French Canadians in NE
The French have a lengthy history on this continent. The French became interested in the "New World" in 1524 when King Francois I sought wealth for his European domain (Brown 19). Expeditions were underwritten by the crown. It was eager to compete with other European powers in search for riches. Included in the early voyages were trips by Frenchman Jacques Cartier. Cartier discovered the Gulf of St. Lawrence in 1534 (Brown 21). He made further excursions toward the heartland of the continent, resulting in vast land claims. Another early visitor to America, Samuel de Champlain, organized colonies on the mouth of the St. Croix River in 1604 and at the present site of Quebec City in 1608 (Brown 78). France quickly spread its influence from Quebec to New Orleans. Though sparsely populated, the land that France claimed was astounding in size. While the English colonies were developing along a strip of the east coast no wider than 210 miles, the French laid claim to much of the territory between the colonies and the Mississippi. Trappers, traders, and e
In addition to the Catholic Church, an institution that helped the French Canadians acclimate to New England was the societies. Though the ethnically oriented fraternal groups are still prominent today, they were of paramount significance in the early years. The first such organization in New England was societe Saint-Jean-Baptiste. The society was founded in 1850. These societies were formed to sustain unity and promote the welfare of the French. This included raising money to build churches, and obtain French speaking priests. They even became predecessors to labor unions. The United Textile Union (ITU) of Woonsocket was formed by leaders of the Societe Sainte-Jean-Baptiste. Doty, C. Stewart, The First Franco-Americans. The University of Maine at Orono Press, Orono ME. 1985. The French had not given up their spirit, however, and in years to come gathered together for cultural survival in the Anglo world. In the years immediately following the Conquest, the English and French fashioned a coexistence out of need. Quebec was in ruins; rural regions in the St. Lawrence River Valley lay in an unproductive state because of the chaos that the war had brought. Survival came first. But as early post war years led to a rebuilding, friction between the two groups resurfaced.
Some common words found in the essay are:
French Canadians, French Canadian, Montreal French, Mississippi Trappers, Eli Whitney's, Rhode Island, Whitin Machine, Blackstone Valley, Quebec Orleans, Roman Catholic, french canadian, french canadians, blackstone valley, search riches, rhode island, french newspapers, blackstone river, french world, st lawrence, paul whitin, cities blackstone valley, france settled revenues, settled revenues fur, produce wealth france, wealth france settled,
Approximate Word count = 4783
Approximate Pages = 19 (250 words per page double spaced)
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