The 4th grade class at MJGDS created an ebook about Fort Caroline, the first French settlement in North America. The ebook contained information on Rene de Laudonniere, who led the French settlers and oversaw the construction of Fort Caroline. It described the challenging voyage for the French to the New World, the design of the fort, and the relationship between the French settlers and the native Timucua people. The students included details on the weapons and cultures of the French, Spanish, and Timucua. They reflected that creating the ebook was an educational project that allowed them to learn about and share the history of Fort Caroline using modern technology.

1. Fort Caroline:
The First French
Settlement in the
New World
By the
4th Grade Students
at MJGDS
May 2013

2. Table of Contents
Introduction
About the French
Rene de Laudonniere
Voyage to the New World
Design of the Fort
Challenges for the French
The Life of the Timucua
The Relationship Between the Timucua and the French
French and Spanish Weaponry
Timucua Weapons
French vs. Spanish
Works Cited
Image Credits
Project Reflection

3. Introduction
Eliana J. and Ayden I.
We are a fourth grade class at the Martin J.
Gottlieb Day School in Jacksonville, Florida.
Our teachers are Ms. Shelly Zavon, Ms. Sara
Luettchau, and Ms. Karin Hallett. In our Social
Studies class we have learned about Fort
Caroline. Fort Caroline was the first attempt to
start a French settlement in the New World.
The French settled in Florida in 1564. Fort
Caroline was demolished by the Spanish in
1565.
In November, the fourth and fifth grade
classes took a trip to Fort Caroline. We were
very interested in the fort, so with Ms. Hallett’s
help, we created an ebook explaining the
history of Fort Caroline and the Native
Americans who lived in the area around the
fort at the time.
Fig. 1. MJGDS 4th grade class.

4. When the French settled in Florida in 1565, they barely
survived the first year. There were 300 Huguenots,
including men, women, and children. Huguenots were
members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France.
They came so they could be free from law. They wore gilded
armor and bright clothing ("Explorers and Settlers").
About the French
Zach R. and Josh M.
Fig. 2. Huguenot from 1500s.

5. Rene de Laudonniere was a French Huguenot explorer. He was also the leader of the
Huguenots (Florida Historical Society). The Huguenots were members of the Protestant
Church during the 16th and 17th century. They wanted to leave France because they
wanted religious freedom. His three ships landed near St. Augustine and sailed further
where they found the St. Johns River, which de Laudonniere named “River of May” (Florida
Center). Rene de Laudonniere decided the location of the fort and organized its
construction (Timucuan). He later became the governor of the French colony there.
Rene de Laudonniere
Noah G. and Jasmine M.
Fig. 3. Rene de Laudonniere.

6. A Voyage to the New World
Rebecca B. & Samantha Z.
We do not know what the French’s voyage was like, but
we do know what voyages were like at the time in
general. People on the ship were cut off from normal life
on shore for months, sometimes even years. They had to
accept cramped conditions, diseases, and poor food and
pay. The trip from Europe to the New World was very
dangerous. On the journey, workers had to eat bad and
rotten food that sometimes had bugs in it.
On the ship to the New World, supplies were limited. The
people on the ship worked very hard in all kinds of
weather to earn money for their families. The pay was not
very good so most of the men were very poor. Some of
the workers died from hunger and disease. But hopes of
a better life in the New World made many people want to
take a chance with the voyage, no matter how bad it
might be for some (Royal Museum).
Fig. 4. This is a representation
of a French ship.

7. The Design of the Fort
Zach M. And Julia C.
Fort Caroline was built
in 1565.The fort was a
triangular shape
because the French
fortresses were often
designed with that
shape. There where
moats surrounding it
and the structure was
sturdy. The structure
was made of wooden
planks and where
meant to be
temporary. The fort
was on an island in the
St. Johns river. The
fort had small cannons
to defend the French.
The French where
living in the fort in
order to be protected
from the Timucua and
the Spanish.
Fig. 5. Old etching of Fort Caroline, from the Florida
State Archives.

8. The Timucua Native Americans helped the French start their new settlement when they
arrived in the New World. One of the first big challenges for the French was to try to meet
their survival needs. It was hard to find food in the New World, because they did not know
anything about the new environment. The Timucua helped the French by telling them what
was good and what was not healthy to eat.
The French also had to avoid diseases which was difficult. This was hard because they
could get sick and, if they got sick, they could die (National Park Service).
Fig. 6. French flag in the 1500s.
Challenges for the French
Ariella T. and Parker B.

9. The Life of the Timucua
The ancestors of the Timucua are called “People of the Shell Mounds”, because all Timucua
looked for food and shells in and along rivers or near the beach. They also fished and collected
shellfish, hunted in forests and swamps, and planted maize, beans, and squash. The Timucua
lived in North Florida and South Georgia. Devastated by European disease and attacks by other
Indians, the Timucuan culture started to become extinct. From a population possibly numbering
tens of thousands at the time of contact, only an estimated 550 Timucuas were still alive in 1698.
Today, there are no known Timucua left (National Park Service).
Fig. 7. Timucua hut.
Fig. 8. Timucua territory.
Jagger L. and Arin N.

10. At first, the French settlers were very nice and
friendly. The Timucua were also friendly by giving
the settlers food such as grain and fruit and teaching
them how to survive (Trotter). The relationship was
great at first, but then things started to change and
both of them became more hostile when the
Timucua realized the French only wanted gold
(Florida Department of State).
Fig. 9. Timucua chief talking to a French
colonist.
Relationship Between the Timucua and the French
Jeremy Z. and Evan L.

11. The Spanish used swords and harquebus. The swords were long and made of metal (Minster).
Harquebus were like rifles, but older, weaker, longer, and no longer used in battle. The
harquebus was also called hackbut. It was the first gun to be fired from the shoulder. The name
came from the German words meaning “hooked gun.” The harquebus was made in Spain in the
mid-1600s (“Harquebus”).
Spanish Weaponry
French Weaponry
Emily T.
The French used swords, swivel guns, and harquebus (Chartrand). The harquebus’s range
was about 650 feet (“Harquebus”). Swivel guns were like cannons (Swivel Gun). The French
and the Spanish wore armor but the Native Americans did not.
Elad O.
Fig. 10. Harquebus.

12. The Timucua used several weapons.
There were wood clubs, javelins,
stone hatchets, and the most popular
weapon for hunting and warfare, the
bow and arrow. The Spanish were
amazed by the Timucua's skill at
archery. The Timucua arrows could
go through a horse's chest almost all
the way to their tail. If shot from 80
feet away, their arrows could go
through two layers of armor worn by
the Spanish and their horses (Emery).
Timucua Weapons
Ayden I. and Eliana J.
Fig. 11. Timucua warriors with weapons.

13. French vs. Spanish:
French and Spanish Relationship
It was the year 1565 when the Spanish fought the French for
Fort Caroline. The French wanted to expand their empire,
expand Christianity, and control the New World. They heard
about Florida and wanted to claim it for themselves, but the
Spanish had found it first and wanted nobody else on their
land. The French set up a fort and named it Fort Caroline.
The French tried with all their might to protect their land. In
the end, the Spanish won and obliterated the entire fort.
Then, the Spanish built their own fort at the site and took
control of Florida (Jimenez).
Griffith W. and Orli G.

14. Fig. 12. Present day replica of
Fort Caroline.

15. Works Cited
Chartrand, Rene. “French Weapons at Fort Caroline, Florida, 1565 and 1568.” Military
Collector and Historian 60.2 (2008):156. American:History & Life. Web. 22 Mar. 2013.
“End of a Culture.” National Park Service: Timucuan. Web. 15 Mar. 2013.
“Explorers and Settlers of Fort Caroline.” National Park Service: Timucuan. Web. 19
Mar. 2013.
Florida Center. “Jean Ribault Claims Florida.” Exploring Florida. Web. 21 Mar. 2013.
Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Records. “First Expeditions And
Arrivals, 1562-1565.” Florida French Heritage Trail. Web. 15 Mar. 2013.
Florida Historical Society. “Rene de Goulaine de Laudonniere.” Myfloridahistory.org.
Web. 21 Mar. 2013.
“Fort Caroline, Jacksonville, Florida 1564.” Access Genealogy. Web. 21 Mar. 2013.
"Harquebus". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Web. 15 Mar. 2013.
Jimenez, Gus R., and Michael Odom. "The French Found A Colony." Social Studies
Florida. Glenview: Pearson Education, 2006. 100-01. Print.

16. Minster, Christopher. “Armor and Weapons of the Spanish Conquistadors.”
Latinamericanhistory.about.com. Web. 15 Mar. 2013.
“Rene de Laudonniere”. National Park Service: Timucuan. Web. 7 Mar. 2013.
Royal Museums Greenwich. “Life at Sea in the Age of Sail.” National Maritime
Museum. Web. 19 Mar. 2013.
“Swivel Gun.” Wikipedia.org. Web. 15 Mar. 2013.
“Timucua Indians.” National Park Service: Timucuan. Web. 19 Mar. 2013.
Trotter, Dave. “ Florida’s Forgotten French Men.” The Political Hurricane. Web. 15
Mar. 2013.

17. Image Credits
Cover. By N. Belin (1562) ([1]) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.
Fig. 1. Image by Karin Hallett, May 2013.
Fig. 2. By probably Eugène du Faget (18..–18..), designer [1] [Public domain], via
Wikimedia Commons.
Fig. 3. By Rouargue frères [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.
Fig. 4. Louis Le Breton [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.
Fig. 5. From the Florida State Archives [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.
Fig. 6. By Oren neu dag (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.
Fig. 7. By Moni3 at English Wikipedia (Own work (Original text: “self-made”)) [Public
domain], via Wikimedia Commons.
Fig. 8. By Bryan Strome (www.firstnationsseeker.ca) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/
fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons.

18. Fig. 9. By User:SEWilco [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.
Fig. 10. By Jacques Le Moyne /Theodore De Bry. Photo credit the Florida Center
for Instructional Technology, College of Education, University of South Florida
[Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.
Fig. 11. Arequebus by jpellgen on Flickr (http://www.fotopedia.com/items/
flickr-5535384163), via Fotomedia.
Fig. 12. Image by Griffith W., Martin J. Gottlieb Day School.

19. Project Reflection
For the past few months we have been working hard to create our ebook on Ft.
Caroline. We found this project to be challenging and fun at the same time. Some of
the fun aspects were: getting to take a field trip to Ft. Caroline, working on the ipad,
using the Book Creator app (which we never had not used before), collaborating and
writing about our topics with classmates, and getting to work with our Librarian, Mrs.
Hallett.
Some of the challenging parts were: arguing with partners when collaborating and
writing, finding and checking out websites to make sure they were credible, finding
images that were not copyrighted, learning how to cite images and websites, adding
citations, and making sure we did not plagiarize.
Overall, this was a difficult, yet educational project. Even though the settlement and
destruction of Ft. Caroline happened hundreds of years ago, it is special to learn and
teach others about it using modern technology.