The French Come to America

NEW FRANCE

Why did the French come to America? King Louis of France wanted to find a shortcut to Asia In 1534 the king sent Jacques Cartier to America Cartier wanted to find a river in America that he could follow west all the way to Asia Cartier sailed to Canada, but didn’t find a river that went to Asia Cartier explored the St. Lawrence River and said that

all the land around the St. Lawrence River belonged to France. He called it New France.

Rene Robert Sieur de la Salle In 1682 La Salle

traveled from the St. Lawrence River to the Mississippi River, all the way to the Gulf of Mexico

He called all the land around the Mississippi River “Louisiana.”

The French started two cities on the Mississippi River, St. Louis and New Orleans

How did Native Americans help the French?

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Some French people moved to America to get fursNative Americans hunted animals for their fursThe French traded with Native Americans for these fursIn France they sold these furs for a lot of money

The French and Native Americans Some Native Americans taught the French

how to use canoes and snowshoes

Some Native Americans taught the French how to trap animals for furs

The French in North America The French came to

America to teach Native Americans how to be Catholic

The French did not allow freedom of religion

Only Catholics could live in New France, so the colony grew very slowly

The French owned much more land in America than the English owned

There were many more English settlers than French settlers

The French did not take Native American land

The French and Indian War England did not want

France to own land in America

Many English people wanted to move west to Louisiana

England and France had been enemies in Europe for many years

By 1754, England and France were fighting a war in America

Some Native Americans fought for the French, and some fought for the English

George Washington led the Virginians against the French

The French and Indian WarClick icon to add picture

The French and English also fought in EuropeEngland won the war in EuropeEngland won the French and Indian War in 1763 in AmericaAfter the war, England owned all the land that was east of the Mississippi River.Spain owned the land west of the Mississippi riverFrance lost most of its land in America