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The French In North America 1500-1783
This vivid account of the crucial role played by the French in the Western Hemisphere chronicles the rise and fall of the French empire on the mainland of North America and the West Indies, from the arrival of the Breton, Norman and Basque fishermen on the Grand Banks around 1500 to the sale of Louisiana to the United States in 1803. Professor Eccles depicts the establishment of Baroque civilization and the attempt of the establishment of industries and commerce from the slave plantations of the south to the fur trade posts of the far northwest, and discusses the colonists of other European powers.
- GenresHistoryCanadaNonfiction
332 pages, Paperback
First published August 10, 1998
2 people are currently reading
80 people want to read
About the author
W.J. Eccles
11 books3 followersWilliam John Eccles, commonly known as W.J. Eccles, was a historian of Canada.
Born in England, Eccles's family immigrated to Canada in the 1920s. He studied at McGill University under historian Edward Robert Adair and at the Sorbonne in Paris. In 1953, he joined the faculty at the University of Manitoba. Four years later, he joined the faculty at the University of Alberta. Then in 1963, he was appointed to a professorship at the University of Toronto. He retired from the University of Toronto in 1983.
In 1979, the Royal Society of Canada awarded him the J. B. Tyrrell Historical Medal for his contributions to the history of Canada. [wikipedia]
Born in England, Eccles's family immigrated to Canada in the 1920s. He studied at McGill University under historian Edward Robert Adair and at the Sorbonne in Paris. In 1953, he joined the faculty at the University of Manitoba. Four years later, he joined the faculty at the University of Alberta. Then in 1963, he was appointed to a professorship at the University of Toronto. He retired from the University of Toronto in 1983.
In 1979, the Royal Society of Canada awarded him the J. B. Tyrrell Historical Medal for his contributions to the history of Canada. [wikipedia]
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 7, 2021
Jacques Cartier was the first European to sail up the St. Lawrence River in the 1530s. He was followed by Samuel de Champlain who did more explorations in the Montreal area and upper New York State. It was only in the mid-1600s that settlers started arriving from France in very small numbers. Life was harsh – their lives were threatened by the large Iroquois tribes nearby and the long cold winters. Settlements ranged from present day Nova Scotia to Quebec City, Trois Rivieres, and Montreal (all on the St. Lawrence).
They started to make money on the fur trade (namely beaver pelts). Fur hats were a very marketable item in France and the rest of Europe. Some of the intrepid settlers set up vast networks with the different Indian tribes – Huron, Algonquin, Ojibway, Cree… This covered a vast geographical area extending from Quebec City to all of the Great Lakes.
With the increasing number of settlers, farms sprung up along the St. Lawrence River. For the most part the colonists were still very dependent on the mother country, France, for supplies and military protection. There was a constant guerilla warfare with the Iroquois tribes who were supported by the British colonies in the present-day United States.
The Canadians (the French in Canada) would from time to time invade the British colonies near Albany, New York. Also, they extended their range to the Great Lakes and down to the Mississippi River to Louisiana. The author claims that these outposts hemmed in British American colonists preventing their expansion westward, but I feel this to be an over-statement. These outposts were manned by very few Canadians and were dependent on tenuous alliances with the Indian tribes in the area. In other words, this was a prime example of colonial over-extension.
The author also asserts that the defeat of the French forces at Quebec City in 1759 by the British was not inevitable. I disagree with this – whether it was, as it happened, the British General Wolfe who defeated Montcalm on the Plains of Abraham at Quebec City – it would eventually have been someone else. The days of France’s colonial empire in North America were numbered. The population of the Canadians was just 70,000; the American colonies had over 1.5 million. The British navy was superior to the French navy. In France, Canada was seen as a constant drain on the French Army and treasury. After the French were defeated in Canada, France made no attempt to regain their lost territory.
There is also some discussion of the French colonies in the Caribbean. These produced much needed sugar from the sugar cane plant. Slaves were used and brutalized in vast numbers to produce this. In some ways this trade was more important to France than the Canadian colonies.
There is a lot of useful historical information in this book, but the tone is dry academic. The author hardly discusses the expulsion of the French Acadians from Nova Scotia to Louisiana in 1755. This is a glaring omission.
I was disappointed in the post-analysis in the chapter “Aftermath”. I was expecting an analysis of what happened to the Canadians after the defeat in 1759 and how they adjusted to British rule. Instead, the author discusses the aid from France given to the American colonists in their struggle for independence. He feels the American colonists would have been unable to achieve independence without the military assistance given by France. I was surprised by this diagnosis.
They started to make money on the fur trade (namely beaver pelts). Fur hats were a very marketable item in France and the rest of Europe. Some of the intrepid settlers set up vast networks with the different Indian tribes – Huron, Algonquin, Ojibway, Cree… This covered a vast geographical area extending from Quebec City to all of the Great Lakes.
With the increasing number of settlers, farms sprung up along the St. Lawrence River. For the most part the colonists were still very dependent on the mother country, France, for supplies and military protection. There was a constant guerilla warfare with the Iroquois tribes who were supported by the British colonies in the present-day United States.
