Government and Religion in New France
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In the 1500 and 1600s, Europeans began expanding their empires west and in doing so each empire developed in its own unique way. The English, Spanish, and French empires each managed their newly acquired lands differently; some powers governed more brutally and some more civil according to today’s standards. The French colonized New France very differently from the way the English and Spanish founded their new lands. New France’s government and religion were closely intertwined and regulated each other in how they would develop into the late 1700’s.
Samuel de Champlain first founded Quebec in 1806. Once established, Champlain began forging alliances with the Native Americans that already had inhabited the area so that they could create a trade network consisting of fur and European goods.[1] Champlain tried to cement relations with the natives by sending missionaries to convert them to Catholicism. Much of the French settlers success in New France is linked to the aboriginal population and the knowledge they shared with the settlers.
In 1627 the French Royal government implemented the Seigneurial System in New France. The Seigneurial System was based heavily on the French feudal system. The formation of the Compangnie de Cent-Associes, a company of 100 associates who held administrative, judicial, law- making, and broad trade privileges helped govern New France. These associates were called seigneurs. They generally held military or aristocrat positions before immigrating to the new land. These seigneurs were responsible for subdividing five, fifteen kilometer plots into subplots and to set up courts of law, mills, and a commune. Under the seigneurs were the habitants, which was a class comprised of farmers and laborers who were initially brought over from France to live and hold those positions in the New France. Habitants paid taxes as well as rent to the seigneurs. While they co-owned the land with seigneurs, some days work profits were set aside to entirely benefit the seigneurs. [2] The next class of residents under the habitants was known as engages. This class was made up of indentured servants who had come to the new world under a three-year work contract to farm. Many of the engages returned to France after there contracts were up. [3] After taking a census in 1666, the French realized that the men in the colony out numbered women nearly two to one. As a result, King Louis XIV sent single women between the ages of fifteen and thirty to New France to be married to the settlers there. Those women played a huge role in the development of French settlements. They bore more children than women who stayed in France in addition to working alongside their husbands and some even became entrepreneurs of their own.[4]
Marie de I’lncarnation founded the first Ursuline convent in 1639. The foundation of subsequent convents greatly influenced and helped to set up a model for settler society. Religion in New France had been predominately Roman Catholic until 1685 when the proclamation of the Edict of Nantes gave Roman Catholics and the Huguenots in France analogous religious rights. The Huguenots were among the most independent and successful of settlers in New France, which made them a threat to the royal government. As a result, a charter to the Compangnie de Cent-Associes declared that the colonists permitted to settle in New France had to be Roman Catholic. This charter caused a surge of Huguenots to immigrate to America in search of religious freedom. The Roman Catholic Church gained a dominant position in daily settler life. By establishing missions, the church felt they provided the opportunity for tribes such as the Algonquians and Hurons to save their souls. This however led to a long-standing battle between the missionaries and the fur traders in regards to the welfare of the natives.[5]
Jesuit missionaries were also given grants to New Canada in hopes of solidifying relationships and converting the indigenous populations. In 1642, a French Jesuit missionary noted that “to make a Christian out of a barbarian is not the work of a day… a great step is gained when one has learned to known those with whom he has to deal… has been a barbarian with them, in order to win them over to Jesus Christ.” The religious figures in New Canada were very interested in maintaining good relationships with the natives and respected them as well as their knowledge, however in come cases, the missionaries were not able to overcome the natives religious practices. One Huron Indian said to a Jesuit missionary, “You tell us fine stories and there is nothing in what you say that may not be true; but that is good for you who come across the seas. Do you not see that, as we inhabit a world so different from yours, there must be another heaven for us and another road to reach it?”[6] The French religious settlers and the natives had such an interesting respect for each other’s cultures and religions and it is for this reason that the two were able to work so closely for so long.
Samuel de Champlain first founded Quebec in 1806. Once established, Champlain began forging alliances with the Native Americans that already had inhabited the area so that they could create a trade network consisting of fur and European goods.[1] Champlain tried to cement relations with the natives by sending missionaries to convert them to Catholicism. Much of the French settlers success in New France is linked to the aboriginal population and the knowledge they shared with the settlers.
