New France
Knowing
little about the capitalistic motives of the Europeans, the native people were
duped into forfeiting claims to a vast amount of this country’s resources to
satisfy the whims of fortune- seeking entrepreneurs. French merchants realized
the indispensable fur bearing animals, especially the beaver, were plentiful in
North America as they were becoming rare in Europe. These furs provided the
human wearer protection against the elements and served as a mark of social
distinction. Dangerous employment opportunities existed for the Indian people
who fought the cold frigid waters to capture the beaver because their fur was
thicker during the colder months. The French may have appeared to be on friendlier
terms with the native people than the British; however, they had the same goal
in mind, profitable endeavors without consideration for the needs of the native
people.
The
exploration of the Canadian territory began with Jacques Cartier, a Frenchman, who
traveled down the St. Lawrence Seaway to Quebec and Montreal in 1535 to
establish trade with the Iroquois to exchange European goods for furs. The
French developed unified relationships with numerous Algonquian tribes along
the St. Lawrence shores and parts of what was known as New France, encompassing
much of current-day Quebec and Nova Scotia. The French settled in, or lived in
close proximity to the Indian villages.
The French explorers and
entrepreneurs encouraged the Indian people to carry out their Indian
ceremonies, and the French people also participated in many of these
ceremonies. A canon was fired from a French settlement as a salute to honor and
welcome an Indian chief who exhibited and/or carried a French flag to show his
support for them. Welcoming ceremonies included gifts, such as guns,
ammunition, kegs of brandy, metal tools, blankets, clothing and beads. As the
French traveled with the Indian people and settled near tribal communities,
they adopted many of their customs. For example, the mosquitoes and black flies
could be a real nuisance, and the French learned how to smear their bodies with
bear grease to prevent the bugs from biting them. [i]
During the
1580s, French trading companies were set up in the region of what was later referred
to as New France. French frontiersmen were referred to as coureurs de bois or forest runners. Another name given to these
brave men was voyageurs who happened
to be canoeists or travelers. The reduction of the beaver population forced the
coureurs de bois to go further into
the interior of Canada.[ii] The fur-trading business ended up being
catastrophic for the Indian people. Not only was the beaver population
depleted, the population of the native people was decreased considerably by the
ravages of traders’ disease to which they had no immunity. Smallpox was the
number one killer, with measles, scarlet fever, diphtheria, typhus, whooping
cough, and influenza following suit. Also, the fur trade created an upheaval of
tribal communities as they fought one another and joined forces with European
allies to gain control of land bases and its resources.[iii]
The Missionaries
usually known as the Jesuits lived with the Indian tribes while they sought to
convert them to Christianity.[iv] The
Jesuits became advocates for the Indian people. The main purpose of their work
was to preach the Gospel in this newly discovered land. Their views were based
on the belief that endorsed subordination of humans, plants and animals to a
hierarchy based on devotion to the Trinity of the Father, Son and the Holy
Spirit. Democracy did not exist within this order and there was no communal structure
based on equality. The system supported the belief that superiors and inferiors
existed. There were those who were destined to spread the word and maintain
control and those who were followers. This system was put into place, according
to the Jesuits, by a certain divine agreement and order.[v]
The Jesuits did not endorse the use
of alcohol as a trade item. Intoxicated Indians were unlikely candidates to be
converted to Christianity. The Jesuits lobbied in Europe against the use of
brandy and rum as trade commodities. Their lobbying efforts were generally
unsuccessful. If French alcohol was prohibited, it would be substituted with
alcoholic beverages supplied by British colonies.
Samuel de
Champlain founded the small village of Quebec with 28 men in 1608. In 1630, 103 colonists resided in this
community and by 1640 the population had grown to 355. Champlain was known as the “Father of New France.” In 1627, Cardinal Richelieu, who was an
advisor to Louis XIII, formed the Company of One Hundred Associates. One of the goals of this company was to
gather investors to provide an income for New France by promising land parcels.
