History of New France

When France colonized America in the 16th century, the area was known as New France. In 1522, an Italian explorer asked the French king for permission to look for a westward route across the Atlantic to China. He and his fellow-travelers ended up in America. These French settlers found the going tough because the weather in America was biting cold. The winters in America were much colder than those in France. The French also had to fight diseases in order to survive there. The French were attracted to America's natural richness. They took up fishing and even farming there, although the soil in America was not very fertile. There were few roads and canals in New France then, but the French got over that problem by building an important highway.

The French were interested in trading beaver fur with the indigenous people of America. The French would give the natives firearms and brandy, in exchange for their beaver fur. However, the French Jesuits were against giving brandy to the natives because they wanted to convert the natives to Christianity. The Jesuits claimed that the natives would be difficult to convert if they were drunk. The French fur traders counter-argued that if they wouldn't give brandy to the natives, the English would give them rum. Usually, the French tried to maintain good relations with the natives. The French would not settle on the hunting grounds where the natives hunted for game. They tried to learn their customs and even married amongst them to improve their relations. However, when the Jesuits tried to convert the natives to Christianity, the natives tortured them.

With the help of natives, such as the Algonquin and the Huron people, the French fought the English and their allies - the Iroquoian people. The French also had a problem with the coureurs des bois, the fur traders that didn't take permission to trade, from the French. Things really took a bad turn when the two French explorers, Pierre-Esprit Radisson and Medard des Groseilliers, helped the English to control fur trade. In the clashes between the French and the English, the French took some territories from the English but also ceded control of some territories to them. After these battles, France signed a peace accord with the English called the Treaty of Utrecht. The treaty specified that France would give up control of the Louisiana territory to its ally Spain. The Treaty of Utrecht was followed by the 'French and Indian War' in which France lost badly to the English. Thereafter, the American revolution caused the English colonies to yield to the fledgling United States. Subsequently, Spain gave back control of the Louisiana territory to France, and the French emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte, sold the Louisiana territory to the United States.

The French colonies were not successful because the French system favored landlords over the common man. The French colonies also had a problem with the Huguenots at home. The Huguenots were Protestants who were not allowed to settle in New France. But when the French King declared the Huguenots illegal, they migrated en masse to New France. The French king also gave money to the French people, who would immigrate to America in order to increase the population of New France. He sent women to New France because there were fewer women than men there and encouraged them to procreate. The one advantage the French colonies had over the English colonies was that the French stood united behind their army, unlike the English who disagreed with each other on when to send their armies to war.

The effect of colonization of America by France, England, Netherlands and Spain cannot be overstated. The French colonies left their mark on America. The islands of Saint Pierre and Miquelon are still under French control to this day, and French is still spoken in the states of Louisiana, Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. French is also the second-most spoken language in Canada where the Francophones still continue the culture and traditions of the French.