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American Colonial Empires:France and England

History 140

By Ryan Babers

American Colonies 5- Canada and Iroquois

The English, Dutch, and French mariners sought out toconduct a smuggling trade against Spain who at the time(16th century) was the leading superpower in Europe.Especially across the Atlantic in the Americas

European countries needed to establish colonies todisrupt Spain’s flow but not be in range of any attack

The French sought after “weaker” resources and land tocolonize in North America along the St. Lawrence river butwere forced to abandon the area due to the harsh climate,scurvy, and hostile Indians

Along the gulf of St. Lawrence, the French set up a post

There, the French, English, Basque, and Portuguesefound two new commodities to profit from; Fish and furs

Local Indians became more dependent on the Europeangoods which, forced them into a bind

If the traders refused to help, war would break out with thelocal tribes. However, European traders would ratheravoid conflict and helped the locals

The French had placed themselves as diplomats pledgingalliances to the tribes to avoid any hostility

In the region, Indian tribes were split among theAlgonquian and the Iroquois

The Iroquois were centralized around lake Ontariowhereas the Algonquian covered much o the Easternseaboard

The French had become an early leader in the fur trade

French traders established alliances with the Algonquin

Rival Iroquois tribes had been supplied with metalweapons by the Dutch which in turn the Iroquois soughtout to disrupt French trade and colonization

Canada The fur traders had thoughts about creating permanent

posts within their territory

Posts would attract Indians over seasonal ships. Werefortified and armed with a canon in an effort to scare awayother traders. It had also attracted more colonists whomight invest in the trade business

Companies kept their posts small and inhabitedexclusively by their own dependents to avoid any newcompetitors

At the end of the 16th century, French fur traders shiftedtheir focus to Tadoussac, on the Gulf of St. Lawrence andalong the peninsula Acadia (Nova Scotia)

The French created a monopoly in Acadia setting upsmall, all-male settlements but it had failed to deterinterloping traders, and due to harsh & scurvy wintersannually that killed most of the colonists

The French shifted their focus to reclaim the St. Lawrencevalley

The region was a poor location for an agricultural colony

The St. Lawrence had promised the French with a moreextensive fur trade with more northern Indian people thanany other river system the continent could provide

Frenchman Samuel de Champlain led to found a colony ofNew France on the St. Lawrence River

Champlain recognized that French success in Canadadepended upon building an alliance with a network ofnative peoples

Champlain built a fortified trading post in QUEBEC

Colonists relied heavily on French supply ships for food &Indian goodwill for their survival and prosperity

The Five Nation Iroquois consisted mostly of Mohawk,Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca who all hadfrequently raided northward to afflict the Montagnais,Algonquin, and Huron which hurt the French trade

The French needed little hand putting a little pressure onCanada’s natives who had more territory than theyneeded after the epidemics of the 16th century

The French agreed to help their native suppliers againstthe Five Nation Indians creating new enemies forthemselves

Champlain and others had joined with allied Indiansagainst rallied Iroquois (Mohawk) where they defeatedthem in present day (Lake Champlain)

The French introduced firearms to the natives whichwould revolutionize Indian warfare

The Iroquois sought after their own firearms dealing withthe Dutch to even the score

Although previously forbidden, French and Dutch traderhad profited greatly from the sale of firearms to Indians

Five Nation natives feared for their own who would bekilled that didn’t receive a proper ceremony and wouldhaunt them

They felt compelled to replace the dead by capturing orkilling a prisoner

The Iroquois were brutal to their prisoners by torturingthem and the women would butcher the remains for thevillage to eat as act of gaining power

The Five Nation Indians had been on the brink ofdestruction when internal wars broke out

An Indian prophet and his chief disciple helped restorepeace under a new Great League of Peace stopping theinternal conflict and revenge killings

The peace was overshadowed by a new threat of diseaseepidemics which afflicted much damage to many Indians

The French and Iroquois had been increasinglydependent on one another despite their rivalry

Jesuits & Destruction

The French colony had the idea to convert the Indians tobe Catholic in an effort to make them more dependant onthe French who used the mission style like the Spanish

The Jesuits had been trained extensively in Indian cultureand would not let their ideals go to waste

Indians were entitled to equality but of poor status ifconverted

The mid 17th century saw conflict on epic proportionswhen the Iroquois went on a rampage which broughtchaos to all sides

The Great League had nearly wiped out the Huron andforced other tribe into the league

There was a mixed feeling for New France who hadstarted to think twice about their investments in Canada

American Colonies 16-French America

French America 1650-1750 The British had been colonial rivals to the Canadian

French

The French had the Indians to rely on to deter Britishexpansion

Louisiana, a new French colony was created in the lowerMississippi valley at the end of the 17th century

