Which economic reason did France most likely have for colonizing North America?

When the London Company sent out its first expedition to begin colonizing Virginia on December 20, 1606, it was by no means the first European attempt to exploit North America. In 1564, for example, French Protestants (Huguenots) built a colony near what is now Jacksonville, Florida. This intrusion did not go unnoticed by the Spanish, who had previously claimed the region. The next year, the Spanish established a military post at St. Augustine; Spanish troops soon wiped out the French interlopers residing but 40 miles away.

Meanwhile, Basque, English, and French fishing fleets became regular visitors to the coasts from Newfoundland to Cape Cod. Some of these fishing fleets even set up semi-permanent camps on the coasts to dry their catches and to trade with local people, exchanging furs for manufactured goods. For the next two decades, Europeans' presence in North America was limited to these semi-permanent incursions. Then in the 1580s, the English tried to plant a permanent colony on Roanoke Island (on the outer banks of present-day North Carolina), but their effort was short-lived.

In the early 1600s, in rapid succession, the English began a colony (Jamestown) in Chesapeake Bay in 1607, the French built Quebec in 1608, and the Dutch began their interest in the region that became present-day New York. Within another generation, the Plymouth Company (1620), the Massachusetts Bay Company (1629), the Company of New France (1627), and the Dutch West India Company (1621) began to send thousands of colonists, including families, to North America. Successful colonization was not inevitable. Rather, interest in North America was a halting, yet global, contest among European powers to exploit these lands.

There is another very important point to keep in mind:  European colonization and settlement of North America (and other areas of the so-called "new world") was an invasion of territory controlled and settled for centuries by Native Americans. To be sure, Native American control and settlement of that land looked different to European eyes. Nonetheless, Native American groups perceived the Europeans' arrival as an encroachment and they pursued any number of avenues to deal with that invasion. That the Native American were unsuccessful in the long run in resisting or in establishing a more favorable accommodation with the Europeans was as much the result of the impact of European diseases as superior force of arms. Moreover, to view the situation from Native American perspectives is essential in understanding the complex interaction of these very different peoples.

Finally, it is also important to keep in mind that yet a third group of people--in this case Africans--played an active role in the European invasion (or colonization) of the western hemisphere. From the very beginning, Europeans' attempts to establish colonies in the western hemisphere foundered on the lack of laborers to do the hard work of colony-building. The Spanish, for example, enslaved the Native American in regions under their control. The English struck upon the idea of indentured servitude to solve the labor problem in Virginia. Virtually all the European powers eventually turned to African slavery to provide labor on their islands in the West Indies. Slavery was eventually transferred to other colonies in both South and North America.

Because of the interactions of these very diverse peoples, the process of European colonization of the western hemisphere was a complex one, indeed. Individual members of each group confronted situations that were most often not of their own making or choosing. These individuals responded with the means available to them. For most, these means were not sufficient to prevail. Yet these people were not simply victims; they were active agents trying to shape their own destinies. That many of them failed should not detract from their efforts.

Context for this Lesson

Topic: 

TOPIC: Power and the French and Indian War

GRADE LEVEL: 8th Grade

FOCUS QUESTIONS: 

•    What does power look like?

•    What were the different reasons that the French, English Colonists, and Native Americans wanted to have power during the French and Indian War?

•    Why did Benjamin Franklin push to unite the colonies?

EDUCATION STANDARDS:

TEKS:

 §113.20. Social Studies, Grade 8

(2) History. The student understands the causes of exploration and colonization eras. The student is expected to: (A) identify reasons for European exploration and colonization of North America; and (B) compare political, economic, religious, and social reasons for the establishment of the 13 English colonies.

(4) History. The student understands significant political and economic issues of the revolutionary era. The student is expected to: (A) analyze causes of the American Revolution

(B) explain the roles played by significant individuals during the American Revolution, including Benjamin Franklin

MATERIALS NEEDED: 

• 4 chairs
• Markers and white board to scribe ideas

CREATED BY: Megan Nevels and Stephen Ray

Hook/Engage: 

REVIEW INFORMATION

We are going to start our lesson today brainstorming quickly what we know about the French and Indian War. Who was a part of it? Why were they fighting? Gather any and all information that they have learned.

Thank you for all of your great ideas. This morning we are going to be talking about power, who had it and who didn’t. Who can tell me what power means? What does it mean to have power? What does it mean to not have the power? Why do you think people might want power?

Explore: 

GREAT GAME OF POWER

Ask for a volunteer. Have the volunteer arrange the five chairs and water bottle, making one chair the most powerful compared to the other chairs and water bottle. The chairs can be placed in any way. Once the chairs have been arranged ask the student to sit and to just listen to the conversation. Remind students that in order to make sure we hear all ideas, please speak one at a time.

Questions:

• DESCRIBE: What do you see? Pull the students to describe what they see.
• ANALYZE: What chair would you say is the most powerful? Why? What do you see that makes you infer that that chair is the most powerful? What might the water bottle represent? Why?

At the end of this round, if the person who created the image would like to say what they were thinking since this one was done with a specific image in mind. Then go on to your next question.

To the student who arranged the chairs, what did it feel like to hear people interpret your arrangement?

 Invite another student to arrange the chairs.

• DESCRIBE: What do you see? Pull the students to describe what they see.
• ANALYZE: What chair would you say is the most powerful? Why? What do you see that makes you infer that that chair is the most powerful? What might the water bottle represent? Why?

We have seen two different images of what power can look like, for the next few times, I’d like us to think about what you have learned so far about the French and Indian War. I invite someone to come up and arrange the chairs to represent what the Native Americans wanted. Think about who they were fighting, what they were fighting for, and let’s envision what having power might have looked like for them.

•  DESCRIBE: What do you see?
• ANALYZE: What chair would you say is the most powerful? Why? Who do you think is being represented by the different chairs? What does the object represent? In what ways did the Native Americans try and assert this power or get what they wanted? Were they successful?

 So the Native Americans were fighting against the French right? Who else were the French up against? Can someone come up and arrange the chairs to look like what the French wanted? What do you think desired power looked like for the French?

•  DESCRIBE: What do you see?
• ANALYZE: Which desk represents the French? Who do you think these other desks are? After identifying who the English Colonists are, So looking at the position that the English Colonists were in, how do you think they were feeling? At this point, were they united against the French?

 That’s right, they weren’t. Keeping the French chair in the same place, I’m going to separate these 4 chairs to represent the separate colonies. How might you describe this image now? Does this change the power dynamics?

 Benjamin Franklin pushed for the colonies to unite against the French and Native Americans. Based on what you see in this image, why do you think he did that? If you were trying to bring these chairs together to gain power, what are some tactics or strategies you might use to do so? An example might be to send letters to the governors of the colonies. What are some other ideas?

 What you are going to learn about next is one of the ways that Benjamin Franklin tried to inspire the colonies to unite. As you learn about the cartoon that he made, think about the different images we created today and the amazing discussion that we had.