French and Dutch colonization | Period 2: 1607-1754 | AP US History | Khan Academy

Summary

This video explores the lesser-known European colonies of New France and New Netherland in the Americas, contrasting their focus on trade with the Spanish emphasis on resource extraction and conversion to Catholicism. The French and Dutch established friendly relations with Native Americans through trade, intermarriage, and alliances, fostering cooperative ventures in the fur trade. The video highlights the different colonial strategies and their impact on the relationships between Europeans and indigenous peoples, setting the stage for a comparison with future British colonization.

Takeaways

• 🏰 The Spanish were the first European colonists in the Americas, but they were soon followed by the French and Dutch who sought to establish their own colonies.
• 🛶 French and Dutch explorers were primarily interested in trade, focusing on the Saint Lawrence and Hudson Rivers for their fur trade with Native Americans.
• 🦫 Beavers were hunted to near extinction in Europe, making beaver pelts highly valuable for trade, which drove the French and Dutch to North America.
• 🤝 The French and Dutch established friendlier and more cooperative relationships with Native Americans, often through trade, intermarriage, and alliances.
• 🏞️ New France and New Netherland were smaller in size compared to the vast territories claimed by Spain, focusing on trade rather than territorial expansion.
• 🧳 The French and Dutch settlers were fewer in number than the Spanish, leading to a more collaborative approach with Native Americans rather than forced labor.
• 🏛️ Cities like Quebec City, Montreal, and New Amsterdam (later New York City) were founded along these rivers as centers for trade and colonial administration.
• 📜 The French and Dutch learned Native American languages and mapped territories in detail to better facilitate trade and cooperation.
• 🔄 Both Europeans and Native Americans leveraged each other in their respective competitions, with Europeans seeking furs and Native Americans seeking European goods.
• ⚔️ The Dutch allied with the Iroquois and the French with the Algonquians, reflecting the strategic use of alliances in the fur trade competition.
• 🙏 While the French attempted to convert Native Americans to Catholicism, it was rarely done by force, contrasting with the Spanish approach.

Q & A

Who were the first European colonists in the New World?

The Spanish were the first European colonists in the New World.

What was the primary goal of French and Dutch explorers in North America?

The primary goal of French and Dutch explorers in North America was to gain valuable furs to trade with Native Americans, which they could then sell in Europe.

Why did the French and Dutch focus their colonies around rivers?

The French and Dutch focused their colonies around rivers like the Saint Lawrence and the Hudson because rivers were the highways of the world at that time, and they were primarily interested in trade.

What was the significance of beaver pelts in the fur trade between Europeans and Native Americans?

Beaver pelts were highly valued in Europe for making fancy hats, and since beavers had been hunted to near extinction there, the demand for beaver pelts from North America was high.

How did the French and Dutch approach their relationships with Native Americans differently from the Spanish?

The French and Dutch generally had friendlier and more cooperative relationships with Native Americans, often engaging in trade rituals, intermarriage, and alliances, rather than using force as the Spanish did.

What was the role of the Dutch West India Company in New Netherland?

The Dutch West India Company controlled New Amsterdam and sought to maximize the trade of goods from North America to Europe, focusing on valuable commodities like furs.

Why were there fewer French and Dutch settlers in New France and New Netherland compared to Spanish settlers in New Spain?

There were fewer French and Dutch settlers because they relied on trade with Native Americans for resources rather than extracting resources themselves, which required fewer settlers.

How did the French and Dutch approach the conversion of Native Americans to Christianity?

While the French did attempt to convert Native Americans to Catholicism, they rarely did so by force, unlike the Spanish who often used force and coercion.

What was the impact of European competition on the relationships between Native American tribes and European settlers?

European competition for resources led to alliances and rivalries between different European powers and Native American tribes, with Europeans recruiting Native Americans into their inter-tribal feuds and vice versa.

How did the goals of colonization influence the types of settlers and their relationships with Native Americans in the New World?

The goals of colonization, such as resource extraction, trade, or religious conversion, influenced the types of settlers who came to the Americas and their relationships with Native Americans, including the level of violence, cooperation, and cultural exchange.

Outlines

00:00

🌐 Early European Colonization in the Americas

The video script begins by highlighting the Spanish as the first European colonizers in the New World, but not for long as the French soon followed. It discusses the establishment of New France and New Netherland, emphasizing their focus on trade along the Saint Lawrence and Hudson rivers. The script contrasts these colonies with the larger Spanish territories, noting the different colonial goals that led to distinct settlement patterns and relationships with Native Americans. The French and Dutch were primarily interested in fur trade, which influenced their cooperative and friendly interactions with the indigenous populations, in contrast to the Spanish who sought to extract resources and convert natives to Catholicism by force.

05:01

🤝 French and Dutch Relations with Native Americans

Paragraph 2 delves into the cooperative nature of French and Dutch interactions with Native Americans, focusing on trade and intermarriage. It describes how French traders learned Algonquian, married native women, and formed alliances, even fighting alongside them against common enemies. The Dutch, controlling New Amsterdam, were also heavily invested in trade, with the Dutch West India Company playing a significant role. The script contrasts this with the Spanish approach, which was more violent and exploitative. It also touches on the strategic alliances formed between different European powers and Native American tribes, and how these relationships were mutually beneficial, with Europeans gaining access to furs and Native Americans gaining European goods.

10:03

🏛️ Colonial Goals and Their Impact on Settlement

The final paragraph of the script compares the colonial goals of Spain, France, and the Netherlands, and how these objectives influenced the types of settlers and their relationships with Native Americans. It contrasts the Spanish focus on resource extraction and forced conversion to Catholicism with the French and Dutch emphasis on trade and friendly relations. The script suggests that these differences will be important for understanding upcoming discussions on British colonization, where varying goals also shaped the nature of settlements and interactions with indigenous populations.

Keywords

💡New World

The term 'New World' refers to the Americas, particularly in the context of European exploration and colonization. It is central to the video's theme as it sets the stage for discussing the establishment of European colonies and their interactions with Native Americans. The script mentions how different European powers, such as the Spanish, French, and Dutch, had varying goals and methods in the New World, leading to distinct colonial outcomes.

💡New France

New France was a French colony in North America, depicted in pink on the map in the video. It represents one of the lesser-known European colonies and is significant because it highlights the French focus on trade, particularly in furs, along the Saint Lawrence River. The video contrasts New France's approach with that of other colonial powers, emphasizing the cooperative relationships they fostered with Native Americans.

💡New Netherland

New Netherland, symbolized by the orange dot in the video, was a Dutch colony in the region that now includes New York. It is a key concept as it illustrates the Dutch emphasis on trade, especially fur trading along the Hudson River. The video discusses how New Netherland's focus on trade led to fewer Dutch settlers and more cooperative relations with Native Americans compared to other colonial powers.

💡Fur Trade

The fur trade was a significant economic activity for European colonizers in the Americas, particularly for the French and Dutch. The video explains how the scarcity of beavers in Europe made beaver pelts highly valuable, leading to a focus on trade with Native Americans for these goods. This trade shaped the relationships between Europeans and Native Americans, making them more cooperative and less conflictual than in other colonies.

💡Saint Lawrence River

The Saint Lawrence River is mentioned as a focal point for the French colony of New France. It was a critical geographical feature that facilitated trade and settlement, as rivers were considered the highways of the world before the invention of the railroad. The river's significance in the video underscores the French strategy of establishing trade routes and settlements along major waterways.

💡Hudson River

The Hudson River is highlighted in the video as the lifeline of New Netherland, particularly for the Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam (later New York City). It exemplifies the Dutch strategy of focusing on trade along navigable rivers, which allowed for the efficient transport of goods like furs to Europe. The river's role in the video narrative emphasizes the importance of geography in shaping colonial strategies.

💡Beaver Pelts

Beaver pelts were highly sought-after commodities in the fur trade, as they were used to make fashionable hats in Europe. The video points out the near extinction of beavers in Europe, which made the pelts from North America extremely valuable. The demand for beaver pelts drove the French and Dutch to establish trade relationships with Native Americans, which in turn influenced the nature of their interactions and settlements.

💡Intermarriage

Intermarriage between European traders and Native American women is discussed in the video as a strategy to foster alliances and integrate into Native communities. This practice was particularly common among the French in New France and the Dutch in New Netherland, contrasting with the Spanish approach. Intermarriage helped the French and Dutch to establish more cooperative and less adversarial relationships with Native Americans.

💡Encomienda System

The encomienda system was a Spanish system of forced labor in the colonies, where Native Americans were required to work for Spanish settlers. The video contrasts this system with the more cooperative relationships between the French, Dutch, and Native Americans. The encomienda system exemplifies the Spanish goal of extracting resources and converting Native Americans to Catholicism, often through force.

💡Catholicism

Catholicism was the religion spread by Spanish colonizers, who aimed to convert Native Americans to Christianity. The video discusses how the Spanish often used force to achieve this goal, in contrast to the French and Dutch who generally did not. The spread of Catholicism was a significant aspect of Spanish colonization and had lasting impacts on the cultural and religious landscape of the Americas.

Highlights

The Spanish were the first European colonists in the New World, but they were soon joined by other European powers.

The French and Dutch established smaller colonies focused on trade, unlike the Spanish who sought to extract resources and convert natives to Catholicism.

