1. Exploration, Formation of New France, & Fur Trade

2. Age of Exploration: From 1450 - 1600 CE
Explorers looking for new water routes to far east
Sought spices, silks, and other fine goods
Thought a Southwest Passage – Looked for Northwest Passage
Required financial backing of King / Queen:
Monarchs willing to pay for voyages to gain wealth and power

3. Jacques Cartier
(1534) French King sent him to find “Northwest Passage”
Northern Route through Continent to Asia
First Voyage:
Sailed around Atlantic Canada and claimed it for France
Took sons of Donnaconna, an Iroquois chief back to France.

4. Jacques Cartier Second Voyage (1535): Made his way to Stadacona
(Quebec City)
Donnaconna warned against going further (political reasons  didn’t want French to ally with Hochelega)
Continued on to Hochelega (Montreal)
Stopped by Lachine Rapids  Thought “China” just beyond
Stayed the winter  110 sailors sick with scurvy; 25 died
Would have been more if Iroquois hadn’t made Spruce Bark/Needle Tea
Cartier takes Donnaconna & 6 others back to France (Tell of Riches)
The Iroquois had told some of their stories of a city of gold and silver; possibly to get the French to move on from their land?

5. Jacques Cartier Third Voyage (1541):
Donnaconna & others had died from diseases (no immunity)
Relations with Iroquois worse due to previous treatment
Sieur de Roberval (Sieur = Lord)  King sent him to set up colony
Colony only had about 50 settlers
Harsh Winter, scurvy, and Iroquois attacks ended the settlement
Cartier gathered “Diamonds and gold” (Pyrite and Quartz) and returned to France
No settlement, No Northwest Passage, & No gold discouraged French
But there were furs!  £4 in beads, pots, knives, etc. = £130 in furs
Pyrite = “Fool’s Gold”

6. Samuel de Champlain
French left colonizing Canada alone (fishing and trading only) until 1605
Champlain teamed with Sieur De Monts to be given a monopoly on the fur trade in exchange for setting up a colony
(1605) Settled Port Royal (Nova Scotia)
Mostly Abandoned by 1607

7. Samuel de Champlain (1608) Champlain returned and set up Quebec City
No more Stadacona?
Cliffs made it impregnable
Allied with Algonkians against Iroquois (trade furs only with French!)

8. Samuel de Champlain
(1609) Champlain helped Algonkians in battle vs Iroquois at Lake Champlain
Iroquois had never seen guns 
Killed two Iroquois Chiefs causing them to
retreat.

9. Huron Alliance
Champlain encouraged intermarriage with the Huron to increase the population (metis) and increase friendly relations/trade
Wanted allies against the English
Sent Etienne Brule to explore & live with Huron. (Turned on French)
Alliances would help defend the current colony and keep the population low  less competition for furs!

10. Coureurs de Bois Means “Runners of the woods”
Started the fur trade with Huron
Lived with natives to learn about trade/language/etc.
Intermarried with Native Women (Metis)
Later these men explored deeper and traded illegally (outside of the control of companies given a monopoly by the king)
E.G. Company of 100 Associates (1627) (partially founded by Champlain)
(1696) King eliminated them because they were bringing in too many furs
Had free reign from when Company of 100 Associates lost its monopoly

11. Why Fur Trade? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGoVlgcT6tM (0-53sec)
The Fur Trade began because of a demand for Fur Hats 
Could make a HUGE profit off the pelts by trading for European goods
$2 beaver pelt would sell for $8 to a hat maker
$50  $175 in today’s money
Sell a blanket costing $1.20 for $2
Make $ $6 in London
$163 profit per pelt!

12. End of the Huron
The Iroquois attacked the French/Huron alliance
Some Huron had converted to Christianity
Divided population
Contact with French had infected Huron (disease)
Weakened population
French hadn’t traded guns to Huron; Iroquois had from English/Dutch
Quebec and Montreal were also attacked
King Louis XIV sent 1300 troops to defend the colony and they attacked many Iroquois villages
In 1667, the Iroquois signed a peace treaty ending the fighting
400 of the soldiers were enticed by money and land to stay in Quebec
Increased the feeling of safety and optimism to colony

14. Fur Trade: Exploration/ Expansion
Demand for fur pelts increased and sources known to French (e.g. St. Lawrence Valley) were depleting.
Huron were gone so French companies send out Voyagers
New territory needed to be explored and claimed 
Radisson & Groseilliers shut down by French so go to English  Hudson’s Bay Company (1670)

15. Hudson’s Bay Company Radisson & Groseilliers:
French explorers who were opening up the interior of North America (moving west)
They had a fight with France and in 1670 the appealed to the British for money
Formed the Hudson’s Bay Company
Granted all the land that drains into Hudson Bay

16. RESULTS OF THE FUR TRADE IN NEW FRANCE
New France extended territory
Small population though!
More competition meant short terms gains for Natives with long term destruction
Could play Fr & Eng off each other to get more
Voyagers bypassed current trade partners (lost power)
Dependent on European goods!
French & English encircle each other (?) by 1700s
More conflict leading to wars.

17. Consequences of Interaction
Positive and negatives from all interactions:
Positives: Exchange of ideas, objects and ways of doing things.
Negatives: Native population/culture/society broke down.
The Europeans
Acquired Native customs and were taught how to survive in the North American wilderness.
Made lots of money from fur trade.
New land to settle and cultivate (emptied by disease )
Learned how to make winter clothing from furs and moccasins from leather; how to use canoes, snowshoes, and toboggans to travel; how to preserve food and how to use plants for medicinal purposes (e.g. cure scurvy).
Learned of new foods such as corn, pumpkins, and maple syrup.

18. Consequences of Interaction cont’d
The Natives (Positive Influences)
Learned of new foods such as bread, peas, and salt.
Introduced to woolen cloth and blankets.
Introduced to iron tools and guns.
Introduced to new livestock such as horses, cows, and pigs.

19. Consequences of Interaction cont’d
The Natives (Negative Influences)
Use of alcohol, unknown to the Natives before the arrival of the Europeans, had disastrous repercussions on Native society. 
Thought it helped them get visions of spirit world
Fur trade changed the native way of life.
Focused on trade & abandoned previous lifestyle (lost skills, etc.)
Created more conflict between populations (English vs. French)

20. Consequences of Interaction cont’d
The Natives (Negative Influences)
Religious orders, such as the Jesuits, tried to impose Christianity.
Divided Native populations causing more conflict
Sometimes convert while dying of European disease
Between 50-90% of native populations died (diseases, war, etc.)
Sometimes intentionally infected to remove them (Fort Pitt)