2. The French along with the English, Basque and Portuguese wanted to establish a permanent colony in North America. They needed to be far away from Spanish power to be safe. In 1541, the French attempted to colonize along the St. Lawrence river. The Spanish emperor declined to block this attempt stating that the area was “of no value”. His prediction came true as the settlement led by Jacques Cartier, was “defeated by the bitter cold, the ravages of scurvy, and the hostility of Indians provoked by French thefts and threats.” However, they were successful in establishing a semi-permanent presence at the mouth of the river at the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Fishing and fur trade became profitable. The fur trade made peace with locals a necessity. The Natives thought of the French not as conquering invaders, but as another tribe looking for their place in the local economy. The French eventually made their way to the Great Lakes where they came into contact with the Huron. The Huron, a highly populated and prosperous people of Iroquoian culture, broke from their former alliance with fellow Iroquoians known as the Five Nations, and allied themselves with the French and Northern Algonquians. The Five Nations Iroquoian were dangerous enemies due to their trade with the Dutch who had provided them with metal weapons. They violently disrupted the northern trade alliance and the small French colony on the St. Lawrence was imperiled. American Colonies – Chapter 5 Canada and Iroquoia 1500-1660 A map of the country of the Five Nations or Iroquois, now belonging to the province of New York, as well as part of Canada and Lakes Huron, Michigan, Superior, Erie and Ontario, circa 1650. The Five Nations was a league of Native Americans founded in the 16th century (Photo by MPI/Getty Images)
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4. The Dutch started there own explorations into the Great North country in search of trade routes. They employed an English Mariner named Henry Hudson who first went up river to initiate fur trade with the Mohawks. They soon had Fort Orange along the Hudson river. Even though much shorter, the Hudson was easier to navigate due to less ice and was open year round. The Dutch were soon trading with the Southern Iroquoians and battle lines were soon made between the French allies and the Dutch allies. The Iroquois eventually became so violent they took out their enemies in almost genocidal proportions. The Iroquoians suffered many losses due to diseases and were constantly taking captives to replace warriors. This caused the Iroquoian to become a new and different nation. The adopted captives were changing the way of life of the older Iroquoians. Colonization by European nations had changed the landscape of the North American Indians in just 200 years. American Colonies – Chapter 5 Canada and Iroquoia 1500-1660 Henry Hudson Iroquoia Indian
5. * The Jesuits were a religious order that took special vows of obedience and poverty set them apart from regular priests. They wanted to retain a perfect Christian life. Part of the Jesuits program was to convert the heathens and heretics at home and abroad. Jesuits were known for infiltrating other societies and religion in a respectful manner. They took the time to learn the language and the customs. The Jesuits were critical of colonialist exploitation, but appreciative of the way violence made proud Indians be more exceptive of new ideas like Christianity. * When the Jesuits arrived in New France in 1625, the country was controlled by the natives. Even though the Jesuits had dealings with almost every tribal nation, they concentrated their efforts on four distinct nations. The Montagnais, Algonquians, Huron and Iroquois. The Mohawks were a tribe of the Five Nation Iroquoians that the French did not have trade ties with, but a huge percentage of Mohawks converted to Christianity. * Quebec became the headquarters of the Jesuits. Missionaries followed the trading routes to gain access to tribes in the exterior of the colonies. The Jesuits had failed twice in its attempts at settling in New France. The were in Acadia and Quebec where they were wrecked by English raiders. Most of the Jesuit priests were from a minority group that thought it was there calling from God to save the North American savages. The Jesuits in Canada had a much more difficult time with the native population than in other Jesuit missions. This was because the native population kept their independence and were much harder to convert. Due to the Iroquoian wars, it was very difficult for the Jesuits to convert the masses. Finally with peace they were able to spend the time needed with the natives to start the converting to Christianity. American Colonies – Chapter 5 Canada and Iroquoia 1500-1660 Jesuits