The Canadians (the French in Canada) would from time to time invade the British colonies near Albany, New York. Also, they extended their range to the Great Lakes and down to the Mississippi River to Louisiana. The author claims that these outposts hemmed in British American colonists preventing their expansion westward, but I feel this to be an over-statement. These outposts were manned by very few Canadians and were dependent on tenuous alliances with the Indian tribes in the area. In other words, this was a prime example of colonial over-extension.
The author also asserts that the defeat of the French forces at Quebec City in 1759 by the British was not inevitable. I disagree with this – whether it was, as it happened, the British General Wolfe who defeated Montcalm on the Plains of Abraham at Quebec City – it would eventually have been someone else. The days of France’s colonial empire in North America were numbered. The population of the Canadians was just 70,000; the American colonies had over 1.5 million. The British navy was superior to the French navy. In France, Canada was seen as a constant drain on the French Army and treasury. After the French were defeated in Canada, France made no attempt to regain their lost territory.
There is also some discussion of the French colonies in the Caribbean. These produced much needed sugar from the sugar cane plant. Slaves were used and brutalized in vast numbers to produce this. In some ways this trade was more important to France than the Canadian colonies.
There is a lot of useful historical information in this book, but the tone is dry academic. The author hardly discusses the expulsion of the French Acadians from Nova Scotia to Louisiana in 1755. This is a glaring omission.
I was disappointed in the post-analysis in the chapter “Aftermath”. I was expecting an analysis of what happened to the Canadians after the defeat in 1759 and how they adjusted to British rule. Instead, the author discusses the aid from France given to the American colonists in their struggle for independence. He feels the American colonists would have been unable to achieve independence without the military assistance given by France. I was surprised by this diagnosis.
August 4, 2019
Excellent book to read if your ancestors are from Canada and you’re doing your family tree. This book contains information on the lifestyle, culture, religious beliefs, commerce, trade rules, and the history of war among France, England, Spain, and the Thirteen Colonies. It also includes the Caribbean islands and Louisiana.
It delves into the how and why events happened the way they did. It’s not a history book, but rather a written conglomeration of all of the above in a two hundred year period in the New World.
It discusses battle plans, strengths and weaknesses of generals, and how the local people were treated and lived under various laws. Intertwined throughout the whole book are the roles the American Indians played. They taught the settlers to find food, trapped beaver pelts and traded them for weapons. There were fierce warriors and fought for their own hunting/fishing grounds.
As I completed my ancestry tree, this book described how the settlers lived and how they survived. It is a great read!
It delves into the how and why events happened the way they did. It’s not a history book, but rather a written conglomeration of all of the above in a two hundred year period in the New World.
It discusses battle plans, strengths and weaknesses of generals, and how the local people were treated and lived under various laws. Intertwined throughout the whole book are the roles the American Indians played. They taught the settlers to find food, trapped beaver pelts and traded them for weapons. There were fierce warriors and fought for their own hunting/fishing grounds.
As I completed my ancestry tree, this book described how the settlers lived and how they survived. It is a great read!
November 25, 2023
Some good history in places but this author lacks objectivity. Basically the French practice good colonialism and the English and Americans bad. This is way too simplistic a view of this time period and region to be totally convincing. It also neglects the negative impacts of French colonialism on Natives Americans and African slaves. It is quite possible the negative impacts of the French were less than that of the British but this book comes across as biased and has not dated well, being originally published more than 20 years ago. To those used to more modern history it comes across as a little tone deaf as well.
December 3, 2024
A good, linear, history aimed at a general audience, Eccles' book is still the best place to start for a primer on New France. But make no mistake, Canada/Quebec - rather than Acadia, Louisiana, or even the French West Indies, which are at least nominally included here as part of "North America" - is, unsurprisingly, the real focus. The work's bibliographical essay is especially recommended, since it still encompasses nearly all of the work on New France available in English (despite being published in 1998) and, as a bonus, gives the author the chance to (often quite humorously) skewer other works in the field.
August 29, 2024
The French in North America covers the French colonies in Canada, the Caribbean, New Orleans and other areas where the French were present. The main foci is on Canada and the French colonies as they changed hands from the French to the British and back and forth. There is great analysis of how New Orleans developed the way it did. The book covers high level events and looks at the role of the French in their colonies and how it differed form the British and the Spanish. If you have an interest in the history of the Atlantic World this is a great addition.
March 10, 2019
Well written, and extensively researched, this is a must-read for anyone seriously interested in North American History. Eccles does exhibit a certain French-Canadian bias but presents a balanced account of events in North America and the Caribbean during the turbulent years covered.
December 17, 2022
Reference book! Not exactly something one reads cover to cover. I am doing family history research into my family that traces 13 generations (to late 1500s); I am the 11th generation in Canada. This book provides background and context to the narrative I am crafting.
March 17, 2018
Comprehensive history of French activity in North America.
December 16, 2016
After reading so much about Haiti, it felt super weird that Eccles discussed other French West Indies colonies *but not Saint Domingue.* This absence made me think of Trouillot's "Silencing the Past."
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews