louisiana’s french colonial era

LOUISIANA’S FRENCH COLONIAL ERA

Rene Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle had long dreamed of finding a water route to China. He partnered with Henri de Tonti and they set out from Canada with soldiers, priests, and Indians.

They entered the Upper Mississippi River in February and reached the mouth in April.

La Salle claimed all the land drained by the Mississippi River for Louis XIV, naming the land Louisiana “Land of Louis”

They wanted to spread the official religion of France so they brought Catholic priest.

THE FRENCH COME TO LOUISIANA

La Salle returned to France to report his discovery to King Louis XIV. The king rewarded him with a small fleet of ships and 300 colonist and directed him to establish a new colony – group of people who settle in a distant land but who still keep their ties to their native land.

When La Salle returned, he missed the mouth of the Mississippi River and ended up in Texas. Many colonists had died at sea and were frustrated after being lost. La Salle decided to lead them to Canada. The journey ended horribly when the colonist murdered La Salle.


La Salle failed to establish a colony on the Gulf Coast, but his claim of land in the name of France set off a chain of events that led to the first French Colony.

When other European kings heard that France had claimed the Mississippi, they reacted strongly. France’s claim was a threat to the New World colonies of Spain and Great Britain.

When Louis XIV heard Spain and Great Britain were building forts to protect their colonies, he decided he needed a fort to guard the Mississippi.

Louis XIV is going to send out d’Iberville and Bienville


1. Why was a priest with La Salle?

2. What did the king do when La Salle reported his discovery?

QUESTIONS

1. Who explored the Mississippi River and claimed the land that it touched for King Louis of France?

Marquette and Joliet La Salle Bienville Iberville

2. Which of the following is responsible for establishing the first colony in Louisiana?


3. Which of the following is responsible for being Louisiana’s first governor?


BELLRINGER

Recap: La Salle claims the land for France but is murdered before he can establish a colony. Iberville leads a group to colonize Louisiana. He finds Baton Rouge and establishes the first permeant settlement at Fort Maurepas.

When the fort at Maurepas was finished. Iberville returned to France to get more supplies, soldiers, and settlers. While Iberville was in France, Bienville explored the Mississippi River.

On one of his trips, Bienville ran into a twelve gun British vessel coming up the river toward his tiny boat. He told the British captain that he was in charge of the river and had many troops that would attack if the British did not leave. The British believed Bienville and left. This spot became know as English Turn.

THE FRENCH COME TO LOUISIANATHE FRENCH COME TO LOUISIANA

The incident at English Turn convinced Iberville that the French needed a fort on the Mississippi River. He built Fort Mississippi and placed Bienville in charge.

He also establishes a fort in Mobile, AL named Fort Louis. Iberville places Henri de Toni in charge of Fort Louis.

Iberville returns to France again to get supplies for the Louisiana colony but war had broken out in France. Iberville was required to stay for military duty. The colony at Louisiana was completely abandoned without proper defense or adequate supplies.

Iberville never returned to Louisiana. He left France attempting to return but contracted Yellow Fever and died. Bienville became the leader of the colony.


After the costly war in Europe ended, the French King and his government could no longer afford to maintain Louisiana. France began searching for new ways to fund the colony.

King Louis XIV decided to turn Louisiana into a proprietorship – a system that gave an individual a charter to operate a colony as a business. The proprietor was required to send supplies and settlers to the colony regularly and the colonial government had to follow French Law.

LOUISIANA AS A PROPRIETORSHIP

In 1712, the French royal government gave the proprietorship of Louisiana to Antoine Crozat . Crozat became the proprietor of the Louisiana colony because he hoped he would find gold and silver in the colony. His motive was to make a profit off of the colony.

He decided appoint Sieur de Cadillac as the new governor of the Louisiana colony. Prior to becoming the governor of Louisiana, Cadillac successfully established a fort that later became Detroit, Michigan.

However, in the Louisiana colony, Cadillac had difficulties

as a leader. His troubles began when he visited an Indian village and refused to participate in the ceremonial smoking of a pipe. His refusal was more than an insult, it was like a threat of war.


People often complained about Cadillac being rude.

He also had trouble with government officials

Despite these complaints, Cadillac is credited for creating the Superior Council – which was in charge of judicial matters and was presided over by the commissary commissioner to help govern the colony.


Cadillac had a lot of crazy ideas but every once in a while he would have a good one. He came up with the idea of grown tobacco and indigo to sell.

The Louisiana colony continued to struggle and when King Louis XIV dies in 1715 so did the government support for the colony.

Louisiana colonist were not interested in farming. Trading with the Indians was a failure because the British paid more for the furs and sold European goods to the Indians cheaper than the Louisiana colonist could.

Crozat failed to make a profit from the colony. He never sent enough supplies. He considered all the money he spent an expense and not an investment for future profits.

Crozat givers up after 5 years.


The next proprietor of the colony was not one person but a group of investors. The head of the group – John Law – had organized the Bank of France and developed the paper money system for France. Law was a well known banker but he also was a gambler and risk-taker.

John Law created the Company of the West in 1717 to operate the Louisiana colony. He sold shares of ownership in the company to investors. He planned to make money for the investors and for the French government. He promised the investors a huge profit from the Louisiana colony.


1. How was Cadillac a good leader for the Louisiana colony?

2. How was he a bad leader for the Louisiana colony?


Meanwhile, Law puts Bienville back in place as the governor. He also began building a trading center for the Mississippi Valley.

He chose New Orleans as the location for the trading center.

He begins offering land grants, giving land to people who are in turn required to bring settlers to live on the land.

