Settling the new world was an exciting, challenging, intriguing, and frightening journey for many European nations. The French were one of the many nations to join the arduous expedition of sailing across the Atlantic Ocean to a seemingly untouched wilderness. On arrival to the new world, French settlers were faced with many questions. Who will we meet? Where will we live? How will we survive? What kind of government will we have? What kind of work will we do in New France? Will our families thrive in this unexplored land? Will God keep us strong and protect us? It is difficult to imagine how many other unknowns the first settlers had running through their heads on the long journey to what would be their new home (or their early demise). The following posts will answer these questions, as well as many more, in an attempt to draw together a picture of life in the French Colonies of the new world.
Who could orchestrate such a large expedition? New France would need a lawful system to function under in a wildly untouched world. The settlers would need leaders whom the King could trust (or whom the King thought he could trust) in order to maintain order in the colonies. However, it took the French one or two stumbles before setting up a successful governmental system.
Government in the French Colonies
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| Cardinal Richelieu |
Between 1627 and 1663, New France was under the Charter of the Company of Hundred Associates, which followed several failed company charters. It was founded by Cardinal Richelieu, King Louis XIV chief minister. Basically, this charter gave a group of investors ‘political power over the colony, seigneurial control of the land, and enjoyed a monopoly of all trade except the whale and cod fisheries’ (Encyclopedia.com). In return for this charter, the company was to provide transportation of 4000 French Catholics to New France between 1628 and 1643, provide for each colonist for three years, and provide them with ample cleared land. Since the company was so focused on the fur trade, it did not fulfill its promise and its charter was revoked. This charter was revoked for failure of the company to live up to its obligations.
In 1663, King Louise XIV adopted a Royal Government with the aspiration of populating the colonies and increasing France’s power. The Royal Government consisted of an Intendant, responsible for economic affairs, a Governor, who was the King’s representative and oversaw defense and relationships with the English and the Indians, and a Bishop who was in charge of the Church. This Royal Government was in effect until 1760 and the fall of New France.
(Submitted by Barbara Lombardi)
References
"Company of One Hundred Associates." Dictionary of American History. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 26 Feb. 2011 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.
Francis, R. Douglas, Richard Jones, Donald B. Smith. Journeys: A History of Canada. Toronto: Nelson Education Limited, 2010.
France, Indre et Loire, Richelieu house in Touraine, the cardinal Richelieu portrait [Portrait]. Retrieved from http://www.superstock.com/stock-photos-images/1792-5964
Who did the French meet when arriving in the new world? Were they faced with unclaimed and untouched wilderness? Of course not! They met Native Americans. These people knew the land, and owned the land that the French had ‘discovered’. In meeting these Natives, the French found themselves in business with a very resourceful partner.
The Indians and the French
The French settler’s were not looking for land. They had formed bonds and friendships with the Native Indians, some even married Indians. They worked together with the Indians supplying furs and the French conducting the business of trade. The French and Natives were able to find peace and harmony with each other, unlike the British Empire. The French Empire in the new land was in the area we now call Louisiana and the area that is known as Canada today.
In the quest to rule the land, the English began reporting stories in the local papers meant to scare others and cause them to be suspicious of the French and Indian relationships. After a few months, the English, in the quest for expansion of land rights, began a war that is known as the French and Indian War. By 1754, the war had started. Many Indians and French lost their lives fighting a war that was encouraged by fear of the relationship of these two diverse groups and the hunger for more land. (Submitted by Robin Tangen)
References
Brainard, Rick. Causes of British and French Revolution. Retrived on March 1, 2011, from http://www.history1700s.com/articles/article1101.shtml
Copeland, David. Fighting for a Continent. Retrieved on March 1, 2011, from http://www.earlyameria.com/review/spring97/newspapers.html
Image of Map. [Picture]. Retrieved March 1, 2011, from http://www.geo.msu.edu/geogmich/frenchindian_war.html\
Fur Trade in the French Colonies
In the early days of the French Colonies in North America the French discovered fish and fur. Fur trade led to agreements between the whites and the Indians. The Indians, who were great hunters, would trade their furs for European products such as, iron tools, utensils, and decorative cloth and beads. The Indians enjoyed the shiny trinkets which the Europeans would trade. The Indians also received firearms and liquor from the Europeans. In exchange for these goods the Iroquois, Huron, Ottawa, Ojibwa, and other Native Americans would do all of the hard work of trapping, skinning, and transporting the pelts to the French traders. The Indians preferred the good the English had to offer, but the French made better relationships with the Indians. The English were quite hostile toward the Native Americans, while the French made better relationships with the Indians. The French had a more peaceful approach toward the Indians. Often they coexisted with them and some even married Indian women. The relationship the French had with the Indians often led to conflict with the English. Fur trading was an important means for survival between the different cultures those days.
