French fur trade

4.9 of 5.0 (114 reviews)

Contains
483 words

Category
History

The above thumbnails are of reduced quality. To view the work in full quality, click download.

French fur trade

The French Fur Trade

Beginning in the mid sixteenth century, French explorers were able to establish a powerful and lasting presence in what is now the Northern United States and Canada. The explorers placed much emphasis on searching and colonizing the area surrounding the St. Lawrence River 'which gave access to the Great Lakes and the heart of the continent'(Microsoft p?). They began exploring the area around 1540 and had early interactions with many of the Natives, which made communication easier for both peoples when the French returned nearly fifty years later. The French brought a new European desire for fur with them to America when they returned and began to trade with the Indians for furs in order to supply the European demands. The Natives and the French were required to interact with each other in order to make these trades possible, and, over time, the two groups developed a lasting alliance. However, the French began to face strong competition in the fur trading industry, which caused many problems between different European nations and different native tribes. Therefore, the trading of fur allowed early seven- teenth century French explorers to establish peaceful relations with the Natives, however, com- petitive trading also incited much quarreling between competing colonies and Indian tribes.

Since the early seventeenth century, French explorers had been able to keep peaceful relations with the Native Americans as a result of fur trading. Samuel de Champlain was a French explorer who established one of the first trading posts along the St. Lawrence River. He helped to establish an industry of fur trading that would continue for the next one hundred fifty years. By strategically placing many other trading posts in the St. Lawrence River and Great Lakes regions, the French were able to draw many Natives who were interested in European goods and, at the same time, collect the furs that they desired. This mutual interest in each

other's goods allowed both peoples to experience each other's culture and understand each other's society. Once the French understood the Natives, they began to trust them and adopted many parts of their culture. Some explorers used the 'Indian canoe'to explore the entire Great Lakes chain and most of the rivers that fed into them'(Birchfeild p560). Even some of the French explorers 'married into indigenous families'and [blended] French and indigenous elements in the way they lived'(Microsoft p?). These developing relationships were helpful in keeping peace between the French and the Natives and were especially helpful in developing political alliances between the French and certain Native tribes. The French, especially Champlain, were particularly helpful in protecting many tribes indigenous to the Great Lakes region. Champlain 'joined four hundred Indians in an overland attack on an Iroquois fort' (Sandoz p34) as a representative of French support ...

You are currently seeing 50% of this paper.

You're seeing 483 words of 966.

Read the full essay

Keywords: french fur trader, french fur traders established fair trade, french fur trader and trapper, french fur trade in canada, french fur trader hat, french fur trade map, french fur traders in minnesota, french fur trade company

Similar essays

World Class Soccer

For many years, sports have grown up to be the main entertainment for many of it's fans around the world. Because of it's popularity, the intensity intends to grow more and more witch leads sometimes to violent acts by certain athletes, but how far are these athletes willing to go. Lately, intensity has led to violence acts that surpassed expec...

100 reviews

Download

Fdr vs

. hoover President Franklin D. Roosevelt is commonly thought of as a liberal and President Herbert C. Hoover as a conservative. The validity of these accusations, however, is uncertain. Before classifying each president in the categories of "liberal" and "conservative," it must first be understood what is meant by each term. During the time of...

192 reviews

Download

The Holocaust and Western Help

"When they came for the gypsies, I did not speak, for I am not a gypsy. When they came for the Jews, I did not speak, because I wasn't a Jew. When they came for the Catholics, I did not speak, for I am not a Catholic. And when they came for me, there was no one left to speak." -On the Wall at the Holocaust Museum in Washington...

147 reviews

Download

The Nuremberg Trials

After World War II, numerous war-crimes trials tried and convicted many Axis leaders. Judges from Great Britain, France, the Soviet Union, and the United States tried twenty-two Nazi leaders for: crimes against humanity (mostly about the Holocaust), violating long-established rules of war, and waging aggressive war. This was known as the 'Nurembe...

121 reviews

Download

Rise of Democracy in South America

South America is a land of different cultures and has a history of as many different types of government, mostly dictatorships. Most of South America won independence from Spain and Portugal between 1810 and 1824. In 1823, President James Monroe enunciated the first US policy on Latin America. The Monroe Doctrine warned European na...

128 reviews

Download