More Tales of New France Trivia Quiz

Answer: He introduced a ban on Protestants in New France.

Along with Pierre Dugua, Sieur de Mons, Samuel de Champlain founded the second permanent French colony in New France - the city of Quebec in 1608. Although some of the settlers died from the harsh conditions, by 1640, the city had a population of approximately 355. Champlain did ally himself with natives in the area, and sent young Frenchmen, the "coureurs des bois", to learn their ways in order to establish successful trade and help the French adapt more readily to life in New France.

It was actually Cardinal Richelieu, the first Governor of New France, who established a policy that banned Protestants from settling in New France. Rather than renouncing their faith as expected, many French Protestants chose to live in the English colonies. Champlain succeeded Richelieu as Governor of New France, and held the position for three years until his death.

Answer: Ville-Marie

The French Catholic Church and clergy became an important force in New France after Champlain's death. Wishing to found a Christian community, Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve founded the city Ville-Marie, which later became known as Montreal. The missionaries converted many of the native Hurons, who came to rely on French goods for warfare and the burial ritual for their dead. On the other hand, the Iroquois who lived nearby, did not readily convert to Christianity. Frequent hostilities with the Iroquois almost led to the abandonment of the settlement in 1653.

However, the success of Ville-Marie was due to the fact that it became the center of the fur trade, and was also used as a base for further explorations.

Answer: True

The French missionaries were not acquainted with a society where the women were so highly regarded; the native women were even consulted when making military and political decisions. Many times the missionaries attempted to make male and female roles in the Native American communities more like France. Natives were told, "In France, women are to be obedient to their masters, their husbands." Needless to say, the native women were not always happy to see missionaries in their community; they were afraid of losing their status and power.

Answer: Waterways

Roads and canals, let alone railroads, were nearly non-existent in New France. Waterways, especially the St. Lawrence River, provided the main basis for transportation; people usually traveled by canoe. Of course the waters froze in the wintertime. The main choice of transportation at that time was dogsled or sleds pulled by horses. Eventually, by the 1830s, roads were built alongside the rivers; the Rideau Canal was completed in 1840.

Answer: King's Daughters

Settlers with specific skills were recruited, and some brought families with them to New France. Cash incentives were offered to those with large families. Louis XIV decided to recruit young, single women between the ages of 15-30 to fill the settlements.

Not only was their passage paid, but the government also provided dowries. It is estimated that nearly 800 King's Daughters emigrated to New France from 1663-73, and the population of the overseas empire is estimated to have doubled during that time. Apparently there was plenty of food available, and families were able to thrive by the late 1600s in New France. Along with raising children, women worked the farms with their husbands, and even became active in the fur trade.

Answer: Louisiana

The last colony of New France to be settled was Louisiana. In 1682 Sieur de La Salle explored the Ohio River Valley, as well as the Mississippi River Valley, claiming the land all the way to the Gulf of Mexico for France. Fort Saint Louis was established in 1685, although rather than being built at the mouth of the Mississippi River as intended, poor charts and errors led to it being built in modern-day Texas! With Fort Saint Louis used as a base for explorations, La Salle was able to explore a vast area.

However, the success of his fort was short-lived. Settlements in present-day New Orleans and southern Illinois proved to be more successful and more forts were built in the area that were garrisoned by French soldiers between 1683 and 1755.

Answer: Hudson Bay

In 1611, Henry Hudson claimed Hudson Bay for England. The wealth of beaver pelts in the area, however, was not discovered until 1668. A monopoly over trade in the Hudson Bay watershed, called Rupert's Land, was given by the English government to the Hudson Bay Company, which still exists today.

Although France objected to the British presence in Canada, and was alarmed by the competition in the fur trade, French claims in the St. Lawrence River Valley were far from Hudson Bay. In the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht, signed at the conclusion of the War of the Spanish Succession, France not only ceded its claims to Newfoundland to Britain, but also its claims in the Hudson Bay region, among other provisions.

Answer: Fort Duquesne

Originally a group of colonists from Virginia began building Fort Duquesne. However, Claude-Pierre Pécaudy de Contrecoeur led a French force that took over the site in April 1754. Considered by the French to be part of New France, they hoped to use the fort to protect the area as well as develop trade and relations with the Native Americans who lived in the area.

The desire of both countries to control the strategic Ohio Valley led to another conflict in North America.

Answer: French and Indian War

The French and Indian War began in the Ohio Valley with a skirmish between the French and the Virginia militia, which was led by George Washington. Although the population of New France numbered 70,000, the population of the British colonies was well over one million people.

The British also had a better navy, more available supplies for their military, and more native allies than the French. Even though the French concentrated on building their army in Europe, in New France a shortage of militia would eventually result in their loss of New France.

Answer: Saint Pierre and Miquelon

Louisiana came under the control of Spain at the end of the Seven Years' War, and Britain was formally ceded Canada on February 10, 1763. Today France still retains control of the only area the treaty allowed them to keep - Saint Pierre and Miquelon - a group of small islands off the coast of Newfoundland.

In 1778 the British attacked the colony, and all of the people were sent back to France. However, after changing hands several times, the islands were given back to France in the Treaty of Paris in 1814, and were resettled two years later.