(Submitted by Alice Dunn)
References
How Stuff Works. A Discovery Company. (2011, February 23). Retrieved from http://history.howstuffworks.com/american-history/fur-trade2.htm
After coming to New France, a settler would need to contribute to their colony by working. Although Fur Trading provided most support for the economy, there was definite need for other occupations to keep the colonies afloat.
Settler’s Occupations in New France
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| Log Hut in the St. Maurice, by Comelius Krieghoff, 1862 |
The French colonies were primarily supported by fur trading, however, there was always a need for farmers, fishermen, soldiers, and religious workers to help the colonies thrive. Many new settlers were soldiers that had been sent out to protect the colonies and ended up staying in New France, often at the urgings of the King (who frequently offered rewards for settling and populating the colonies). The King would also offer large plots of land called seigneurie to French men in high standings. These men, called Seigneurs, often acted like lords of that land, hiring farmers to live on their property and work the fields. These farmers would work the land of the Seigneurs and then pay ‘rent’ to them by giving them portions of their crops or products from their livestock. During the spring these farmers would work very hard to plant their fields, in summer they would harvest their fields, in fall they would bring the livestock in for the winter and prepare the soil for the next crop as well as stock firewood or work the lumber mill that was often present on the land, and in winter they would care for their livestock. Fishing was also a job that many settlers contributed to, which is why access to waterways was an important aspect of settling New France.
Jesuit priests, male students, and female nuns all did the work of Catholicism in the colonies. Men and boys were tasked with converting Native Americans to Catholicism, which was an arduous and dangerous task. The young men fortunate enough to attend school were taught the languages of the Native Americans (as well as Latin, reading, and arithmetic) so they were able to translate the teachings of Catholicism to the Indians. In the 1600’s, the nun Marie de l’Incarnation built the first school for girls. This school taught girls the same subjects as boys learned, but prepared them for the job of homemaker, wife or nun.
(Submitted by Janna Wieland)
References
Pearson Education Canada. (2008). Pearson Canadian History 7: The Newcomers. Retrieved March 8, 2011, from http://www.pearsoned.ca/school/
ontariopearson7and8/histgeo/media/His7_Unit1.pdf
ontariopearson7and8/histgeo/media/His7_Unit1.pdf
Krieghoff, C. (1862). Log Hut on the St. Maurice [Painting]. Retrieved on March 10, 2011 from http://www.pearsoned.ca/school/ontariopearson7and8/
histgeo/media/His7_Unit1.pdf
histgeo/media/His7_Unit1.pdf
As the French spent most of their time living and working in the same place, their homes played an integral role in their day to day lives. The following post is a deeper look at the small villages and housing of most common French settlers in the new world.
Housing in New France
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Hammond, M.O. Lacolle Quebec Blockhouse |
While a small segment of the population lived in the larger towns, the majority of the colonists lived in small villages, which were situated along the St. Lawrence River. The river provided the colonists with water and transportation. The King of France divided and distributed land to seigneurs, who managed the property and the people living on the property worked the land. Housing was not substantial or elaborate.
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Pierre Delassus DeLuziereHouse |
The villagers’ homes were either built with logs that were packed with a cement-like mixture to keep out the elements or stone was used. Each house typically had two bedrooms and one large room that included the kitchen, living room, and dining room. A small upstairs loft, that was accessible by ladder, was lined with blankets and feathers in the winter where the inhabitants would sleep. They had small, if any front yard, as the river and the roads were generally located close to the homes. Out back, there were storage huts built of wood. They also had stone structure made for baking. Although Seigneurs’ homes contained one or two more bedrooms, and their furnishings and decorations were more elaborate and comfortable because they were imported from France, their homes were not much different from the other villagers. The seigneur and the villagers lived side by side. They worked together, attended church together, and socialized together allowing a greater equality between them (Warren, 2009).