Louisiana was scarcely populated much like New Francein the North and also relied on native Indians for defenseagainst the British

The French colonies stretched from the Gulf of St.Lawrence to the Gulf of Mexico

The French crown ordered the New France company torecruit more inhabitants

The colonies began to include farming families whichstarted to grown but only at a slow-steady pace

For being to slow in growth, the French crown seizedcontrol of the colony in 1663 and played for theirtransatlantic passages

Most of the emigrants were men looking for work and food

Comprised mostly of urban laborers and artisans

Most were also engages or indentured servants

Many of the engages had negotiated their contracts andtended to leave whereas married men mostly stayed

French emigration was hindered by failing to secure amigration chain unlike rival Britain who had done so

Much of New France’s increase in population was natural

Still, the growth was minimal in comparison to Englishcolonists

Cultural values and institutional obstacles obstaclesblocked overseas emigration

Peasants were determined to remain rooted in their land

Canada’s environment was also very unpleasant forpotential colonies, especially for agriculture

French colonies reflected a more militaristic, paternalistic,and centralized form of authority

The French crown appointed three rival officials in NewFrance: a military governor-general, a civil administrator(intendent), and a Catholic bishop

All three positions were involved in a triangle which eachposition had power over the other in an attempt for crownfavorite

The French had appointed a sovereign council whichincluded the 3 officials, 5-7 seigneurs, and an attorneygeneral

New France also lacked the town or county governments

Instead of not having town or county governments, theydivided the St. Lawrence valley into parishes, whichcombined civil, military, and ecclesiastical functions

Each town had a church, a priest, and a militia companyunder a captain appointed by the intendant

By the 18th century, France consisted of two very differentsectors: the narrow, cultivated St. Lawrence valley and thevast forest and lakes known as the Upper Country

One sector was mainly colonization (St. Lawrence valley)and the other was mostly trade (interior)

Much of the region saw increased reproduction, andbecause of peace with the Iroquois it brought greatersecurity, prosperity, and development to the valley

A mix of tribes had also come to an agreement with thepriests who conformed to a more traditional custom andritual that wasn’t in opposition to Catholic Worship

The Indians had become a hybrid of Indian and Europeanhorticulture and continued to hunt for meat and furs

The French were obliged to respect their pact with them

The French were more concerned about expanding theirtrade business in Louisiana more than their religiousambitions

Louisiana was given a private company, The Company ofthe Indies by the crown which promoted plantations tocultivate tobacco and indigo

The focus was then shifted by establishing New Orleansand became the colony’s largest town, principal seaport,and government headquarters

The Company of the Indies had transported 5,400European colonists (mostly French) and 6,000 Africanslaves to Louisiana

The climate in the south proved difficult for colonists

Only a 1/3 of European emigrants remained alive inLouisiana (1731) however, conditions improved during the1740s as colonists acquired partial immunities to feversand farming conditions improved

With a failing business the Company of the Indies hadeventually become bankrupt and forced to surrender thecolony to the French crown in 1731

The French had been employing blacks in militias to fightthe Indians fearing blacks and Indians would rebel againstthem

Some blacks managed to seek refuge in New Mexico andother Indian tribes from harsh punishment by the French

From the French crown perspective French America wasa economic disappointment and cost them

France could not force their way out due to the Indiansdesperate bind & need for their goods, had become sowell adapted

American Colonies 6- Virginia1570-1650

Virginia 1570-1650 The Spanish had established missions up to the

Chesapeake Bay (Virginia) but were driven out by nativeresistance

The English had successfully colonized Ireland andsought to continue their expansion to Virginia, named inhonor of Queen Elizabeth, a supposed virgin

England originally were looking for ways to get rich bysearching for gold and Spanish treasure ships

Tobacco was instead found and in an effort to colonize theregion, the English faced resistance from AlgonquianIndians

England invested in subcontractors and monopolies toprivatize the area

The country needed to expand to prevent collapseinternally

The executive power was bestowed in the monarch, witha Queen instead of a king

English rule included kingdoms of England, Wales, Irelandand Scotland (1603)

The English From London, England dominated over the others

The Queen had to share her power with the Parliament

Under her rule, England hit a series of social woeseconomically and crime filled

Colonial plantations could improve England’s balance oftrade with other nations was suggested

Virginia plantations had promised to improve the nationstrade by providing import substitutes

It was also relief to the cloth industry

England used the colonization of Ireland as a model forhow to colonize overseas

In 1585, one hundred male colonists under Sir WalterRaleigh set out to colonize Roanoke, a small island on theNorth Carolina coast

