Rising Tensions in NA
What caused tension to rise
Competing for land - The Ohio River had long been used as a FN transportation route - The French and British both wanted control over it - The French established forts while the British wanted settlements - The British wanted to move settlements to Virginia which caused conflict
Economic Tension - Conflict between British and French focused on hurting each other economically - By hurting New France’s economy it would weaken their military - By capturing Louisburg this cut off the French’s supply goods
Building Forts - To maintain contact with th FN the French built fur tradeposts throughout New France - Each post they built attrachted more FN buisness - Some of these forts were located on land claimed by both French and British
Louisburg - The French wanted it to be intimadating - It was the centre of French fisheries and the largest military base - The British saw it as a protector of pirates who attacked British fishing and transporting ships - The British captured Louisburg in 1745
Impacts of forts on First Nations - The FN were more willing to have the French on their land because they were allies - The British built farms in FN land and the French did not - Other times they tried to buy the land
Seeking farmland and furs - British colonies were growing so they needed more farmland - British colonists expanded westward - They were starting farms on FN territories near the Ohio River
What shaped Canadien culture
Canadien Fur Trade - Many Candiens participated in the fur trade - They travelled far from home in long periods of time in search of furs
Voyageurs - Fur trading developed in small businesses - Some Canadiens became voyageurs - Voyageurs were canoeists that worked fur trading firms - They could not trade or sell furs like the coureurs de bois - They travelled by canoe to transport furs and goods for the fur trade
Coureuxs de Bois -Many Candien fur traders were known as coureurs de bois - They met with First Nations trappers and purchased furs in exchange for goods e.x wires, cloth reading glasses and guns -Learning from the First Nations helped them survive - It was a working relationship that benfited both parties
Origins of Canadien culture -The first permanent settlers arrived in 1608 - The French never let go of their culture and traditions - They developed a new dialect called canadien-français
Habitants - Most Candien settlers who lived along the St Lawrence were farmers called habitants -Their settlements were part of the seigneurial system - The average farm size was a football - Habitants learned how to hunt, harvest timber, and trap animals
Religion - By the 1713 French settlers have been living in new France for 2-3 generations - The French were Catholic -The French King Louis XIV
Canadien Women -Several factors for Canadien women independence - Women had to learn how to cook with the variety of foods in North America -They had to sew their familys clothes and make meals from scratch -Women in New France enjoyed a level of independence that other women in British and French colonies did not get
Eduction Business - Greater access to education was another way Canadien women could be more independant - Some women were able to recieve education from Catholic nuns - Some women ran their own buisnesses like mills, factories, and tanneries
Were the British justified in expelling the Acadiens
The Expulsion - Tensions grew over time between the Acadiens and the British - In 1755 Governor Charles Lawrence demanded the Acadiens to sign an oath of alegiance - The Acadiens refused - In 1755 the British ordered an expulsion to the Acadiens - During the expulsion 10’000 Acadiens were deported - Some manged to escape and refuge with the FN or French communites - 1/3 of the people forced onto the ships died - Families were seperated and never found again - The British burnt down the Acadiens farms and houses so they did not have any reason to return - The Expulsion lasted for 8 years ending in 1763
Acadien Resistance - The Acadiens and the Mi’kmaq had a close relationship - They joined the FN in raids on British settlements - Joesph Broussard was one of the most active leaders of the Acadien resistance - In 1751 Broussards led 60 Mi’kmaq and Acadien militia to attack the town of Dartmouth - Brousards foces killed 20 British villagers and burned down 36 homes - Broussard also led a group of FN warriors and Acadien and French soldiers to defend Fort Beauséjour
The French threat - Increasing number of French forts in the West made the British concerned - They also suspected that France was encouraging Mi’kmaq and Acadien resistance - The British was concerned about the amount and location of forts that th French were building in disputed territory
Acadiens under British rule - The Treaty of Utretch cut off some of the Acadiens land - The treaty allowed them to relocate to other lands in New France - However the Acadiens did not want to leave their established farms - The British did not want to increase the French population
An uneasy peace - In 1730 the Britsh and Acadiens came to an agreement - Acadiens were allowed to practice Catholicism - But the Acadiens had to sign an oath to their loyalty to King George II - The Acadiens did not have to fight with the British against France - After a while they were know as “ the neutral French
Aftermath of the expulsion - The deported Acadiens had dificulty settling in British colonies - By 1785 nearly 2600 depoerted Acadiens ended up in New Orleans - In 1764 the British allowed the Acadiens to return home - Nearly 3000 did - However their land had been given to British settlers
Evangeline - The story of the Expulsion had been retold over generations and had become part of their identity - In 1847 American William Wadsworth Longfellow had written the poem Evangeline - Since then the poem has become very popular
Thanadelthur - The fur trade depended highly on FN women - Skillful preparations increased the value of fur - Thandelthur agreed to help Knight - Ths helped to make a peacful relationship with the Cree Nations
Threats to British security - The British felt threatened by the First Nations - The First Nations were fighting to defend their land - The British also felt threaten by the Acadiens and the French whom thay didnt trust
First Nations resistance - The Treaty of Utretch gave land that the FN owned to the British - FN veiwed the British occupation of Acadia as illegal - In 1749 the British increased their presence by building the fortress of Halifax - The British tried to negotiate but the FN just wanted the British to leave
Why was the fur trade significant
Motivations in the fur trade - In the early 1700 Britian and France were extending there power - They were both using imperialism -Canadiens needed more ways to sustain themselves so they entered the fur trade - The fur trade was a large source of income for New France
Competing with First Nations - Competions in the fur trade were fierce - Britished tried hard to take the buisness of Huron, Delaware and Sawnee away from the French - This competition put FN trappers at a good position - Overtrapping brought the beaver to the brink of extinction - Fur traders spread small pox - This killed 10’000 FN people
Partnering with First Nations - For over 200 years the French and First Nations have had a bonding relationship - The French decided they could benefit with a good relationship - The French relied on the FN to give them furs to sell and the FN relied on the French to give them European goods -The FN were also French allies in war
Expansion of the furtrade - In early 1700s te French recived all the furs from Montréal - First Nations partners brought furs to Montréal from the upper country - However when the treaty of Utretcht was signed it gave a big piece of that land to the British - Effectively cutting of the French from the fur source
