The French Regime

1608 - 1760

By 1580s the fur trade was booming France was eager to occupy the territory France granted trade monopolies to fur trading

companies In return, these companies had to establish settlements and

convert aboriginals to Catholicism First attempts to establish settlements at Sable Island and

Tadoussac failed.

Establishing settlements and converting natives could be very expensive: Maintaining an agrarian (farming) population Setting up institutions (schools, hospitals, churches...)

Because these costs could run so high, most fur trading companies did not meet their commitments

Since fur trade was the colonies major attraction, settlement was slow to develop Inhabitants were initially counted by the dozen Population only reached 100 in the 1630s

The Fur trade also caused the territory to become very large

In 1608 Samuel de Champlain chose to establish a settlement at Quebec City The location was easily

accessible There were no sedentary

groups already living there Was well know to Europeans

and natives because the narrowing of the river made it easy to monitor ships

In 1634 Samuel de Champlain sent Sieur de Laviolette to establish a trading post This was also a strategic

position for trade, defence and accessibility

In 1642, Paul de Chomedey de Maisonneuve founded Ville-Marie

Others feared that the settlement would not survive because of possible native attacks

De Maisonneuve went ahead anyway, expanded french settlements

Stretched around both sides of the St. Lawrence River from the mouth of the Outauoais River to the Bas-St-Lawrent.

Many fishing stations also appeared around the Gaspe Peninsula

Despite high birth rate, low immigration prevented the population from growing quickly

Samuel de Champlain tried hard to bring more people to the colony: Have entire families immigrate Set up an administration Build more forts Develop Catholic faith by bringing Catholic immigrants and

converting natives

Division of territory was based on the French model – the seigneurial system

Strips of land were divided and given to individuals Usually officers, merchants, nobles,

religious orders

These owners were then responsible for dividing their land into smaller seigneuries for colonists who wished to settle there. Settlers had to pay cens (rent) and

rentes (taxes)

Commercial activity and high birth rates helped Quebec City and Montreal to grow into real cities by the end of the 17th century

1760 – Montreal’s population was 5,000

1760 - Quebec City’s population was 7000

1760 – Trois-Riveres had less than 1,000

Montreal and Quebec grew faster for the following reasons: Well protected by fortifications Administrative, religious and military powers lived

there Ports, market places, hospitals, churches,

schools, inns, stores...

In more rural areas, cities were slow to develop Dividing the land alone did not bring people

together Mills and churches helped to create the

development of small villages by the end of the 18th century

When there were enough people living in a given area the church would organize it into a Parish There had to be enough people to

support the building and upkeep of the church

The population would then have to pay for the needs of the Parish Priest through a tax called the tithe.

By the end of the French Regime, there were approximately 100 parishes

The fur trade was still an important economic activity at the time Because of this, fur traders ventured deeper

and deeper into unexplored territory In doing so, they were able to trade with

various native groups and claim large portions of land for France

Missionaries also joined in these voyages

But, in order to support their claims to all this territory, the French had to build forts and posts to defend it.

The English were also interested in claiming land in the New World. At the time of Champlain, the English settled in present day

Virginia and Massachusetts , as well as Newfoundland They were also looking for a route to Asia

The English began hunting furs in the James Bay and Hudson Bay areas causing conflicts with the French

This led to Wars, and the Treaty of Utrecht, in 1713 part of that area of New France was given up to Britain.

Native presence remained predominant in the colony Iroquois:

Wars between native populations and contact with French and English had an effect on natives

Some decided to live in French villages and communities (they were called domicilies)

Inuit and Algonquians: Boundaries and lifestyle remained mostly the same Establishment of colonist along North of St. Lawrence forced

large game animals further North Algonquian populations had to move North and West in order to

hunt

In 1663, King Louis XIV placed New France under his direct control Fur trading companies would no longer hold all the power

He sent over a Governor and Intendant to manage the colony

Conducted the first census In 1666, there were only 3, 215

inhabitants

The defence of the colony and exploitation of natural resources required a much higher population

Les Filles du Roi: Groups of Orphan girls (800 of them in total) Young single men in the colony were expected to marry these women

within 15 days of their arrival If they did not, they could lose their hunting, fishing and trading rights

Les Engages: A colonist who agreed to work for a company for 3 years Ships had to be full of engages in order to leave France

Les Carignan-Sallieres: Troops who were sent to help prevent native attacks Given free seigneuries if they would stay in New France

Despite Les Filles du Roi, most immigrants were still single men: Transportation costs were lower Needed men’s labour to clear forests and defend the land In 1681, more than 90% of men in the colony were single

High birth rate helped increase the population despite low immigration levels

There was an abundance of food in the colony

Colonists were mostly in good health

Population was spread over the territory so epidemics were less common than in France

New France had few very wealthy people The Governor and Intendant were nobles who held most of

the power The Bishop was the head of the Catholic Church in the

colony and also held a lot of power (clergy) Merchants and the Bourgeoisie (working class and

soldiers) could move up in society and gain more power Some were granted seigneuries

90% of the population of New France was made up of common people (farmers, artisans, small merchants)

Visits from French people exposed natives to European diseases

Small pox, typhus, cholera, chickenpox...

Natives were not able to battle these diseases and this caused them to die in great numbers

Warfare was common between native groups

The fur trade fuelled tensions between native peoples

Iroquois fought and traded with English and Dutch Huron and Algonquians traded and fought with the

French

Lived North of Lake Ontario

Completely wiped out by famine, disease and Iroquois attacks

There was a shortage of labour in New France To try to fix this problem, slavery was legalized

There were 2000-3000 slaves during the French Regime Most were from aboriginal nations Some were of African origin

These men, women and children could be bought and sold

Most worked as servants for officials, officers, religious orders and rich merchants

Natives were interested in some of the material goods brought by the European explorers and settlers (including iron, steel and brass materials that soon became integrated into native culture – ie: brass pots that were stronger than native clay)

Wool and cotton were adopted for native clothing (previously they had only used fur and animal pelts)

Sedentary native groups grew Europeans foods such as cucumbers, onions, and apple orchards

Domestic animals became more common for natives

Other consequences were more detrimental to native culture: Firearms replaced bows, knives and clubs, which made

native wars much more deadly European epidemics and diseases had a significant

affect on native populations (ie: small pox and tuberculosis)

Travel: The French used native means of travel including snowshoes, sleds, and canoes

(These were particularly useful for navigating through the thick woods during the fur trade)

Diet: The French also introduced native produce into their diet including squash, corn and maple syrup

Customs: The French adopted the native custom of smoking the tobacco pipe

This war would put an end to New France as a colony

The British capture and take over the territory for good forcing French society to deal with new Anglophone immigration