New France

Knowing little about the capitalistic motives of the Euro-peans, 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. Danger existed for the Indian people who fought the cold frigid waters to capture the beaver because their fur was thicker during the colder months. French merchants realized the indispensable fur bearing animals, especially the beaver, were plentiful in North America as they were becoming rare in Europe. The furs provided the human wearer protection against the elements and served as a mark of social distinction. 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, which were 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 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.

When 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]  

            These canoeists wore brightly woven sashes, deerskin leggings, and moccasins. On colder days they wore a capote or blanket coat. They were instantly recognizable and stood apart from other men. Voyageurs and coureurs de bois were short and wiry, on average five-foot-six in height. Despite their smaller stature, they were amazingly strong and had an inexhaustible amount of stamina. Samuel de Champlain relied on these brave men and the Indian men to help him with his business ventures.

            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.[iii]

            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. Cham-plain 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.[iv] 

            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. [v]

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[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] Nies, J. (1996). A Chronology of a Culture’s Vast Achievements and Their Links to World Events. New York:  Ballentine Books, 132.

[iv] Conlan, R. (1994). People of the Lakes: The Native Americans. Virginia: Time-Life Education, 142.

[v] 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.


Brunner, S. (2016). Shadow Travelers. Michigan: Freedom Eagles Press.