(Submitted by Katarina Orama)
References
Hammond, M.O. (n.d.). Blockhouse, Lacolle Quebec [Photograph]. Retrieved March 4, 2011, from http://www.archives.gov.on.ca/english/on-line-exhibits/
hammond/big/big_82_blockhouse.aspx
hammond/big/big_82_blockhouse.aspx
Historic American Buildings Survey. (n.d.). Pierre Delassus DeLuziereHouse, U.S. Route 61, Sainte Genevieve vicinity, Ste. Genevieve, MO [Photograph]. Retrieved March 4, 2011, from http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/MO1061/
Warren, R.P. (2009). Chronicles of America: Daily life in New France. Retrieved March 4, 2011, from http://www.chroniclesofamerica.com/
french/daily_life_in_new_france.htm
french/daily_life_in_new_france.htm
One of the most dominant forces in the creation and expansion of New France was the agenda of the Catholic Church. The goal of the Catholics was to spread their beliefs, and who better to teach than seemingly barbaric paganistic natives?
Catholicism, the Driving Religion of New France
In the early 1600’s, the French colonies in North America had one principal religion, and that was Roman Catholic. Everything they believed centered on the Catholic Church. The church sent forth missionaries known as Jesuits that were under heavy pressure from the church to convert the Native Americans over to Catholicism. They would translate scriptures and prayers into the different Indian languages in attempts to show them how they were similar to Catholics. The amount of Indians that actually converted to Catholicism was very small. There was also another group of people that came to the colonies known as “Huguenots”. These people were French Protestants that had been forced out of France due to religious persecution. When they reached the colonies they were given the option to convert to Catholicism or they could not stay. Most of them decided to move to one of the British colonies instead.(Submitted by Sherrie Loffler)
References
Hillstrom, L.C. (n.d.). French Americans. Retrieved from http://www.everyculture.com/multi/Du-Ha/French-Americans.html
Image retrieved from http://blogs.stlawu.edu/fexoo/category/awkasasne-reservation/
Karr, J. (2009, Aug. 25). Religious culture in early America: Influences on the American Revolution. Retrieved from http://www.brighthub.com/education/languages/articles/1691.aspx
As many of the original French settlers were single men or military men, it became imperative that in order to settle more land and expand their colonies they would need to start having families. Filles du Roi, young women, were imported from France to the New World in order to marry the single settlers and start families. These women were mostly orphans and would come with a dowry from the King. The following sections take a closer look at the families these women managed as well as the lives of women in the settlements of New France.
The Life of Children in New FranceThe colonial families are very large. Older sons hunted wild birds and other animals for meals. They worked on the farms and harvested crops. Children in the colonies were taught earlier on in life that they should work harder and that laziness is a sin.
There were very few schools in the colonies. Once a school was established, there would be many children to one teacher. Girls in the colonies did not go very far in education because they were expected to stay home and run the household. Life expectancy in the French Colonies was very short due to poor treatment of slaves and diseases.(Submitted by Robert Popoola)
References
http://histclo.com/imagef/date/2010/03/sd-mar01s.jpg
French Traditions
In order to maintain their identity, the settlers of New France brought with them many traditions that defined French culture. These traditions still exist today.
The French traditions have been passed on from the colonial period up to very recent times. As the French came to the new America they brought with them some of the traditional maritime skills, beliefs in religion and agriculture skills. One of the greatest traditions that they brought with them that has survived is the French Verbal Arts. They were said to be masters of their own traditional dialect that has been passed on since their venture into the new America.