In 1627 the French Royal government implemented the Seigneurial System in New France. The Seigneurial System was based heavily on the French feudal system. The formation of the Compangnie de Cent-Associes, a company of 100 associates who held administrative, judicial, law- making, and broad trade privileges helped govern New France. These associates were called seigneurs. They generally held military or aristocrat positions before immigrating to the new land. These seigneurs were responsible for subdividing five, fifteen kilometer plots into subplots and to set up courts of law, mills, and a commune. Under the seigneurs were the habitants, which was a class comprised of farmers and laborers who were initially brought over from France to live and hold those positions in the New France. Habitants paid taxes as well as rent to the seigneurs. While they co-owned the land with seigneurs, some days work profits were set aside to entirely benefit the seigneurs. [2] The next class of residents under the habitants was known as engages. This class was made up of indentured servants who had come to the new world under a three-year work contract to farm. Many of the engages returned to France after there contracts were up. [3] After taking a census in 1666, the French realized that the men in the colony out numbered women nearly two to one. As a result, King Louis XIV sent single women between the ages of fifteen and thirty to New France to be married to the settlers there. Those women played a huge role in the development of French settlements. They bore more children than women who stayed in France in addition to working alongside their husbands and some even became entrepreneurs of their own.[4]
Marie de I’lncarnation founded the first Ursuline convent in 1639. The foundation of subsequent convents greatly influenced and helped to set up a model for settler society. Religion in New France had been predominately Roman Catholic until 1685 when the proclamation of the Edict of Nantes gave Roman Catholics and the Huguenots in France analogous religious rights. The Huguenots were among the most independent and successful of settlers in New France, which made them a threat to the royal government. As a result, a charter to the Compangnie de Cent-Associes declared that the colonists permitted to settle in New France had to be Roman Catholic. This charter caused a surge of Huguenots to immigrate to America in search of religious freedom. The Roman Catholic Church gained a dominant position in daily settler life. By establishing missions, the church felt they provided the opportunity for tribes such as the Algonquians and Hurons to save their souls. This however led to a long-standing battle between the missionaries and the fur traders in regards to the welfare of the natives.[5]
Jesuit missionaries were also given grants to New Canada in hopes of solidifying relationships and converting the indigenous populations. In 1642, a French Jesuit missionary noted that “to make a Christian out of a barbarian is not the work of a day… a great step is gained when one has learned to known those with whom he has to deal… has been a barbarian with them, in order to win them over to Jesus Christ.” The religious figures in New Canada were very interested in maintaining good relationships with the natives and respected them as well as their knowledge, however in come cases, the missionaries were not able to overcome the natives religious practices. One Huron Indian said to a Jesuit missionary, “You tell us fine stories and there is nothing in what you say that may not be true; but that is good for you who come across the seas. Do you not see that, as we inhabit a world so different from yours, there must be another heaven for us and another road to reach it?”[6] The French religious settlers and the natives had such an interesting respect for each other’s cultures and religions and it is for this reason that the two were able to work so closely for so long.
French and Native Americans
During both the 16th and 17th century, European colonization in Northern America was prevalent as the Spanish dominated present day Mexico, California, Florida and majority of the southwestern territory, Britain expanded across the entire Atlantic coast, and France was nestled in between, covering a large central portion of now days United States and eastern Canada.[7] Each of these empires, though vast geographically were similar in their common purpose to find, trade and then supply goods to their own countries. However, it was not the success of their trade that set each of the empires apart, it was their response and actions towards the native Indians that inhabited each of their lands. Out of all three regions it was the French who shared the Indians land instead of took it, and worked beside the Indians in trade instead of conquering them. During the time of pre-colonization to 1776, when the French established their territory in the new world, they welcomed and influenced the Native Americans religiously, socially and economically.
The first French explorers to arrive in North America were sent by France in the late 1500’s to establish a route of trade to India. Instead, they discovered an expansive land inhabited by few and rich in materials and resources ideal for trade. This discovery was the catalyst for further French exploration and settlement in the new world. In the 1600’s however, when French explores began settling in North America they soon discovered that their was another barrier to cross; native inhabitants. It was not long after the French began to settle in America that they realized that the “viability of the New France depended on friendly relations with the local Indians.”[1] Not only for the benefit of creating a peaceful environment, but also, since the French placed a large emphasis on their fur trade, they knew that establishing allies with the Indians could increase their trade. It was this discovery that shaped their approach in how they treated and co-existed with the Native Americans that shared their land.
During the initial acclimation of the French into New France, “…the French worked out a complex series of military, commercial, and diplomatic connections” with the Indians.[1] The purpose of these connections were to create a cohesive and harmonious relationship with the Indians as well as establish a basis of dependency for both the Indians and the French to rely on each other for their fur trade. Though both the Spanish and the English were empires that devised a mentality of superiority over the Native Americans and therefore remained independent of any native assistance, the French adopted a different philosophy, one in which they say themselves as equals.
