1. Bellwork
Other than the Spanish, name two other European countries that laid claim to North America. In your opinion, why do you think these two nations attempted to colonize?
Be prepared to discuss this at the beginning of class.

2. Section 4, Unit 1 French Expansion in America
American History
Section 4, Unit 1
French Expansion in America

3. Objectives Explain why the French colonized modern day Canada
Identify what stopped them from expanding control
Compare how they treated the Native Americans to the Spanish

4. Section 4 Before we begin, to note we are now in Section 4.
Section 4 is going to cover both French and British expansion into North America.

5. Understanding of the Americas
At the time, geographic knowledge of the Americas was relatively poor, but grew overtime.
European explorers, in their search for exotic goods and riches, believed they could find a passage through America to get to Asia (rather than going around Africa).
At one point, they attempted to take a northern route through America.

6. Northwest Passage
In the image below, Europeans wanted to discover a route through America– known as the Northwest Passage. This path below would prove to be too dangerous and difficult to navigate for it to be successful.

7. French Claims
French claims to North America were based on the voyages of Giovanni de Verrazano and Jacques Cartier (jakez kar-tay).
Both explorers found their way into Canada due to their seeking a westward route to Asia.

8. Giovanni de Verrazano
In 1524, Giovanni de Verrazano tried to find a westward route to Asia.
Although he did not find his route, he did travel along the North American coast, from Virginia upwards to the present-day New England coasts.
He claimed lands along the North American coast for France.

9. Giovanni de Verrazano
Despite his claims to make the eastern seaboard French territory, Verrazano was not able to establish French control for several reasons:
The French did not establish a strong colonial presence
The Dutch (and later the British) would later come and establish a stronger presence in the area

10. Verrazzano’s Voyage

11. Jacques Cartier
10 years after Verrazano, Cartier explored a large gulf off the eastern coast of Canada, which he named St. Lawrence.
He followed it inward until he reached a large island dominated by a hill. He named this island Mont Royal, which later became Montreal.
He attempted to form settlements and while those were unsuccessful, his efforts did strengthen French claims to what is now Canada.

12. Cartier’s 1st Voyage

13. Cartier’s 2nd Voyage

14. Samuel de Champlain
In 1608, another French explorer, Samuel de Champlain sailed up the St. Lawrence and named the region he discovered Quebec.
The settlement grew and became the base for Frances colonial empire, New France.

15. New France (prior to Louisiana)

16. Expansion
After establishing Quebec, the French penetrated the heart of North America.
In 1673, French priest Jacques Marquette and trader Louis Joliet explored the Great Lakes and upper Mississippi river.
10 years later, Sieur de La Salle explored the lower Mississippi. He claimed the entire river valley for France and named it Louisiana in honor of the French king, Louis XIV.
By the 1700’s new France covered much of what is now the Midwest United States and Eastern Canada

17. New France (with Louisiana)

18. French Empire France’s North American empire was immense.
However, despite it’s size, it was sparsely populated.
By 1760, their empire had grown to only about 65,000.
Most French colonists had no desire to build towns or raise families.

19. French Goals The French had two primary goals in North America:
To convert Native Americans to Catholicism.
To engage in fur trade
Question: In what ways were the French similar to and different from the Spanish in terms of how they colonized America?

20. How France was different
Unlike the Spanish (and later the English), the French had no interest in occupying the territories. They were more interested in making money off the land, such as by trading beaver skins.
As well, the majority of colonists were young, single men, unlike the Spanish who had whole families take part in colonization.

21. Native American relations
The French, unlike the Spanish, also had very little interest in changing the Native American way of life.
The French saw the Natives as economic partners, who they could trade goods with for economic prosperity. The Natives also owned the valuable land that the French sought, which they could buy from the Natives of the land.

22. Question
Before we move on to the next slide, in your notebook, answer the following:
How did the Spanish treat the Native Americans?
How integrated were the Native Americans in Spanish life?
What were the Spanish trying to do with the customs and beliefs of the Natives? How was this different from the French (so far)?

23. Comparison Spain France
Spanish included the Natives both economically and socially
Due to Spain’s size, they chose to be far more controlling of the natives (and used them for labor)
Size also allowed Spain to utilize their numbers and Catholicism to remove the Natives and force them into Spanish way of life. Conversion was aggressive (if a native did not convert, they might not get food or might be harmed)The goal was to reduce native populations and save souls.
France only included the Natives economically. They had little interest in social inclusion.
Frances empire was smaller, so they could not be as controlling as Spain and did not use them for labor.
Although the French also wanted to convert the Natives to Catholicism, their numbers simply did not allow them to have the power to do so. Attempts at conversion had to be more passive (such as learning the Native language and treating them well).

24. Effect of Frances Colonization
The explorations of the French would help further expand the knowledge of North America.
The French would also prove to be far more careful in their dealings with Native Americans unlike other European powers (such as Spain).
In Canada, French presence would be continuously felt throughout its history.
Even today, areas that the French once controlled have large French speaking populations, such as Quebec and Louisiana.

25. Effects of French Colonization
Aside from the effects on France and the Natives, France’s colonization also spurred the English to act.
It wouldn’t be until 1606 that the English would finally attempt to colonize and, despite a late start (compared to Frances start in 1524 and Spain's 1492), they would soon become a powerful force in the New World.

26. Review Objectives Explain why the French colonized modern day Canada
Identify what stopped the French from expanding their territory
Compare how they treated the Native Americans to the Spanish

27. Questions
If you have any questions, feel free to ask now.

28. Next Lesson
In the next lesson, we are going to discuss English settlements in the North America, including the founding Jamestown.

29. Review
How were the French and Spanish different in their treatment of Native Americans?
Why did the French treat Native Americans so much better than the Spanish?
What were the two French goals in North America?
What was the Northwest Passage, where was it supposedly located, and why were the French attempting to find it?
Despite the size of the French colonial empire, why didn’t they have a lot of power in the regions they controlled?
Pick one of the French explorers discussed in this lesson and explain the impact this explorer had on French claims in North America.