
Haudenosaunee were hostile toward the French.
After another terrible winter, the French colonists decided
to return to Europe. Although he was not able to establish a
permanent colony in North America, Cartier did succeed in
gathering important information about the land across the
ocean.
What did Cartier accomplish during his
explorations?
-Cartier's voyages established the French
presence in North America
-Opened up new trading opportunities
-Established the first contact with the First
Nations.
France Expands Its Empire
• Jacques Cartier’s settlement on the St. Lawrence River
had failed, but the French did not forget about North
America completely. Fishing fleets still came to the North
Atlantic each year. Fur traders still came to trade with
First Nations trappers.
• In this section, you’ll learn
how France began to
build North American
colonies at Acadia and
You’ll see why
Champlain
and some First Nations forged
alliances, and you’ll
investigate the impact these
alliances had on the colonies.
Québec.
the explorer
The French Return
Why did the French Return to North America?
• By the early 1600s, the demand for furs in Europe was
growing. The French king, Louis XIII, decided that France
should build a colony in North America. Then they would
have access to the abundant supply of furs.
• Another reason the French returned to North America was
that Louis XIII wanted to be the most powerful ruler in Europe.
To reach his goal, he needed to expand France’s colonial
empire. Resources from the colonies would give France a
military advantage over its imperial rivals.
The French Return - Monopoly
• The king knew that a colony so far from home
would be expensive for him to build and
support.
• So, the king granted a trade monopoly to a
group of merchants. This meant that only the
merchants within the group would be allowed
to trade for furs in the colony.
• In return, the merchants agreed to build
settlements in North America and find French
citizens to live in them.
The French in Acadia
In 1604, a French noble named Pierre de Monts
received a monopoly. He sailed to North America
to set up a colony. He took a map-maker and
explorer named Samuel de Champlain with him.
In the spring of 1605,de Monts established a settlement at Port Royal on
the Bay of Fundy. The French called the area Acadia.
At first, the Mi’kmaq who lived there did NOT object to the newcomers.
The French did not interfere with their fishing and hunting activities, and
the Mi’kmaq welcomed the chance to trade their furs for metal goods
and blankets. The Mi’kmaq were willing to share the land as long as they
had access to it.
In time, more and more French people came to Acadia. Acadia offered
poor farmers from France an opportunity to make a new start. The
colonists spread out along the shores of the Bay of Fundy. They survived
through farming, fishing, and hunting. These French pioneers formed a
unique community and culture. They were the first Acadians.
The Founding of Québec
Port Royal was a long way from the
centre of the fur trade, so de Monts
and Champlain decided to move
to the St. Lawrence River. They
chose a site near Stadacona,
where Jacques Cartier had built a
fort many years earlier.
The French colonists called their
settlement Québec. It was an ideal
place to trade furs.
However, living conditions were far
from ideal for the colonists. During
their first winter, 20 of the 28
newcomers died due to the
weather and lack of food.
Positive
The King
A French Colonist
First Nations Person
Negative
Wealth in the form of land Difficult building and
and resources.
controlling a colony
from far away.
The promise of a better life
Economic freedom.
Difficult establishing a life
with so few resources.
Trade with the Europeans. Europeans trying to
assimilate them and take
their land
Exploring Deeper into the Continent
Aside from the official explorers, the first
people to leave the settlements of New
France and begin roaming the countryside
were the coureurs de bois (in English,
“runners of the woods”).
In this section, you’ll investigate how these
adventurers and the First Nations built the fur
trade. You’ll see why they pushed farther
west and south into the continent. As you
read about their explorations, you’ll analyze
how European ideas of land ownership
caused conflict between them and the First
Nations peoples.
The Coureurs de Bois
The coureurs de bois lived for long periods
among the First Nations.
- Many married First Nations women, and
these couples became parents to the first
Métis [may-TEE].
- They learned to speak the First Nations’
languages, how to build birchbark canoes
and other skills they needed to survive
- Many were lured into the fur trade by the
promise of adventure, freedom, and
money.
- They also acted as guides and interpreters
for the French traders.
Cultural Exchange ...Even Then
A young French colonist named Étienne Brûlé was
one of the first coureurs de bois. In 1610, the French
and the Wendat agreed to a cultural exchange.
Brûlé went to live with the Wendat. A young Wendat
man named Savignon went to live in France.