People were not exactly lining up to come to Louisiana because they knew life would be tougher than what they had in France. John Law decided to change the image of the Louisiana colony.

He began advertising Louisiana as a paradise using pamphlets in France.


When the French still wouldn’t come, he began targeting people who lived in a place where war made life difficult. Germany was one of those places and so Germans began settling in the Louisiana colony.

The Germans are experienced and hardworking farmers. They saved the colony by growing enough food to keep the people from starving.

John Law still needed people to come to Louisiana and when no one volunteered, he sent prisoners to Louisiana.


Colonist began complaining about the conditions. They did not like that criminals were being sent to the colony. The were always running out of flour, fabric, wine, brandy, shirts, or shoes. When goods were available, they cost four times as much as they had in France. Often when the flour arrived, it was bug infested.

While the colony is struggling, John Law still has people convinced the colony would make a profit.

However, in 1721, investors began to suspect that their stock was worthless and demanded their money. The company could not pay back the money and so it collapsed.


Slavery began in Louisiana in the early colonial days as way to provide workers for the colony. A slave is a person who is bound to a life of service to others and who is considered property.

Slaves worked on plantations – large farms that grew only one type of crop for profit. At this time, slavery was considered an acceptable way to obtain the large number of workers needed for the plantations.

Slaves were essential to building New Orleans. Without their skills in carpentry and metalwork, the colony would not have succeeded.

THE CODE NOIR

With the increasing number of slaves, legal regulations were needed. Bienville established the Code Noir – a set of laws governing the conduct and treatment of slaves.

The purpose of the Code Noir was to protect slaves as property.

Rules were established for food, clothing, and health care. Slaves could not be forced to work on Sundays. Slaves were not allowed to carry weapons unless they were hunting. They could not gather in crowds.

Harsh penalties were set for runaway slaves.

THE CODE NOIR

During the years, Bienville faced constant complaints. Because he was the governor, people blamed him when things went wrong. He was ordered back to France to explain to the king why the colony was failing.

Etienne de Perier was chosen as the new governor. He was sent to be harmony to the colony.

Governor Perier wanted to find new settlers, more raw materials for exports, and improve trade with the colonies of the West Indies

A NEW GOVERNOR

In 1716, Bienville had built Fort Rosalie (present day Natchez) on land belonging to the Natchez Indians. The Natchez Indians allowed the fort on their land and were helpful to the colonist.

A fort commander wanted the good land where the Natchez sacred village stood. He demanded that the Natchez move.

THE NATCHEZ UPRISING

The Natchez decided the French would never stop intruding on their land so they attacked Fort Rosalie

without warning.

This attack is called the Natchez Uprising. Over 250 colonist were killed.


The colonist blamed Governor Perier because they thought he should have stepped in when the commander first angered the Natchez.

With the loss of so many colonist and tobacco plantations the Company returned the colony to the King. The colony never made a profit.

Louisiana becomes a royal colony again


1. Identify two ways John Law attempted to bring colonist to the Louisiana colony. By offering land grants By telling people about the abundance of gold By advertising to war-torn countries By selling large amounts of land for small prices

2. Brittany has $10 to spend. She can either go to the movie and have fun or she can buy a new shirt. She decides to buy a ticket to the movies. What is the opportunity cost? ___________________________ What is the opportunity benefit? ________________________

BELLRINGER

Read “Bienville Returns” on page 196.

Answer the following question: What three challenges did Bienville face

when he returned to the colony as governor?

BIENVILLE RETURNS

The biggest problem Bienville faced was keeping peace between the colonist and the Indians.

Even before the Europeans came, relations between the tribes were not always peaceful. Some of the hostilities were long-standing. Others were more recent.

The Choctaw generally preferred the French even though the British trade goods were of better quality.

French ties with the Choctaw became weakened by Governor Perier. He insisted on the right to choose the chief and disrupted the tribal ways

The Chickasaw tribe traded with the British and were enemies of the French and the Choctaw.

.

WAR WITH THE CHICKASAW

The French became nervous when the Chickasaw appeared to be making peace with their former enemies, the Choctaw.

When Bienville returned as governor, he was order to defeat the Chickasaw or sign a peace treaty.

Bienville demanded that the Chickasaw stop giving refuge to some of the Natchez and turn them over to the French immediately. When they refused, a war began.

After several years of fighting, Bienville believed the Chickasaw War was a failure. He retired as governor in 1742 having lost the war, friends, and his confidence.

WAR WITH THE CHICKASAW

CAUSE AND EFFECT

Cause:

Using your notes, identify the cause of the War with the Chickasaw. Then identify the effect.

Create the boxes below on the right side of your note book.

Effect:

In 1742, The French government sent Pierre Francois de Rigaud, Marquis de Vandreuil to Louisiana as the next governor. His dreamed of one day becoming the governor of Canada and hoped his time serving as a leader in the Louisiana colony would help him achieve that goal.

He was able to calm some of the internal conflicts in the colony. He also stopped Indian raids on settlements up and down the Mississippi River.

As the Indian threat decreased, l iving conditions for colonist improved. Vandreuil is even credited with having the first Mardi Gras ball.

A NEW GOVERNOR

In 1752, Vaudreuil achieved his dream of becoming the governor of Canada. To replace him, Louis Billouart, Chevalier de Kerlerec was appointed governor of the colony because of his strong military reputation.

When Kerlerec took office, tensions between the French and the British were rising. The stage was being set for what would later become the French and Indian War. The colonies defenses would need to be strengthened.

Even though there were many complaints sent to France about Governor Kerlerec, he stay the governor of the colony until the colony was given to Spain.

A NEW GOVERNOR

louisiana’s french colonial era

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