
The fur trade was not New France’s sole enterprise. By 1645 settlers in Canada and Acadia
Acadia
Acadia was a colony of New France in northeastern North America which included parts of eastern Quebec, the Maritime provinces, and Maine to the Kennebec River. During much of the 17th and early 18th centuries, Norridgewock on the Kennebec River and Castine at the end of the Pe…
What kind of immigrants came to Canada from France?
French Immigration in Canada 1 Religious Settlers. French immigrants’ influence in the British colony was heavier than their demographic weight. ... 2 Farmers. A rapprochement between France and Canada came about in the mid-19th century. ... 3 Professionals and Entrepreneurs. ...
What is the history of New France in Canada?
The story of New France: the cradle of modern Canada Starting in the 16th century, French fur traders and brides-to-be sought their fortunes in the colonies—stoking tension with indigenous people. In 1534, Jacques Cartier began the first of three expeditions to explore the territory that would briefly be known as New France.
When did Canada become a French colony?
It was claimed by France in 1535, during the second voyage of Jacques Cartier, when the land was claimed in the name of the French king, King Francis I. Canada remained a French territory until 1763 when it became the British colony of the Province of Quebec.
What was the first French settlement in North America?
New France (1534-1763) The first French settlement in North America, known as “New France” from 1534 to 1763. Primary and secondary sources of data tell the story from a cultural, economic and military perspective.

How did French settlers in Canada make money?
The French gave European goods to Indigenous people in exchange for beaver pelts. The fur trade was the most important industry in New France. With the money they made from furs, the French sent settlers to Canada.
What was the early French colonial economy based on?
The economy had largely been based on the slave trade, carried out by the rulers of the small kingdoms of the interior, until France abolished slavery in its colonies in 1848.
What was the purpose of the French colony in Canada?
The French crown's plan was to let trading companies run New France and draw settlers there in exchange for the right to take advantage of the colonies' natural bounties, the most lucrative of which were the large population of native animals. Champlain envisioned building a profitable fur trade in Canada.
Who established the basis for French claims to Canada?
French mariner Jacques Cartier was the first European to navigate the St. Lawrence River, and his explorations of the river and the Atlantic coast of Canada, on three expeditions from 1534 to 1542, laid the basis for later French claims to North America. Cartier is also credited with naming Canada.
What were the economic reasons for France's colonies?
But the fur trade was the real economic driver of New France. The harvesting of furs created wealth, stimulated the exploration of the continent and created alliances with many Aboriginal peoples.
What were the economic causes of the French Revolution?
The spark that ignited the French Revolution (1789-1799), one of the most important events in modern global history, was actually government debt, accumulated during the course of two wars, and the desire of King Louis XVI to increase taxes to pay off that debt.
What factors led to the French settlement of New France?
What factors led to the French settlement of New France? The Beaver, Fur trade, and setting up many trading post all over present day America.
When did the French settle in Canada?
1604The French began to cross the Atlantic Ocean in the mid-16th century to explore the New World and settle there. They arrived in 1604 at Port Royal and colonized Acadia first. During the 1630s, about 20 families arrived from the Loudunais region along with soldiers and labourers (known as engagés in French).
What impact did the French have on Canada?
The French and the First Nation people built trade and diplomatic relations. They did this to influence and power over the continent. The French tried to convert the natives to Christianity. New France was conquered by the British after about a century and a half of being in Canada.
What was the main reason the English and French communities formed the Dominion of Canada?
British North Americans used responsible government to create a new country — the Dominion of Canada. Amid deepening concerns about security, trade and constitutional crisis, British North Americans crafted a union designed to balance common interests with regional, cultural and linguistic distinctiveness.
Who were the first French settlers in Canada?
Royal New France In 1604, the first European settlement north of Florida was established by French explorers Pierre de Monts and Samuel de Champlain, first on St. Croix Island (in present-day Maine), then at Port-Royal, in Acadia (present-day Nova Scotia). In 1608 Champlain built a fortress at what is now Québec City.
How did the French end up in Canada?
In the Treaty of Paris of 1763, which formally ended the Seven Years' War, France ceded Canada in exchange for other colonies, with a large portion of Canada becoming the British colony of the Province of Quebec.
What was the basis of the French economy in the 18th century?
Industrialization. France in 1815 was overwhelmingly a land of peasant farms, with some handicraft industry. Paris, and the other much smaller urban centers had little industry.
What was the economic condition of France in 1789?
Bad weather conditions led to poor harvests and inflation in 1788 and 1789. Widespread poverty in the rural areas caused many poor people to go to the towns to look for work. Unemployment became a problem.
What was the economic condition of France before the Revolution?
The economic condition of France before 1789 was: King and the Queen lived luxurious and royal life whereas poverty and hunger were spreading in the countryside. Due to the natural calamities, harvests were completely destroyed resulting in subsistence crisis.
What method was used by France to rule their colonies?
Colonies were ruled, on the one hand, through decrees issued by two different ministries (the Ministry of the Interior and the Colonial Office) in Paris and, on the other hand, by executive orders that made the representative of the French government the main source of the law.
Why did French people come to Canada?
They came in hopes of gaining some social mobility or sheltering themselves from religious persecution by a republican and secular France. For the most part, they settled in Montreal and Quebec City. Among them was Pierre Guerout, a Huguenot who in 1792 was elected to the first Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada. In Upper Canada, Count Joseph-Geneviève de Puisaye, convinced around forty French people to settle north of York.
Why were French Canadians not in favour of immigration during the Great Depression?
During the Great Depression in the 1930s, French Canadians were not necessarily in favour of immigration because it created competition for the rare jobs available. The French community’s cohesion in Canada during this period is difficult to get a handle on. For instance, no Canadian city had a “French Quarter,” and although Alliances Françaises had existed since the late 19th century, it proved more difficult to unite French immigrants than immigrants from other communities of European descent. Thus, Gabriel Bonneau, Charles de Gaulle’s representative in Canada, was not able to rally his compatriots behind the general until 1943.
What happened to the French after the Second World War?
After New France was ceded to Great Britain in 1763, the migration of French colonists slowed considerably. A trickle of clergy members, farmers and professionals settled during the 19th century. However, after the Second World War, French immigration — which was then politically favoured — resumed with renewed vigour. This effort was geared towards recruiting francophone professionals and entrepreneurs, who settled in Canada’s big cities. The French spawned many cultural associations and had a large presence in French-Canadian schools.
How many nuns were there in Canada in 1850?
In 1850, Canada had 650 francophone nuns — by 1920, they would total 13,579. The number of priests and brothers would rise from 788 to 6,536. In Quebec and other French-Canadian migration destinations in North America, it was the Church that founded modern institutions.
How did religious settlers influence the French?
Religious settlers had a significant influence on religious practice in French Canada, as well as on the traditionalism of its secular elite. In part because of the elite’s ascendancy over the French Canadians, the latter had large families and saw defending their homeland as inseparable from defending their faith.
How many refractory priests were there in Canada during the French Revolution?
For one thing, 51 refractory priests immigrated to Canada during the French Revolution and breathed new life into the Canadian Catholic Church. They founded new parishes from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to Upper Canada via Saguenay and the Eastern Townships, introducing their traditions and renewing devotion to ancien régime France.
What was the first language spoken in Quebec?
Of the immigrants who settled in Quebec, 63 per cent now had French as their first official language spoken (FOLS). In the other provinces of Canada, only 2 per cent did.
When did the French settle in North America?
The first French settlement in North America, known as “New France” from 1534 to 1763. Primary and secondary sources of data tell the story from a cultural, economic and military perspective.
When did the Treaties between European and Indigenous Peoples in Canada start?
Timeline of treaties between European and Indigenous Peoples in Canada from 1534 to the present..
Why did the French settle in Newfoundland?
Newfoundland and Labrador's cod fishery was the major pull factor attracting French settlers to the colony from the 16th through 19th centuries. Each year, thousands of workers from coastal France sailed across the Atlantic to participate in the migratory cod fishery and, to a lesser degree, in whale hunts in the Strait of Belle Isle. The French were among the earliest Europeans to migrate to Newfoundland and Labrador, with the first documented fishing trip taking place in 1504. Many French workers remained overseas on a seasonal or temporary basis only, although some also settled on the island permanently.
Where did the French settle?
The vast majority of French migrants settled on the island of Newfoundland, although smaller numbers of Basques fishers and whalers from southwest France also used portions of southern Labrador. Most French fishers, however, came from Brittany or Normandy in northwest France and concentrated their efforts in two areas of Newfoundland: ...
Why did France establish a garrison and colony at Plaisance in the early 1660s?
France established a garrison and colony at Plaisance in the early 1660s to provide shelter and protection for the country's fishers while at Newfoundland . It later developed into the largest and most prosperous French settlement on the island.
What was the first restriction on fishing in Newfoundland?
The earliest restrictions came with the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht, which stipulated that French fishers at Newfoundland could only work on the stretch of coastline linking Cape Bonavista with Point Riche. Subsequent wars and treaties in the coming decades further altered French involvement in the fishery and settlement of Newfoundland and Labrador.
What was the war in Newfoundland and Labrador?
The first of these was the War of the Spanish Succesion (1702-13), in which England and its European allies successfully forced France to withdraw from the Spanish Netherlands and the Spanish possessions it had seized in Italy.
What was the major pull factor attracting French settlers to the colony from the 16th through 19th centuries?
Newfoundland and Labrador's cod fishery was the major pull factor attracting French settlers to the colony from the 16th through 19th centuries.
Why did the French prefer salt cod?
Many families preferred salt cod over other types of seafood because it was more affordable than fresh fish, yet tastier than pickled herring and other preserved fish available locally. The French government also favoured the fishery as a means of training potential recruits for its navy.
What was the French Crown's plan to let trading companies run New France and draw settlers there in exchange for the?
The French crown’s plan was to let trading companies run New France and draw settlers there in exchange for the right to take advantage of the colonies’ natural bounties, the most lucrative of which were the large population of native animals. Champlain envisioned building a profitable fur trade in Canada.
Why did the Crown pay for women to travel to New France?
To fix the imbalance, increase the colony’s population, and induce French men to stay in New France , the crown paid for nearly 800 women to travel to New France as state-sponsored brides.
Why did the Filles du Roi have more than 10 children?
And because food was so plentiful in the colony , the filles du roi were more likely than their counterparts in continental France to survive their pregnancies and produce healthy, surviving children.
What was the life like in Canada?
Life in Canada was challenging. French colonists struggled with the region’s harsh winters and uncleared land. Canada was largely dependent on agriculture and the fur trade, which brought colonists in conflict with the people whose land they had claimed for France.
How many soldiers were in the colony of New France?
When about 1,200 soldiers arrived in the colony—around the same time as the filles du roi—they were greeted as rescuers. Though they were poorly outfitted and ill-equipped to deal with the guerrilla tactics of their Iroquois rivals, their arrival put France at a tactical advantage. The Iroquois League, weakened by decades of warfare, offered peace. In 1667, New France and the Iroquois League signed a peace treaty that would last 20 years.
What is the story of New France?
The story of New France: the cradle of modern Canada. Starting in the 16th century, French fur traders and brides-to-be sought their fortunes in the colonies—stoking tension with indigenous people. In 1534, Jacques Cartier began the first of three expeditions to explore the territory that would briefly be known as New France.
How did Louis XIV reverse New France's fortunes?
Louis XIV tried to reverse New France’s fortunes by investing more in its most promising colony, Canada. The crown paid for its citizens’ passage to New France, which increased its population, and eventually Canada was split into three districts, Quebec, Trois-Rivières, and Montreal.
Why did Canadian historians focus on the history of Canada's economy?
Canadian historians until the 1980s tended to focus on the history of Canada's economy because of the far fewer political and military conflicts present in Canadian history than in other societies. Many of the most prominent English Canadian historians from this period were economic historians, such as Harold Innis, ...
What was Canada's economic policy?
Canada's economic development in colonial times was based on the economic policy of mercantilism. This economic idea sought to derive the maximum material benefit from the colony, for the homeland, with a minimum of imperial investment in the colony itself. The ideology was embodied in New France through the establishment under Royal Charter of a number of corporate trading monopolies including La Compagnie des Marchands, which operated from 1613 to 1621 and the Compagnie de Montmorency, from that date until 1627. It was in turn replaced by La Compagnie des Cent-Associés created in 1627, by the King of France, Louis XIII and the Communauté des habitants in 1643. These were the first corporations to operate in what is now Canada.
How did Canada contribute to the First World War?
Canada played an extraordinarily large role in the First World War relative to the size of its population. It sent over hundreds of thousands of troops, and was also the granary and arms producer for the allied side. This led to a further boom on the prairies as wheat prices skyrocketed. The rest of the country, even the Maritimes, benefited from an increase in manufacturing.
What was the main commodity in Atlantic Canada?
For instance, the staple commodity in Atlantic Canada was cod fishing.
Why did the government create the Canada Company?
To encourage the settlement of the best land in the region, the government created the Canada Company. It was given much of the land in Western Ontario and Southwestern Ontario and tasked with selling it off to immigrants. It was successful in this, but it also became deeply unpopular for its monopolization of the land. This was an important trigger of the 1837 rebellions.
