French colonies of north america

1. French Colonies of North
America
Charla Lopez

2. Canada and Iroquoia
• The northern traders could not afford the Indians as
enemies, Indians were better as allies and hunters. To
avoid complications in trade, traders accepted Indian
trade protocol, restrained their prices, and cultivated
alliances.
• In alliances with Indians, European traders often tried
to assist in native wars that complicated and slowed
their profit.
• From the Indians perspective, the French came, in the
words of historian Allan Greer, “not as conquering
invaders, but as a new tribe negotiating a place for itself
in the diplomatic webs of Native North America.” In
those webs, the Indians negotiated from a position of
strength.

3. Skills
and trade
• Indians already skilled and experienced, hunted
animals and treated the furs, this made it possible for
the Americans to immediately profit.
• Indians appreciated the introduction of metals as it
made tools that were very useful
• thus Increasing productivity.
• Indians rose their prices for their furs so that they
could reduce their work, once their basic needs and
wants had been met they valued leisure.

4. Gun Revolution
• The introduction of guns
revolutionized Indian warfare. After
seeing the demand for guns the
forbidden status of making them
available to Indians was disregarded.
• Mourning wars sought out prisoners
from enemies. The matrons decided
if death or adoption was the future of
the imprisoned women, children and
men. The men, usually the least likely
to assimilate, suffered long torturous
deaths, each villager taking turns
administering torture till death.

5. Goods and People
• Both Iroquois and French had a common interest in inferior source
of manufactured goods and tacitly worked to keep apart the best
suppliers of furs(the northern Indians) and of manufactures(the
Dutch).
• Jesuits surprised the Indians with their dedication and lack of
interest in land, fur and women. Jesuits learning the native
language and going into Indian villages to build churches was a
different approach than before. Indians listened to the teaching but
mainly agreed to disagree. Thus giving agreement in words but then
continuing their lives as before.
• To their enemies the Iroquois were relentless in unity, purposeful
and invincible. From within, their wars seemed to be in desperation
rather than calculation, and more detrimental inward than
successful outward. By winning great victories and taking more
captives than could possibly assimilate, new problems and divisions
were created within their own nation.

6. French America
• Cold climate and complicated
access made British invasion
difficult, limited numbers helped
new France relieve tension with
the Indians.
• Indians could be recruited by the
French to help protect Canada
from the ever growing threats of
the British. Threats of growing
population ,power and ambition.
• Though small in number the
French laid claim and had
influence to more of the
continent than did any empire.
• Generosity and restraint helped
the French influence their Indian
allies but they could never
command them.

7. Lost Cause Cost
• Suffering from corrupt government, with no profitable economy, the
colony cost much more than it brought in revenue. French imperial
Louisiana was the French imperial least valuable colony even below
Canada.
• For New France the crown kept Louisiana mostly for its strategic value in
keeping the British colonies to the east.

8. Bad influence
• The English and French competed
for influence over native
confederacies. The Indians had the
potential to devastate either colony
but vital in each ones existence.
• In trade British had better price,
quantity and quality in cloth, guns
and alcohol.
• Hard experience had proven that
any people cut off from the gun
trade was in for disaster from their
native enemies.

9. Learn from the best
• Attempting to dissuade the
Indians from trading with the
British colonists , the French
offered goods below market
value on the great lakes posts.
This revealed that the Indians
strategic dependence on the
French wasn’t near as much
as that of the French on the
Indians.
• Indians were adapting with
exposure to the colonials,
very resourcefully to the new
world.