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Summary of french exploitationSimilar to Spain, many French did not decide to venture to the America's so they needed to be smart making enslavement an unrealistic option. They key factor was trade. They exploited existing tribal rivalries such as the Huron, Montagnais, and Algonquins. Native Americans did most of the work for the French by tracking, trapping, and skinning pelts for the French. In exchange, the French gave the Native Americans textiles, weapons, and metal goods giving the clan leaders more power and control over other tribes. Catholic priests were also able to convert many Huron people because they were able to learn the local language and convince them. They also did this by bridging them with muskets to convert (1.)
The Beaver Wars (1642-1698)The Beaver Wars was a conflict between the French and the Iroquois tribe. The conflict came when the beaver population started to dwindle in the Hudson Valley area near current day New York. The Iroquois relied on the felts to trade for muskets from Dutch trading posts that were mainly responsible for the disappearance of the animal. Due to this, the Iroquois wanted to head north towards the St Lawerence River controlled by the Hurons, a close ally of the French. Threatened by disease and a declining population the Iroquois began an aggressive march to the land. Armed with Dutch weaponry fights broke out between the Iroquois and the French and the wars began (2).
During the time of fights in the north, the Iroquois were also moving westward towards the Great Lakes pushing eastern tribes to the plains (2). The war lasted for years with attacks and counterattacks resulting in much bloodshed by both sides. They eventually agreed on a peace treaty known as the "Great Peace" in 1701. The peace treaty was signed by 39 tribe chiefs in Montreal (2). French and Indian War (1756-1763)The French and Indian War, also known as the Seven Years' War, was a very large conflict between the the French and the British. The conflict began when the French increased movement towards the Ohio River Valley area towards the British Colonies. The British struggled at first due to a lack of finances and mainly the advantage the French had by using the Indians as ally's. The series of conflicts lead to an official declaration of war in 1756, when new British leader William Pitt financed the war by borrowing a large sum of money. After this, the tides changed in the war when the British won battles in Quebec and Montreal leaving the French without their main strongholds in the war (4).
The Peace Conference was held in 1763 giving Canada and Florida to the British. However, they allowed the French to keep their West Indian sugar islands and they gave Louisiana to the Spanish. This in turn gave the British more strength over the colonies because they no longer had to worry about their enemies in the North or the South, while also opening up the Mississippi Valley for westward expansion (4). ConclusionIn conclusion, the French as a whole negatively affected the native people in the northern part of North America. First, the French Brought over many things to trade such as weapons like rifles weaponizing certain tribes they were connected with, leaving the other tribes weak and vulnerable to other tribes. Secondly, the French's expansion even further west moved other tribes from their original land and pushed them towards the plains. Thirdly, the French and their Catholic pastors forced them to convert to Catholicism, infringing on their free rights to religion. Finally, the French used the Native Americans as numbers in their wars and also fought against the tribes such as the Iroquois. These wars and all other instances disturbed the peace in the Native American land.
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