The island prevented any Spanish activity and Englandaccess due to the shoals and sands

Roanoke was eventually abandoned

Virginia Some surviving members in the Roanoke expedition

apparently found refuge in a Indian village but were killed

The English made another attempt at Chesapeake Baywhich offered better harbors, navigatable rivers, and morefertile land

The English named the 4 major rivers in Virginia: James,York, Rappahannocha, and Potomac

The region had some 24,000 Indians who were all unitedunder a chief named Powhatan

Virginia Indians viewed England’s total war as pointlessand wasteful. However natives were interested in Englishtechnology and thought of them as allies to defeat rivaltribes

The English though were highly distracted because ofruthless acts of killings and kidnappings

They had also distrusted the English way of life

England had not set up missions like the Spanish orFrench either

In 1604 a peace treaty with Spain reduced danger ofSpanish attack on any new colony

A newer interest in colonial Virginia became more popular

The colony of Jamestown was established after a band ofEnglish ships sailed up the James river

The town was good for defense against Spain and Indiansbut extremely poor on health (disease-wise)

Colonists expected the Indians to feed them but did notknow about the scarce resources available for thecolonists

Some colonists tried to parade on a village and were killedand left for their countrymen to see

Captain John Smith was taken prisoner and offered a roleas subordinate chief

Smith was released and continued to harass Indians forcorn

Both the colonists and Powhatan launched brutal attackson each other

Pocahontas was captured, accepted Christian conversion,and married colonist John Rolfe

Both sides made peace however, Pocahontas went toEngland and would die from disease

American Colonies 9- Puritans andIndians

Puritans and Indians 1600-1700 Puritans perceive the pre-colonial landscape as “a

hideous and desolate wilderness full of wild beasts andmen.”

They saw the Indians as their opposite and feared thattheir own peoples (puritans) would turn into them

Colonists had spread out mostly for better land

Puritan leaders feared that “profit & religion” werediverging and people thought more about their economicinterests

The New English worked to show that they are stillChristians and would not dwell into Indian culture

The puritans were also working to convert and transformIndians into English Christians

The New English wanted to dominate the region and itsnatives

South New England Indians had culture, and language butlacked the political strength that the Powhatan chiefdomhad

The top tribes in the region were the Mohegan and Pequotof Connecticut, the Narragansett of Rhode Island, thePatuxet and Wampanoag of the Plymouth colony, and theNipmuck, Massachusetts, and Penacook of theMassachusetts Bay Colony

The tribes were subdivided into local bands who had acommon hunting & gathering territory, and shared villages

Natives could leave from one band to go into another

To the English, the natives had the notion that all theywere is hunters

The Indians also surprised the English with their superioragriculture skills and their diet had been so well balancedwith nutrients

Indians had been able to control forest fires rather letthem burn wildly and destructively like the English haddone

Fires had become a staple in Indian agriculture as well

Men and women in tribes had general roles where menwould do “male” centered roles like hunting, fishing, andwarfare whereas women took care of the children,maintained homes, and agriculture (gathering roles)

Indian women performed roles which were less timeconsuming than colonial women and took pride in theirwork

Puritans and Indians Most Indians had to share their resources unless

acquiring or stealing goods from the English

Colonists had been protective of their possessions andtended to not share with natives

Colonists marveled at the vast wildlife and land which theybegan to see it as a chance of commodity

They had themselves decided to determine the portions ofland to clam and what to give to the Indians by issuingdeeds or contracts

Once property was in colonists hands, they felt anytrespassers by Indians would result in self defense

The colonists were also clearing out land at a faster rateand with more claims of land, it became off limits andhostile to Indians

The first major conflict between the New English and theIndians broke out in 1636

Colonial leaders had made outlandish demand of thePequot tribe and declared war, forcing the Mohegan, andNarragansett to fight against the Pequot as allies

Puritans and Indians With the help of the Mohegan and Narragansett the New

English attacked the Pequot village

Both the Mohegan and Narragansett were in a state ofshock as the colonists had slaughtered men, women, andchildren sparring no one which was originally thought

England Puritans also criticized the New English for theirslaughter

They had nearly wiped out all the remaining Pequot

Ironically the Pequot would eventually help the colonistsfight the Narragansett some years later

Many remaining bands began to ponder the price offighting the colonists or being subordinate to them

Some of the colonists began to attempt evangelizing theIndians where they built “praying towns” to attract them

Smaller, weaker bands were of most concern

In 1675-76, the bloody King Philips’s war broke out

The chaotic war had finally subdued the natives afteryears of massacre