What was the main reason French explorers came to the Great Lakes region?

What was the main reason French explorers came to the Great Lakes region?

The main reason French explorers came to the Great Lakes region is they wanted silk and spices from China. The French wanted to trade with American Indians for beaver furs because there were very few beaver in France and people there wanted beaver hats.

Why did the French want the Mississippi River and Great Lakes?

Why were French explorers interested in claiming the Mississippi River and having access to the Great Lakes? They believed that gold was located there. They were mainly fur trappers and traders. They found no eastern coast land available.

What were the French explorers establishing along the St Lawrence River and around the Great Lakes?

In 1534, Francis sent Jacques Cartier on the first of three voyages to explore the coast of Newfoundland and the St. Lawrence River. Cartier founded New France by planting a cross on the shore of the Gaspé Peninsula.

What French explorers explored the Great Lakes?

THIS is the order in which the Great Lakes were discovered by the French explorers: Huron in 1615, by Le Caron, the Recollect friar, and by Champlain, one of the greatest navigators in New France; Ontario, during the same year, by Champlain; Superior, about 1629, by Etienne Brule; Michigan, in 1634, by Jean Nicolet; …

What did the French explorers want?

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.

What became France’s main economic activity?

Of course, only a small proportion of the population were directly involved, but fishing and whaling nevertheless continued to be a significant component of the economy throughout the course of the French regime and even much later. But the fur trade was the real economic driver of New France.

How did the French develop and expand in North America?

Most colonies were developed to export products such as fish, rice, sugar, and furs. As they colonized the New World, the French established forts and settlements that would become such cities as Quebec and Montreal in Canada; Detroit, Green Bay, St.

What was the major source of wealth for 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.

What did the French explorers hope to find?

They hoped to find the Northwest Passage, a direct sea route to Asia via the Pacific Ocean. The king commissioned Verrazano to chart (to make a map of) the entire Atlantic coast of North America, from modern-day Florida to Newfoundland (an island off the coast of Canada).

Why did the French make alliances with the indigenous people?

In the early 1600s, French explorers made alliances with the Algonquins, Montagnais, and Hurons to gain access to rich fur territories. Indigenous peoples pursued these alliances with the French as a means of securing a wide range of European manufactured goods, but cloth, firearms, and metal weapons were among the most sought after.

Where did France gain most of its colonial power?

While the French quite rapidly lost nearly all of its colonial gains in the Americas, their colonial expansion also covered territories in Africa and Asia where France grew to be a major colonial power in the 19th century.

Where did the French settle in the United States?

Although France did not establish permanent settlements in the territory that became the United States, French explorers extended the frontiers around the Great Lakes (a chain of five lakes along the border of present-day Canada and the United States), along the Mississippi River valley, and around the Gulf of Mexico.