French aspirations in this newly founded territory were the expansion of
mercantile business and agriculture. Another one of main missions of this
company was to expand the fur trade with the Indians. New France encompassed
what is present-day Quebec, Nova Scotia and another large section of the
eastern portion of Canada. Richelieu’s grand plan encompassed all lands between
present-day Florida and the Arctic Circle. The Company of One Hundred
Associates was given the cartel in trade except in the cod and whaling
industry, which was awarded to other European countries by those in power in
Europe.[vi]
Part of
Champlain’s undertaking to settle New France was to learn how to adapt to life
in North America. Champlain ordered young French men to live with the tribal
people learning their language and customs. Champlain became sociable with the
Algonquin and Huron Indians living near Quebec.
He believed these peaceful relationships would ensure a more successful
fur-trading business and help prevent Indian attacks on the French settlement. Shiploads
of marriageable women were transported to the new territory as part of the plan
to enlarge the French population. Eager French governmental officials coerced
settlers to relocate with cash payments. Bounties were paid as an incentive for
couples to produce large families. Fines were levied on fathers of daughters
who were unmarried after the age of 15. All of these sanctions were attempts to
increase the population of New France.[vii]
The French
sought to build communities as significant as the British colonies. The French
settlers numbered in the hundreds. The British colonies were more heavily
populated and prosperous. Samuel de Champlain was appointed governor of New
France, and he made it part of his plan to convert New France into a more affluent
region.
To expand the French territories,
Champlain mentored Entienne Brule, and sent him to explore much of the region
around the St. Lawrence River and beyond.
Brule was credited with being one of the first Europeans to discover the
area which is referred to as Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. He also befriended
some of the members of the Huron tribe, learned their language and served as an
interpreter concerning trading expeditions between the French and Huron
Indians. Brule went against his country in 1629 when he guided an English
military group down the St. Lawrence River and to their successful takeover of
Quebec City. Champlain was angry and stated that Brule needed to be punished
for his actions. Brule continued to live with the Huron Indians until he was
captured by the Seneca Iroquois in battle. When he returned home to the Hurons,
they didn’t believe his story and murdered him. Given Brule’s deceitful past it
was probably wise that the Hurons did not trust him. Champlain was not known for
betraying his country or intentionally betraying the Indian people he
befriended.
The colony was dependent on the fur
trade and began experimenting in agriculture. In 1628, England and France were
at war. Due to the exhaustion of their food and gun powder supply, Champlain
had to surrender the fort. However, he did not abandon his colony. Champlain
was taken prisoner by the British. He argued that the surrender occurred after
the end of the war. The colony was restored to France. In 1633, he returned to
Quebec with a few more settlers. Champlain rebuilt the fort he originally built
25 years earlier. [viii]
[i]
Conlan,R. (1994). People of the Lakes:
The Native Americans. Virginia: Time-Life Education, 141.
[ii] Nies,
J. (1996). A Chronology of a Culture’s
Vast Achievements and Their Links to World Events. New York: Ballentine Books, 75-98.
[iii]
Conlan, R. (1994). People of the Lakes:
The Native Americans. Virginia:
Time-Life Education, 133.
[iv] The
Jesuits learned the Indian languages and it was suggested that the Indian
people kept their cultures in tact while they converted to Christianity.
O’Brien, G. (2008). World History Timeline, The Timeline of Native Americans: The Ultimate Guide to North America’s
Indigenous Peoples. San Diego: Thunder Bay Press, 81.
[v] The
purpose and reasoning behind the Jesuit order in the chapter entitled The Company of Ignatius was delineated as all on earth was considered
subordinate and those who were divined to spread the word of the Gospel were
chosen to do so. There was an election for General of the Jesuits orders and
these were elected positions. Martin, M. (1987). The Jesuits: The Society of Jesus and the Betrayal of the Roman
Catholic Church. New York: Simon and Schuster,188-199.
[vi] Nies,
J. (1996). A Chronology of a Culture’s
Vast Achievements and Their Links to World Events. New York: Ballentine Books, 132.
[vii]
Conlan, R. (1994). People of the Lakes:
The Native Americans. Virginia: Time-Life Education, 142.
[viii]
Britannica. Samuel de Champlain. Retrieved
on October 8, 2014 from www.britanniica.com/EBchecked/topic/105187/Samuel-de-Champlain.
xxv Working with
Nature. Beaver Solutions. Retrieved
on October 18, 2014 from www.beaversolutions.com/about_beaver_biology.asp.
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