As the French colonies ventured off into different parts of Canada down to Louisiana there were other traditions that were started and combined with their own. One was the traditional food that was from the Acadians that are known as Cajuns. The music, food and religion were all slowly incorporated into their own new traditions that we all know today. The violin was also one of the many different musical instruments that was brought over and used for entertainment by a fiddler. (Submitted by Victor A Yanez)
References
Laurence Scherer, Barrymore. (2009, July 2). The wall street journal. Thomas Jefferson, Musician, 4, Retrieved from http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124648983211082927.html
Pissaro, France. (2011). World press. Retrieved from http://cbertel.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/france-pissarro-foraging.jpg?w=328&h=480
Novelguide.com, . (2011, March 1). French traditions: their history and continuity in North America. Retrieved from: http://www.novelguide.com/a/discover/amt_0001_0004_0/amt_0001_0004_0_00095.html
Everybody has to eat. The challenge of settling the new world was what would be available to eat? The French came from a world of agriculture to a world that had, for centuries, thrived in hunter/gatherer societies. Would French crops flourish in the new world’s environment? Or would these settlers have to find new ways to survive?
Diet of the French Colonists
The French ate three meals a day. Their meals were called Breakfast, Dinner and Supper. The French ate breakfast between 7 and 8 am. The main crop of the French was wheat. Bread was incorporated in every meal. For breakfast the men often dipped their bread in brandy. The beverages that were common for the French were brandy, coffee and chocolate. The French also drank beer, red claret, and the women often drank water. Dinner was served at exactly noon and the French ate soup with a large quantity of bread in it, they also ate fresh meat of different kinds and salad. Fruit and sweetmeats were often served after dinner. Sweetmeats consisted of many types of nuts and fruits. Milk and cheese were often served as well and was served with sugar. Supper was served between 7 and 8 pm and it was very similar to lunch. (Submitted by LaWanda Stewart)
References
Food in New France. (n.d.), Retrieved from http://www.provincequebec.com/fine-food-in-quebec/new-france-cuisine/
Faulkner, F. (March 3, 2011). Fresh Crab and French Bread
[Photograph]. Retrieved on March 10, 2011, from
[Photograph]. Retrieved on March 10, 2011, from
Along with the growing of crops, the French brought with them the practice of domesticating animals which had long thrived in European nations. However, this practice brought with it the spread of disease to French settlers and Native Americans alike. The following section explains which diseases thrived in the New World and how they affected the inhabitants.
Disease in the French Colonies
The French colonists made successful colonial establishment with the founding of Acadia and Quebec in the early seventeenth century. According to The American Promise by Roark, Johnson, and Cohen et al., the colonists brought domesticated animals, such as pigs, goats, and sheep that they lived in close unsanitary quarters with. This in itself was a breeding ground for disease. Other than this, they brought with them diseases that the Indians had no immunity to such as smallpox, chickenpox, influenza, and measles to name a few. The Indian population had already been decimated with many of these disease starting centuries before with Spanish conquistadors. This continued colonization only further exacerbated the Indian population decline with these diseases as to have their overall population decline as much as ninety to ninety-five percent. It wouldn't be until the twentieth century that the populations of the Indians that survived centuries of warfare and hardships would begin to slowly increase in population. Although the Indians suffered more overall due to introduction of these diseases, the French colonists were not completely immune to these diseases and fell ill to them as well with countless deaths.(Submitted by Adam N. Smith)
References
Roark, J.L., Johnson, M.P., Cohen, P.C., Stage, S., Lawson, A., & Hartman, S.M. (2009). The American Promise: A history of the United States. New York/Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's.
3D4Medical.com. Smallpox Virus [Photograph]. Retrieved from http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/photos/smallpox/#/smallpox-virus_1216_600x450.jpg
Although the Salem Witch Trials of the British settlements are more popularized than elsewhere, the French colonies had their very own interactions with what could be considered witchcraft. The former French Colonies of Saint-Domingue (now Haiti) and la Lousiane were major slave importers from Africa, the home of Voodoo. Witchcraft from past centuries are still in practice today (such as Voodoo in New Orleans), so much so that it has become intertwined and very similar to certain religions.
Salem Witch Trials |
The Hanging of Bridget Bishop - June 10,1692 |
(Submitted by Erica Westbrooks)
References
Images of Salem Witch Trials Retrieved from http://www.wtps.org/wths/imc/
Roark, J.L., Johnson, M.P., Cohen, P.C., Stage, S., Lawson, A., & Hartman, S.M. (2009). The American Promise: A History of the United States. New York/Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's.
