Why did the French start exploring North America?

Why did the French start exploring North America?

Background. The French first came to the New World as travelers seeking a route to the Pacific Ocean and wealth. Major French exploration of North America began under the rule of Francis I, King of France.

What was the original purpose of French exploration?

The primary reason that the French people began exploring North America was to find the Northwest Passage. This water route was thought to connect the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and enable faster trade with Asia.

Did France explore the Great Lakes?

THIS is the order in which the Great Lakes were discovered by the French explorers: Huron in 1615, by Le Caron, the Recollect friar, and by Champlain, one of the greatest navigators in New France; Ontario, during the same year, by Champlain; Superior, about 1629, by Etienne Brule; Michigan, in 1634, by Jean Nicolet; …

When did France start exploring?

In the early sixteenth century, it joined the race to explore the New World and exploit the resources of the Western Hemisphere. In 1534, navigator Jacques Cartier claimed northern North America for France, naming the area around the St. Lawrence River New France.

Why did the French explorers travel to Michigan?

The first Europeans to arrive in Michigan were the French. Explorer Etienne Brule traveled through Michigan in 1618 searching for a route to China. Soon the French laid claim to the land and began to trade with the local natives for furs.

Why were French explorers interested in claiming the Mississippi River and access to the Great Lakes?

Why were French explorers interested in claiming the Mississippi River and having access to the Great Lakes? They believed that gold was located there.

Who explored the Great Lakes?

While the area had been inhabited for a very long time before European explorers arrived, Étienne Brûlé (circa 1592-1632), an advance man for the French explorer Samuel de Champlain (circa 1567-1635), is generally credited as the first European to discover the Great Lakes.

What was the most important reason France was motivated to explore lands to the south and the west?

It was important that they be able to travel unchallenged on the seas, so that they could send settlers to North America, and traders could go back and forth between North America and Great Britain. Who traveled the Mississippi by canoe, and explored for France?

When did the French first come to Michigan?

Frenchman Étienne Brûlé was the first European to visit Michigan in 1620. He started his expedition at Quebec City in Canada and traveled as far as the Upper Peninsula which would eventually become part of Michigan.

When did the French come to Michigan?

Father Jacques Marquette founded the first permanent settlement in Michigan at Sault Ste. Marie in 1668 and, in 1671, founded St.

What were the French hoping to find as they explored the Mississippi River?

The expedition's mission was to explore the Mississippi River Valley and find the mouth of the river. Their hope was that the river flowed west and might be a route to the Pacific.

Where did the French explore?

19.2. 5: French Explorers. France established colonies in North America, the Caribbean, and India in the 17th century, and while it lost most of its American holdings to Spain and Great Britain before the end of the 18th century, it eventually expanded its Asian and African territories in the 19th century.

What was the most important reason France was motivated to explore lands to the south and the west quizlet?

It was important that they be able to travel unchallenged on the seas, so that they could send settlers to North America, and traders could go back and forth between North America and Great Britain.

What is one of the things that the early French explorers hope to find in North America quizlet?

The French explored and colonized northern North America in hopes of finding gold, claiming more land, establishing new trading partners, and discovering a Northwest passage.

Who first explored Michigan?

Father Jacques Marquette founded the first permanent settlement in Michigan at Sault Ste. Marie in 1668 and, in 1671, founded St. Ignace.

What was the primary reason France and England began to explore the Americas?

(One of the reasons European nations explored and colonized the Americas was to expand their empires. As settlers came to America, Europe usually sent soldiers and government officials to take control of claimed lands.)

What were two main reasons the French established colonies in the Americas?

Motivations for colonization: The French colonized North America to create trading posts for the fur trade. Some French missionaries eventually made their way to North America in order to convert Native Americans to Catholicism.

Why did the French go to Michigan?

The first Europeans to arrive in Michigan were the French. Explorer Etienne Brule traveled through Michigan in 1618 searching for a route to China. Soon the French laid claim to the land and began to trade with the local natives for furs.

Who were the French explorers?

  • Jacques Cartier – Canada. …
  • Samuel de Champlain – Quebec and East coast of Americas. …
  • Philippe de Corguilleray – Brazil. …
  • Augustin de Beaulieu – East Indies. …
  • Jacques Marquette – Michigan. …
  • Robert Cavelier de la Salle – Louisiana. …
  • Antoine Laumet de La Mothe Cadillac – Detroit. …
  • Jean-François de La Pérouse – Pacific Ocean.

When did the French establish their first colony in North America?

Samuel de Champlain was employed in the interests of successive fur-trading monopolies and sailed into the St. Lawrence in 1603. In the next year he was on the Bay of Fundy and had a share in founding the first French colony in North America—that of Port-Royal, (now Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia).

What were French explorers establishing along the St. Lawrence River and around the Great Lakes?

In 1534, Francis sent Jacques Cartier on the first of three voyages to explore the coast of Newfoundland and the St. Lawrence River. Cartier founded New France by planting a cross on the shore of the Gaspé Peninsula.

Why did the French establish colonies in the Americas quizlet?

They set up colonies to trade furs and convert Indians to the Catholic religion.

What was the purpose of the first French colony in North America quizlet?

French merchants wanted the wealth that came from the fur trade. A group of French merchants hired Samuel de Champlain to find a place to build a settlement.

What did the French establish in the Americas quizlet?

How did France's American colonies differ from Spain's American colonies? Seeing Spain's wealth from its American colonies, other European nations established colonies in the Americas. France established trading settlements in present-day Canada, along the St. Lawrence River, and in what is now Louisiana.

Why did the French come to America quizlet?

Most of the French settlers were Catholic. In the 1630s, French Catholic missionaries began arriving in New France. These missionaries often lived with the Native Americans. Their aim was to convert the Native Americans to the Catholic religion.

Where did the French establish their first colony in the New World?

In the next year he was on the Bay of Fundy and had a share in founding the first French colony in North America—that of Port-Royal, (now Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia). In 1608 he began the settlement that was named Quebec, selecting a commanding site that controlled the narrowing of the St. Lawrence River estuary.

What was the main activity of France in North America?

Whaling and cod fishing, both seasonal activities, prompted the settlement of the first French colonists on the continent.