A-2: New France Notes for Today's History Class...(provided by diigo)

The following are clips from the below page regarding our study of...

New France Annotated

After the trips made by Christopher Columbus in 1492, John CABOT in 1497 and the CORTE-REAL brothers in 1501 and 1502. In 1524 Giovanni VERRAZZANO followed the eastern shore of America from Florida to Newfoundland. Jacques CARTIER then made 3 voyages of discovery for France.

Religion gave the impetus to his voyages, but economic motives were even more obvious. The hope of finding a NORTHWEST PASSAGE to the Indies and the fabled Kingdom of the Saguenay was constantly stressed.
The settlement responded to economic demands: go out to the fur-rich areas, forge close contact with native suppliers and try to obtain the right of exploitation. The scale of the operation made it necessary to form private companies.

The colony's administration, 1608-63, was entrusted to these commercial companies, which were formed by merchants from various cities of France.

It did not achieve the desired results. In 1663 the population numbered scarcely 3000 people, 1175 of them Canadian-born. Less than 1% of the granted land was being exploited.

Nor was evangelization among the natives flourishing. During its first half-century, New France experienced an explosion of missionary fervour, as demonstrated by the number and zeal of its apostles, inspired by the Catholic Counter-Reformation (see CATHOLICISM). In 1634 the Jesuits renewed the mission of STE MARIE AMONG THE HURONS in the western wilds. VILLE-MARIE, which became Montréal, was the work of mystics and the devoted. But the missionaries managed to convert very few Indians.

Why do you suppose the other
website didn't mention the religious activities
of the French? -
post by racree

Various political and military events hindered colonization efforts. The alliances formed by Champlain made enemies of the Iroquois. Québec fell to the freebooting KIRKE brothers in 1629. The Iroquois nations grew belligerent as soon as the country was returned to France in 1632. Between 1648 and 1652 they destroyed HURONIA, a hub of French commercial and missionary activity. Attacks on the very heart of the colony demonstrated that the colony's survival was in doubt (see IROQUOIS WARS).

...the fur trade was opposed to agriculture, cross-cultural contact meant war and disease for the natives, the French population was small, and the administration of the colony by commercial exploiters was a disaster.

Under Louis XIV New France flourished. He made the colony a province of France, giving it a similar hierarchical administrative organization. He watched over its settlement, extended its territory and allowed its enterprises to multiply. However, he had first to guarantee the peace.
How do you suppose the King of France was going to do that? - post by racree

Under the marquis de Tracy, the CARIGNAN-SALIÈRES REGIMENT built forts, ravaged Iroquois villages and demonstrated French military power. The Iroquois made peace, and 400 soldiers stayed in the colony as settlers. The king also had 850 young women sent out as brides-to-be, and quick marriages and families were encouraged

...colonial administration was entrusted to a GOUVERNEUR (for military matters and external relations) and an INTENDANT (for justice, civil administration and finances - ie, all civil aspects of colonial administration). The SOVEREIGN COUNCIL (Superior Council after 1703) acted as a court of appeal and registered the king's edicts.

Intendant Jean TALON, with Colbert's solid backing and other favourable circumstances, started a vigorous development program. In addition to watching over agriculture and the fur trade, Talon began ventures such as shipbuilding, trade with the West Indies, commercial crops like flax and hemp, fishing industries and a brewery. But by the time he left in 1672, economic circumstances had changed and virtually nothing remained of these premature initiatives.

A-2