How many banks were chartered in Canada in 1886?
This was followed by others including the Bank of Montreal, in 1817, the Bank of New Brunswick in 1820 and the Bank of Upper Canada in 1821. By 1886, 38 banks had been chartered. The pace of this financial activity was marked by the newly formed Government of Canada with the passing of the Bank Act in 1871.
When did the US raise the tariffs on Canada?
In May 1930 , US raised the tariff with the Smoot–Hawley Tariff Act. Canada retaliated by imposing new tariffs on 16 products that accounted altogether for around 30% of U.S. exports to Canada. Following Britain's lead, Canada then forged closer economic links with the British Empire via the British Empire Economic Conference of 1932.
Why was Canada not a French colony?
However, because this trading post was under a trade monopoly, it was not constituted as an official French colonial settlement. The first official settlement of Canada was Québec, founded by Samuel de Champlain in 1608.
When was Canada claimed by France?
It was claimed by France in 1535, during the second voyage of Jacques Cartier, when the land was claimed in the name of the French king, King Francis I. Canada remained a French territory until 1763 when it became the British colony of the Province of Quebec.
What was Canada's territory?
Then 1603-1673, in which, due to westward expansion and conflicts with the United Kingdom, the Canada territory was now composed of the coasts of the Saint Lawrence River, of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and of the Great Lakes, as well as southern Ontario and northern New England.
What was the name of the British colony that was seized by France in 1763?
The Seven Years' War saw Great Britain defeat the French and their allies, and take possession of Canada. In the Treaty of Paris of 1763, which formally ended the Seven Years' War, France ceded Canada in exchange for other colonies, with a large portion of Canada becoming the British colony of the Province of Quebec.
What were the other colonies in New France?
The other four colonies within New France were Hudson's Bay to the north, Acadia and Newfoundland to the east, and Louisiana far to the south. Canada was the most developed of the five colonies of New France. It was divided into three districts, Québec, Trois-Rivières, and Montreal, each with its own government.
How many colonists were there in Canada?
A population survey was done in 1740 to estimate Canada's population. The survey of the Saint Lawrence River valley counted about 44,000 colonists in total. The majority of them were born in Canada and lived in a rural environnement. Of the colonists, 18,000 lived under the Government of Québec, 4,000 under the Government of Trois-Rivières and 22,000 under the Government of Montreal. As for colonists not living in the Saint Lawrence River valley, Île Royale (now Cape Breton) counted 4,000 inhabitants (of which 1,500 were in Louisbourg ), and Île Saint-Jean (now Prince Edward Island) had 500 inhabitants.
What is Canada part of?
Canada (part of Ontario, Quebec, Labrador, Manitoba and Saskatchewan) United States (part of Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota) The colony of Canada was a French colony within the larger territory of New France.
Which country developed an economy based primarily on the French?
In Canada, the French developed an economy based primarily on
Why did farming and farming create more permanent villages?
agriculture/farming allowed populations to grow, and since farming produced a more secure food supply than hunting and gathering wild berries , more permanent villages appeared as farmers settled near the fields;
Where did agriculture originate?
the birthplace of agriculture in North America, extending from central Mexico into central America, and included a series of complex, literate, urban cultures which emerged in this region.
The Colonists
Religious Settlers
- French immigrants’ influence in the British colony was heavier than their demographic weight. This was because many such immigrants were professionals or religious practitioners who contributed to rebuilding and shaping a French-Canadian elitein the 19th and 20th centuries. For one thing, 51 refractory priests immigrated to Canada during the French...
Farmers
- A rapprochement between France and Canada came about in the mid-19th century. This was thanks to the visit from a corvette called La Capricieuse (1855), the first French warship to sail in St. Lawrence waters since the Conquest, and also due to the establishment of a French consulate in Quebec City (1859). In addition, the gold rushon the Pacific coast and the prospect of another …
Professionals and Entrepreneurs
- During the Great Depressionin the 1930s, French Canadians were not necessarily in favour of immigration because it created competition for the rare jobs available. The French community’s cohesion in Canada during this period is difficult to get a handle on. For instance, no Canadian city had a “French Quarter,” and although Alliances Françaises had existed since the late 19th centur…
Recent Immigrants and Maintenance of The French Language
- At present, a large proportion of francophone immigrants in Torontoand Vancouver send their children to English school. As it turns out, English attracts even francophones. Still, French-language school attendance is the best way to foster integration into the French-Canadian community. English, bilingual and pluralist schools are facing a dilemma, which sociologist Moni…