Final Exam Review Notes French Regime: ​
Population and Settlement
Population Growth ❏ Population growth in New France was slow. ❏ By 1663 there were only 3000 inhabitants in the St. Lawrence Valley; mostly French men working in the fur trade. There were some Amerindians as well. Very few women. ❏ Due to the work of Jean Talon and Royal Government, the population began to grow after 1663. ❏ Nearly one hundred years later, in 1760, there were about 65 000 inhabitants in the St. Lawrence Valley. ❏ It was a mixed population of ​
Canadiens (​
People of French origin who had become adapted to life in North America), French, some Amerindians and African Americans and more women than before (Filles du Roy) ❏ Some Amerindians and Africans were slaves but there is debate as to how many there were in New France. ❏ Royal Government: ❏ Under Royal Government and Intendant Jean Talon policies were put in place to increase the population of New France: ❏ Sending over the Filles du Roy to increase the number of women in the colony ❏ Giving land to engages (hired workers) and soldiers if they stayed in New France instead of going back to France. ❏ Encouraging people to get married and have large familes ❏ The results of these policies was that the population of New France doubled between 1666 and 1672. The main reason for this growth was natural growth (births). Effects of European Presence on Amerindians ❏ The effects of Europeans on Amerindians was huge: ❏ Many Amerindians died from European diseases that they had no immunity to; ex. smallpox ❏ Some Amerindians who were once nomadic became sedentary as they adopted a European lifestyle and religion. ❏ There were some mixed births; mostly between European fur traders and Amerindian women. ❏ Many forts were built to support the fur trade and religious missions were built in Amerindian territory to try and convert Amerindians to Christianity. French Territory in North America ❏ Due to the continuing expansion of the fur trade in New France, the territory of New France became huge despite the fact that few people actually occupied the territory. ❏ Most people in New France lived along the St. Lawrence River Valley (Quebec to Trois Rivieres and Montreal) with some pockets of people living in Acadia (present day Maritimes) ❏ The territory of New France up until 1713 was massive. It went from Hudson Bay, to Acadia and Newfoundland all the way south along the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico. ❏ After the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713, the French territory shrunk a little as they lost Newfoundland, Hudson Bay and parts of Acadia to Great Britain. ❏ See the picture below: Organization of the Territory of New France ❏ The French used the Seigneurial System to organize the land of New France ❏ The Seigneurial System was a way of dividing the land into smaller areas and distributing it to people who could manage and develop the land as well as bring people to settle on the land. ❏ Elements of a Seigneury: ❏ Long rectangular plots of land (called ​
censives​
) all with access to water (river or lake) for irrigation, drinking, and transportation. ❏ The Seigneury was either operated by a landlord (Seigneur) or the Church. ❏ See pictures below for what a seigneury looked like as a diagram: