French Colonial Society in America

New France was the French colony organized inthe 17th century. Besides, the English established
the North America. The first French foundationconstant agricultural settlements and converted
– Quebec – was established in 1603. TheNative Americans to their religion. New England
French society was concentrated on the fur tradesociety was more secularized and increasingly
and Catholic missions. The Spanish and the Frenchoverpopulated than the Spanish and the French
understood the importance of the maintenance ofsocieties. The English society was based on family
friendly relations with the Native Americans and itfarms and land that was inherited by relatives.
became their major priority. In his ‘TheIn his book ‘American Colonies: The Settling
People of New France’ Allan Greer describesof North America’ Alan Taylor describes
the growth and development of the Frenchmany cultures and societies that formed America.
colony in Canada. His book is a deep look into theHe stresses the significance of the Native
social life of New France that occupied a largeAmericans, African slaves, who worked on the
territory of the North American continent. Frenchplantations, and the contribution of the Spanish,
colonial society was developing rapidly owing toFrench and English colonizers to the development
the fur trade with the Native Americans. Theand growth of the USA society. The author tries
French regime allowed woman in the status of ato be objective in his description of the English
wife to be an equal owner of the family propertycolonial society emphasizing that the British and
along with her husband. The similar law wasespecially their spawn the Americans dedicated
present in New Spain where women had thetheir governments to promoting commerce.
same amount of rights. Another common featureTaylor depicts the mixture of nations and the
was that the Spanish as well as the Frenchinterlay of freedom and slavery in the colonized
wanted to find gold and silver in America, to tradeAmerica, as well as the movement toward
with the Native Americans and to convert themcolonial independence displayed by the English in
to their religion.New England. Thus, the Spanish, English and
Despite its growth French Canada became anFrench created unique colonial societies in the
obstacle for English government to establish itsAmericas. Although each society had its own
colonies in the North America. England started thefeatures, all of them had similar features in the
colonization of America in 1607 having establishedorganization, development and growth of trade,
its first colony in Jamestown. England sent manysilver and gold mines, agriculture and
people to America – more than 400,000 incommunication with Native Americans.