This mentality of equality that the French initially established resonated through out all of their allied Indian colonies. The equality between the French and Indians was not only acknowledged in relation to ownership of land but also religiously, socially, and culturally. In 1604 an explorer by the name of Samuel de Champlain landed in the new world to assist in settlement and further exploration of the new world. When he began interacting with the Native Americans he made a statement in which he demanded religious tolerance for any Christians as well as rejected the idea that Native Americans were culturally or intellectually lesser then the Europeans. This allowed the Indians to maintain their own religious views of Christianity and remain independent as well as keep their traditional social structure.[1] However, the French did also support and help Indians who wished to convert to Catholicism. Once a Native American converted their religious affiliation they were then granted full citizenship as a French colonist. Though the French never forced the Indians to convert which was unusual for the time, they granted it as an option for those who wished, and as a result the Indians were accepted not as inferior, but as an equal French colonist.
As the relationship between the French and Indians grew and their industry for fur trade excelled, Frenchmen began moving and permanently settling into Indian communities. Because Indians were the source that hunted and supplied the fur to the French, the French began moving closer to Indian settlements to be closer to their suppliers and therefore closer and more involved with the handling of their goods. As more and more French traders established themselves into the Indian settlements, it became more and more common for a French man to marry an Indian woman and therefore it became normal to see inter-racial children. These children were called métis, which translates to mixed-blood. Following their predetermined views of equality, both the French and Indians welcomed the inter-racial children into both cultures and treated them with love and support. “Indians did not use race as the basis for exclusion or inclusion into their societies, and the children of these unions were welcomed into the tribal societies.”[8] It was then the decision of the Indian mother to decide whether she would chose to raise her child in a Native American community or in a Fur trading community. [8]
The successful and harmonious relationship of the French and Indians held strong throughout the entirety of the 17th century and into the 18th. However in 1756 the English declared war on the French and both the French and Indians united one last time to defend their land. The war came to be known as the Sever Year War or the French and Indian War.[9] Prior to the outbreak of war, the French had continued to expand their empire. They had already taken power over the Mississippi River and had slowly been expanding to take control over the Ohio River. The French’s repeated efforts to control the Ohio River created repeated conflict with the British colonies and as a result the British official declared war on the French colonies.[10] Though the French empire lost the war and therefore lost the claims on their land, it was the notion that the
[1] Foner, Eric. "A New World." In Give me liberty!: an American history. Seagull third ed. (New York: W.W. Norton, 2012) 36-39.
[2] "1608 - 1759: New France." Canada in the Making, accessed February 10, 2014 http://www.canadiana.ca/citm/themes/constitution/constitution3_e.html#centass
[3] Foner, Eric. "Slavery, Freedom, and the Struggle for Empire." In Give me liberty!: an American history. Seagull third ed. (New York: W.W. Norton, 2012) 164-166.
[4] "Le peuplement d'un pays". Musée de la civilisation. 1998.
[5] W. S. Wallace, "Religious History", in W. Stewart WALLACE, The Encyclopedia of Canada, Vol. 3, Toronto, University Associates of Canada, 1948, 396p., pp. 186-191.
[6] "A French Jesuit missionary, 1642." Smithsonian Source, accessed February 10, 2014,http://smithsoniansource.org/display/primarysource/viewdetails.aspx?TopicId= &PrimarySourceId=1181
[7] Mutone, Stephanie, “Europeans and Indians- Conflict and Alliance”, education.com,
accessed February 21, 2014, http://www.education.com/study-help/article/ushistory-french-indian-war-conflict-alliance/, 1.
[8] “Relations Between the Indians and French,” Indian Country, accessed February 12 2014, http://www.mpm.edu/wirp/ICW-145.html.
[9] Kindig, Thomas, “The Seven Year War,” The Declaration of Independence, accessed February 10, 2014, http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/related/frin.htm, 1.
[10] “French and Indian War,” History Channel. accessed February 10,2014, http://www.history.com/topics/french-and-indian-war, paragraph 2.
The first French explorers to arrive in North America were sent by France in the late 1500’s to establish a route of trade to India. Instead, they discovered an expansive land inhabited by few and rich in materials and resources ideal for trade. This discovery was the catalyst for further French exploration and settlement in the new world. In the 1600’s however, when French explores began settling in North America they soon discovered that their was another barrier to cross; native inhabitants. It was not long after the French began to settle in America that they realized that the “viability of the New France depended on friendly relations with the local Indians.”[1] Not only for the benefit of creating a peaceful environment, but also, since the French placed a large emphasis on their fur trade, they knew that establishing allies with the Indians could increase their trade. It was this discovery that shaped their approach in how they treated and co-existed with the Native Americans that shared their land.