During his years living with them, Brûlé gained an
appreciation for the Wendat way of life. He learned
to speak their language, practiced their customs,
travelled with the Wendat hunters and came to
know their territory.
Things did not go as well for Savignon in France.
Savignon described France as a place where
children were treated badly and where beggars
lived in the streets.
Expanding West
Two of the most adventurous coureurs de bois
were Pierre Radisson and his brother-in-law,
des Groseilliers.
Radisson came to New France in 1650 as a
boy. He lived with the Mohawk for 2 years and
learned to speak their language and survive in
the woods.
In 1659, he joined des Groseilliers on a trading
trip deep inland to the far end of Lake
Superior. The First Nations people welcomed
them wherever they went. They claimed these
lands for France by giving French names to
some of the settlements, lakes, rivers,
mountains, and other landforms they
encountered.
In 1670, Radisson and des Groseilliers travelled
to Hudson Bay and founded a fur-trading
business called the Hudson’s Bay Company.
Expanding South
The French heard for many years the First
Nations talk about a mighty river beyond the
Great Lakes that flowed into the south. In the
Cree language, the river was called the
Mississippi—the “big river.”
In 1672, the king of France sent two explorers,
Louis Jolliet and Jacques Marquette, to find
out where this mysterious river flowed. After
several weeks of canoeing, they learned that
there was a Spanish colony in the area.
Worried that the Spanish might take them
hostage, Jolliet and Marquette turned back.
In 1682, a French fur trader named René
Robert Cavelier de la Salle finally reached the
mouth of the Mississippi River at the Gulf of
Mexico. This allowed France to claim
ownership of all of the Mississippi country. They
called it Louisiana.
Different Perspectives about Land
Like people from the other imperial
countries of Europe, the French claimed
“ownership” of the territories they explored.
First Nations believed land was to be shared
by everyone. Although a First Nation
granted certain families the right to hunt
and fish in a territory, no one owned land
privately.
While France claimed a large territory, most
colonists remained clustered along the St.
Lawrence River. To gain control of the
territory, France needed more colonists. But
it wasn’t easy to persuade people to come
to New France - the climate was much
colder than it was in France and it was hard
to start a farm in the wilderness. As a result,
the population in the colony grew slowly.
#3) Differing beliefs about land ownership…
First Nations believed that no individual could
own the land and that people had an obligation
to manage resources for future generations.
Europeans believed that individuals could own
land and that resources were to be used for gain.
Economy and Government in
New France
In this section, you’ll
investigate how the king
of France increased the
population of the colony.
You’ll analyze the
tensions between the
French and some First
Nations. You’ll examine
the role of religion and
the Catholic Church in
building the colony.
Finally, you’ll investigate
the way of life that was
evolving in New France.
The Royal Takeover
New France depended on France for
colonists, supplies, and military protection.
In return, New France supplied resources
such as furs and fish.
The colony made France richer and more
powerful In the early days of New France,
however, this system was not working
well. To the merchants who ran it, New
France was simply a place to trade for
furs. They had little interest in building
settlements. As a result, few people
wanted to move there, and the colony
failed to prosper.
In 1663, King Louis XIV took control of the colony from the
merchants. He set up a Sovereign Council to govern the colony.
This council was made up of appointed councilors and three key
officials:
Governor.
– The most powerful member, the King’s personal representative, was
usually an army officer and a noble. He took charge of the defence
of the colony and of its relations with allies and enemies.
Intendant.
– The second-most important official, was in charge of the day-to-day
affairs of the colony. He supervised the courts, saw that roads were
built and that settlers were looked after, and managed the
economy. The first intendant in New France was Jean Talon.
Bishop.
– The head of the church in the colony was the bishop. As a member
of the Sovereign Council, he played a leading role in politics as well.
The first bishop, François de Laval, opened a seminary in Québec to
train priests; it later became Laval University.
The royal government paid the
colony’s expenses - taxes were
lower than they were in France.
The government of New France
was all-powerful - the colonists
had to follow the rules and laws
established By the Sovereign
Council.
Overall, the people enjoyed
greater freedom in New France
than they had back in France.
A distinctive Francophone
society developed. The
colonists were expected to be
responsible, contributing
members. In this way, they
became the citizens of New
France.
Who in the government could best handle
the following queries?
