Jesuits and French Expansion
Louisiana
French Caribbean Colonies
Short Answer/ Multiple Choice
Misc.
100

What were the Jesuits?

 Catholic missionaries

100

French explorers eventually traveled south along which major river?

Mississippi River


100

Which French colony became France’s most profitable colony in the 1700s?

 Saint-Domingue

100

 Which animal was heavily hunted as the fur trade expanded?

Beaver

100

Which country influenced France’s early exploration and colonization efforts?

Spain
200

What was one strategy used by French Jesuits when working with Indigenous peoples?

They attempted to build relationships before seeking conversion.

200

Why did Louisiana struggle to attract large numbers of European settlers?

The climate and environment were difficult, and settlers had limited incentives.

200

Why did French Caribbean colonies rely heavily on enslaved labor?

 Sugarcane production required strenuous labor.

200

What did French trappers often do to strengthen relationships with Indigenous peoples?

Learned Indigenous languages and customs

200

What was one major goal of early French exploration in North America?

To find a Northwest Passage to India

300

 How did French Jesuits differ from some Spanish missionary practices discussed in class?

French Jesuits often lived among Indigenous peoples rather than forcing them into separate settlements.

300

Why did New Orleans become an important city in French Louisiana?

 It became a center of trade and commerce.

300

Which event overthrew white rule in Saint-Domingue?

 Haitian Revolution

300

Identify two goals of French exploration and colonization in North America. Explain how these goals influenced French expansion.

  • Find wealth: The French wanted to make money through the fur trade, so they built trading posts and developed relationships with Indigenous peoples.
  • Spread Catholicism: French Jesuit missionaries traveled into the interior to convert Indigenous peoples, which helped expand French influence.
300

Which explorer helped establish Quebec and played an important role in the development of New France?

 Samuel de Champlain

400

What was one unintended consequence of Jesuit journeys into the interior of North America?

They helped spread European diseases.

400

 Which crops became important to the economy of Louisiana?

Sugarcane and Rice

400

 France finalized the abolition of slavery in its colonies in which year?

 1848

400

Explain why the fur trade was so important to the development of New France. In your answer, describe one way the French worked with Indigenous peoples to support the fur trade.

  • The fur trade was important because it was a major part of New France’s economy and helped the French expand throughout the region.
  • The French worked with Indigenous peoples by creating trade relationships and learning Indigenous languages and customs.
  • French coureurs des bois also lived among Indigenous communities and developed relationships that helped support the fur trade.
400

What was one major environmental challenge faced by settlers in New France?

Cold winters and a short growing season

500

French competition with the British over the Ohio River Valley eventually contributed to which conflict?

The French and Indian War

500

Louisiana was named after which French king?

Louis XIV

500

What crop was especially important to the economy of the French Caribbean?

 Sugarcane

500

Explain how the environment or geography of either New France or Louisiana influenced the way the colony developed economically.

  • New France: The cold climate and short growing season made farming difficult, so the French economy focused more on the fur trade. French traders established trading posts along rivers and worked with Indigenous peoples to trade furs.
  • Louisiana: The warm, semi-tropical climate allowed crops such as sugarcane and rice to grow. This led to a greater reliance on enslaved labor to produce these cash crops.
500

What were the French trappers known as?

Coureurs de bois

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