During the initial acclimation of the French into New France, “…the French worked out a complex series of military, commercial, and diplomatic connections” with the Indians.[1] The purpose of these connections were to create a cohesive and harmonious relationship with the Indians as well as establish a basis of dependency for both the Indians and the French to rely on each other for their fur trade. Though both the Spanish and the English were empires that devised a mentality of superiority over the Native Americans and therefore remained independent of any native assistance, the French adopted a different philosophy, one in which they say themselves as equals.
This mentality of equality that the French initially established resonated through out all of their allied Indian colonies. The equality between the French and Indians was not only acknowledged in relation to ownership of land but also religiously, socially, and culturally. In 1604 an explorer by the name of Samuel de Champlain landed in the new world to assist in settlement and further exploration of the new world. When he began interacting with the Native Americans he made a statement in which he demanded religious tolerance for any Christians as well as rejected the idea that Native Americans were culturally or intellectually lesser then the Europeans. This allowed the Indians to maintain their own religious views of Christianity and remain independent as well as keep their traditional social structure.[1] However, the French did also support and help Indians who wished to convert to Catholicism. Once a Native American converted their religious affiliation they were then granted full citizenship as a French colonist. Though the French never forced the Indians to convert which was unusual for the time, they granted it as an option for those who wished, and as a result the Indians were accepted not as inferior, but as an equal French colonist.
As the relationship between the French and Indians grew and their industry for fur trade excelled, Frenchmen began moving and permanently settling into Indian communities. Because Indians were the source that hunted and supplied the fur to the French, the French began moving closer to Indian settlements to be closer to their suppliers and therefore closer and more involved with the handling of their goods. As more and more French traders established themselves into the Indian settlements, it became more and more common for a French man to marry an Indian woman and therefore it became normal to see inter-racial children. These children were called métis, which translates to mixed-blood. Following their predetermined views of equality, both the French and Indians welcomed the inter-racial children into both cultures and treated them with love and support. “Indians did not use race as the basis for exclusion or inclusion into their societies, and the children of these unions were welcomed into the tribal societies.”[8] It was then the decision of the Indian mother to decide whether she would chose to raise her child in a Native American community or in a Fur trading community. [8]
The successful and harmonious relationship of the French and Indians held strong throughout the entirety of the 17th century and into the 18th. However in 1756 the English declared war on the French and both the French and Indians united one last time to defend their land. The war came to be known as the Sever Year War or the French and Indian War.[9] Prior to the outbreak of war, the French had continued to expand their empire. They had already taken power over the Mississippi River and had slowly been expanding to take control over the Ohio River. The French’s repeated efforts to control the Ohio River created repeated conflict with the British colonies and as a result the British official declared war on the French colonies.[10] Though the French empire lost the war and therefore lost the claims on their land, it was the notion that the
[1] Foner, Eric. "A New World." In Give me liberty!: an American history. Seagull third ed. (New York: W.W. Norton, 2012) 36-39.
[2] "1608 - 1759: New France." Canada in the Making, accessed February 10, 2014 http://www.canadiana.ca/citm/themes/constitution/constitution3_e.html#centass
[3] Foner, Eric. "Slavery, Freedom, and the Struggle for Empire." In Give me liberty!: an American history. Seagull third ed. (New York: W.W. Norton, 2012) 164-166.
[4] "Le peuplement d'un pays". Musée de la civilisation. 1998.
[5] W. S. Wallace, "Religious History", in W. Stewart WALLACE, The Encyclopedia of Canada, Vol. 3, Toronto, University Associates of Canada, 1948, 396p., pp. 186-191.
[6] "A French Jesuit missionary, 1642." Smithsonian Source, accessed February 10, 2014,http://smithsoniansource.org/display/primarysource/viewdetails.aspx?TopicId= &PrimarySourceId=1181
[7] Mutone, Stephanie, “Europeans and Indians- Conflict and Alliance”, education.com,
accessed February 21, 2014, http://www.education.com/study-help/article/ushistory-french-indian-war-conflict-alliance/, 1.
[8] “Relations Between the Indians and French,” Indian Country, accessed February 12 2014, http://www.mpm.edu/wirp/ICW-145.html.
[9] Kindig, Thomas, “The Seven Year War,” The Declaration of Independence, accessed February 10, 2014, http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/related/frin.htm, 1.
[10] “French and Indian War,” History Channel. accessed February 10,2014, http://www.history.com/topics/french-and-indian-war, paragraph 2.