Building New France

By the early 1500s, French fishing ships were crossing the Atlantic

each year to harvest rich catches of cod off Newfoundland, Can-

ada. Within 200 years, the French had occupied or claimed nearly

half of North America.

Explorers and Missionaries French claims in Canada—which

the French called New France—quietly grew while French rulers

were distracted by wars at home in Europe. In 1534,

Jacques Cartier (zhahk kahr tee AY) began exploring the coastline

of eastern Canada, eventually discovering the St. Lawrence River.

Traveling inland on the river, he claimed much of present-day

eastern Canada for France. Jesuits and other missionaries soon fol-

lowed the explorers. They advanced into the wilderness, trying with

little success to convert the Native Americans they met to

Christianity.

Furs, Trapping, and Fishing French explor-

Ers and fur traders gradually traveled inland

With the help of Native American allies, who

Sought support against rival Native American

Groups. Eventually, France’s American empire

Reached from Quebec to the Great Lakes and

Down the Mississippi River to Louisiana and the

The population of New France, however, grew

Slowly. The first permanent French settlement

Was not established until 1608, when Samuel de

Champlain established a colony in Quebec.

Wealthy landlords bought huge tracts, or areas

Of land, along the St. Lawrence River. They

Sought settlers to farm the land, but the harsh

Canadian climate, with its long winters,

Attracted few French peasants.

Many who went to New France soon aban-

Doned farming in favor of the more profitable fur

Trapping and trading. They faced a hard life in

The wilderness, but the soaring European

Demand for fur ensured good prices. Fishing

Who exported cod and other fish to Europe.

An Empire Slowly Expands In the late

1600s, the French king Louis XIV set out to strengthen royal power and

Boost revenues, or income, from taxes from his overseas empire. He

Appointed officials to oversee economic activities in New France. He also

Sent soldiers and more settlers—including women—to North America.

Louis, however, who was Catholic, prohibited Protestants from settling

In New France. By the early 1700s, French forts, missions, and trading

Posts stretched from Quebec to Louisiana, and the population was grow-

Ing. Yet the population of New France remained small compared to that

Of the English colonies that were expanding along the Atlantic coast.
The English Colonies

In 1497, a Venetian navigator known by the English name John Cabot

Found rich fishing grounds off Newfoundland, which he claimed for

England. Later English navigators continued to search for a northwest

Passage to Asia, with no success. In the 1600s, England concentrated on

Establishing colonies along the Atlantic seaboard—the coast of the

Present-day eastern United States.

Establishing the First Colonies The English built their first perma-

Nent colony at Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607. Although the colony was

Meant to bring wealth and profit, in the early years of the colony many

Settlers died of starvation and disease. The rest survived with the help of

Friendly Native Americans. The colony finally made headway when the

Settlers started to grow and export tobacco, a plant that had been culti-

Vated by Native Americans for thousands of years.

In 1620, another group of English settlers landed at Plymouth, Massa-

Church of England. They sought religious freedom rather than commer-

Cial profit. Before coming ashore, they signed the Mayflower Compact, in

Which they set out guidelines for governing their North American colony.

A compact is an agreement among people. Today, we see this document

As an important early step toward self-government.

Many Pilgrims died in the early years of the Plymouth colony. Local

Native Americans, however, taught them to grow corn and helped them

Survive in the new land. Soon, a new wave of English Protestant immi-

Grants arrived to establish the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

The English Colonies Grow In the 1600s and 1700s, the English

Established additional colonies. Some, like Virginia and New York, were

Commercial ventures, organized for profit. Others, like Massachusetts,

Pennsylvania, and Maryland, were set up as havens for persecuted reli-

Gious groups. Still others, like Georgia and South Carolina, were gifts
From English kings to loyal supporters.

Settlers in all of the colonies spent the early years just struggling to

Survive. They quickly abandoned dreams of finding riches like the Span-

Ish gold and silver. However, over time they learned to create wealth by

Using the resources native to their surroundings. In New England, pros-

Perous fishing, timber, and shipbuilding industries grew. In the middle

Colonies, farmers grew huge quantities of grain on the abundant land. In

The South, colonists found that cash crops such as rice and tobacco grew

Well in the warm climate. They therefore developed a plantation economy

To grow these crops. As in New Spain, the colonists imported African

Slaves to clear land and work the plantations. In several colonies, espe-

Cially in the South, enslaved Africans and their descendants would even-

Tually outnumber people of European descent.

Beginning in 1609, Dutch merchants sent ships across the Atlan-

tic and up the Hudson River to trade for furs with the Indians. In

1614, they founded a permanent settlement at Fort Nassau (later

called Fort Orange) on the upper river. To guard the mouth of the

river, the Dutch built New Amsterdam at the tip of Manhattan

Island in 1625. With the finest harbor on the Atlantic coast, New

Amsterdam served as the colony’s largest town, major seaport, and

government headquarters. Coming to trade or to farm, the Dutch—

in contrast to the French, Spanish, and Puritan English—made

virtually no missionary effort to convert the Indians.