Table of Contents
What was New France known for?
New France (French: Nouvelle-France) was the area colonized by France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Great Britain and Spain in 1763 under the Treaty of Paris (1763).
What was it like living in New France?
In New France there were harsh winters to contend with and often many died of scurvy. Symptoms include swollen, bleeding gums and bluish spots on the skin. and exposure to five months of cold weather. When settlers did come, they faced many hardships.
Was the economy good in New France?
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.
How did the French benefit from the new world?
Just as with other European exploration, the French wanted to prosper. The French became the largest exporters of beaver pelts, which were popular for making hats and coats, as a result of their trade with the Native Americans. Native Americans would trap the beaver and trade them to the French in return for weapons.
What did France focus on in the New World?
But New France focused primarily on the fur trade. Relatively few immigrants left France to settle in the New World, and some who did were Protestant Huguenots, welcome in British colonies but not in Catholic New France.
What happened to New France?
British troops occupied the remainder of New France, which became a British colony in 1763. The French and Canadien survivors of the Battle of the Plains of Abraham escaped to Montréal. In 1763, the Treaty of Paris ended the war and ceded New France to Britain. This marked a crucial turning point in Canadian history.
Did kids go to school in New France?
In the towns of New France, formal education was more important for a variety of purposes. The Jesuits, Récollets, Ursulines, the Congregation of Notre Dame, and other religious orders provided elementary instruction in catechism, reading, writing, and arithmetic.
What did New France people eat?
They incorporated into their diet wild game, birds, and fish, as well as native edible plants, yet they returned to growing vegetables and cereal crops and raising European livestock as soon as they could.
What did New France value?
Although its annual value paled in comparison to that of the North Atlantic cod fisheries, the fur trade was nevertheless the economic engine of New France: it underwrote exploration, evangelization, and settlement initiatives while providing income for habitant households and generating private fortunes for officials.
Why is the New France government important?
Since Québec’s foundation in 1608, New France had been a trading colony. It was so called because its sole purpose was to support the fur trade. In fact, the companies that ran New France were mostly interested in making money and had been unable to populate New France.
How did France colonize the New World?
Motivations for colonization: The French colonized North America to create trading posts for the fur trade. Some French missionaries eventually made their way to North America in order to convert Native Americans to Catholicism. The French in particular created alliances with the Hurons and Algonquians.
What were French explorers looking for in the New World?
Besides expanding the fur trade, the French wanted to find a river passage across North America (for a trade route to Asia), explore and secure territory, and establish Christian missions to convert Native peoples.