- A fur trader worried about an attack by the Haudenosaunee
- A priest concerned about opening a new mission
- A First Nations leader wanting to reach an agreement with
the King
- A merchant in Montreal wanting the government to build a
new wharf on the river
- A carpenter wanting a loan to start a sawmill
- A habitant seeking exemption from militia duty
- An official worried about a food shortage in the coming
winter
Who in the government could best handle
the following queries?
- A fur trader worried about an attack by the Haudenosaunee (the
governnor - defence)
- A priest concerned about opening a new mission (the bishop religion)
- a First Nations leader wanting to reach an agreement with the King
(governnor - represents the King)
- a merchant in Montreal wanting the government to build a new
wharf on the river (intendant - finances)
- a carpenter wanting a loan to start a sawmill (intendant - finances)
- a habitant seeking exemption from militia duty (governor - militia
companies)
- an official worried about a food shortage in the coming winter
(intendant - responsibility for the settlers)
The Catholic Church in New France
In France, most people were Catholic. Therefore, almost all the colonists in New
France were Catholic, too. Priests, nuns, and missionaries who went to New
France helped build the colony. They held religious services, taught school, ran
hospitals, and cared for the poor.
The colonists supported the Church and its activities by donating a portion of
their income, called a tithe. The most important goal of the Church was to
spread the Catholic faith. The missionaries came to North America to convert
First Nations peoples to their religion.
The village of Ville-Marie (today known as Montreal) was founded as a place
where missionaries could do this.
Key Characteristics of the
Catholic Church in New
France:
•
Catholic church was the only
church allowed in the colony
•
The bishop led the church and
formed part of the government
•
The church operated schools
and hospitals
•
The church was the centre of
community life
•
The church tried to convert First
Nations people
•
Some members provided
important historical information
through their journals and
diaries
Catholic Church In New France
– The Jesuits
A series of journals called the
Jesuit Relations were written
by a special order of
missionaries. The Jesuits, who
started arriving in New
France in 1625, wrote mainly
about their work and travels.
They sent their journals back
to France, where they were
published. The following is an
excerpt from the Jesuit
Relations. In it, a Jesuit
missionary described the
conversion of some Wendat
children and their parents to
the Catholic faith.
Populating the Colony
Aside from nuns, few French women were
interested in living in New France. But the
colony needed women to marry the male
colonists and raise families.
The king had a solution. Between 1665 and
1673, he sent about 900 single young women
and girls to New France to become wives. The
women were known as the filles du roi—the
“king’s daughters.”
Within 14 years, the population of New France
grew from 3200 to 10 000. After 1680, there
were few newcomers from France. These 10
000 colonists are therefore the ancestors of
most Canadians of French descent—the
original Canadiens.
Population growth was
slow in the early days
of the colony,
however population
increased more
quickly after the 'filles
du roi', 900 single
young females sent by
the French king to New
France to marry
French colonists.
The king wanted to build
a powerful empire,
therefore he need New
France to succeed.
Women in New France
The family was the centre of daily life in New France. Women worked in the
fields, cared for their homes and children, and helped manage the family
finances.
Girls in New France received a better education than they did in France. The
nuns operated the schools and taught the children how to read and write as
well as how to do domestic chores. Since there were more schools for girls
than for boys in the colony, girls often received a better education.
Many children had a greater opportunity to attend school than children in
France did. In France, many children were sent to the cities at a young age to
learn a trade. Therefore, they never attended school.
The Economy of New France
The social structure of New France was
based on the seigneurial system - The
king gave large tracts of land along
the St. Lawrence River to the nobles,
called seigneurs. In return, each
seigneur had to find colonists to settle
the land. These colonists, known as
habitants, rented strips of land from the
seigneur and set up farms.
Both seigneurs and habitants had
duties to each other that were
protected by law. Each habitant had
to give the seigneur a portion of each
year’s crop and pay other fees. The
seigneur had to build a mill and a
church on his land. The seigneurial
system became the model for
settlement throughout New France.
The French: Forging the
Foundations of Canada
The citizens of New France had a much different life than
they would have had if they had stayed in France - they
had more food and better houses than people in the
home country did.
As well as being pioneers in the fur trade, they were
explorers of the interior as far west as the plains and as far
south as the Gulf of Mexico. The French colonists became
a self-reliant people with a unique way of life that was
distinct from that of France. Through hard work and
perseverance, the citizens of New France laid the
foundations of Canada.
They established the fur trade, explored and mapped
much of the interior and became a strong and unique
society.
Farms are still laid out in long strips of land along
the river, just like the seigneurial system.