New France and New Netherland were established with a focus on the Saint Lawrence and Hudson Rivers, respectively.

Cities like Quebec City, Montreal, and New Amsterdam (later New York City) were founded along these rivers.

The French and Dutch were primarily interested in the fur trade with Native Americans, leading to friendlier and more cooperative relationships.

Europeans in New France and New Netherland learned local languages and married native women to foster trade relationships.

The French and Dutch often allied with Native American tribes, participating in inter-tribal conflicts on behalf of their trade partners.

New Amsterdam was controlled by the Dutch West India Company, which sought to maximize profits from North American goods.

Europeans in New Netherland and New France were interested in the fur trade, leading to detailed maps of tribal territories and resources.

The Dutch allied with the Iroquois against the Algonquians, reflecting the competitive nature of European-Native American trade relations.

Europeans competed with each other for the best trade deals with Native Americans, leading to complex alliances and rivalries.

The Spanish aimed to extract resources and convert natives to Catholicism, often using violence and enslavement.

In contrast, the French and Dutch focused on trade, leading to fewer settlers and more cooperative relationships with Native Americans.

The French attempted to convert natives to Catholicism but rarely used force, unlike the Spanish.

The goals of European colonization influenced the types of settlers, their relationships with Native Americans, and their approach to conversion.

The comparison of Spanish, French, and Dutch colonization provides a framework for understanding later British colonization strategies.

Transcripts

- [Narrator] Although the Spanish were the first

European colonists in the New World,

they didn't remain alone in the Americas for very long.

Just three years after Hernan Cortes captured Tenochtitlan,

the French government sent its first explorer

to poke around North America

and look for what many European explorers

had searched for from the beginning,

a passage to the East.

Now, although the explorers never found

this Northwest passage because it didn't exist,

they, like the Spanish, quickly learned

that there were quite a lot of riches to be had

in the Americas themselves.

In this video, I'd like to take some time to talk about

two of the lesser known European colonies in the New World,

New France up here in pink

and New Netherland, this little orange dot right here.

Now, you can see that compared to the extent of New Spain,

here in the Caribbean and Mexico

and expanding in South America,

these colonial exploits were pretty small indeed,

but I think it's important to learn a little bit about them

because they help us see the ways

in which the different goals of colonial powers

led to very different types of settlement in the New World

and very different relationships

between Europeans and Native Americans.

Now, though it's a little bit hard to see on this map,

these two colonies focused their efforts around two rivers,

the Saint Lawrence River

and the Hudson River

which runs along this little orange strip here.

And along these rivers,

you can still see the cities that were founded

by these colonial ventures like Quebec City up in Canada,

later Montreal and down here of course the most famous

which started as New Amsterdam

and later became the city of New York.

Right about here is the Island of Manhattan

on which New York City,

formerly New Amsterdam, is located.

Now, looking at this map, you might wonder,

why was it that Spain have these giant swabs of territory

really from coast to coast

where New France and New Netherland

really only followed along these rivers,

at least to start with?

And the answer really lies in this idea of goals.

And New France and New Netherland sat on the rivers,

rivers being the highways of the world

really up until the invention of the railroad,

because they were primarily interested in trade.

So let's talk a little bit more about that.

French and Dutch explorers were particularly interested

in gaining valuable furs to trade from Native Americans

living in the Northern part of North America

that they could then sell in Europe.

Long before European colonization began,

beavers had been hunted pretty much to extinction in Europe

while beaver pelts themselves were usually used

to create fancy hats.

This is a hat from a slightly later era,

but you can get the sense here

that Europeans met on something of an equal basis

with Native Americans in the process of the fur trade,

so Europeans wanted beaver pelts

and also the pelts of other animals and often fish,

another thing that was in great supply

in this Northern region which is today

the Northeast United States and Canada.

So how did this focus on trade affect the relationships

between Europeans and Native Americans in the area?

Well, primarily they made relationships between them

considerably friendlier and more cooperative

than the relationships between the Spanish

and Native Americans for example.

Now, Europeans quickly discovered

that it made a lot more sense to instead of sending hundreds

upon hundreds of Frenchmen to Canada

to hunt beavers themselves,

they could instead pay Native Americans

to hunt the beavers for them.

And consequently, there were considerably fewer

French and Dutch settlers in New Netherland and New France

than there were in New Spain.

And because there were fewer of them,

they generally ended up doing things

more on the terms of Native Americans

so whereas the Spanish might have used their guns

and their war dogs to force Native Americans

to labor for them,

the French and the Dutch were more likely to observe

trading rituals like giving gifts

and also fostering trade relationships

through intermarriage.

French traders learned the Algonquian language

and married native women and had children with them

so that they could be considered part of the family.

They even allied with Native American Tribes

against their own enemies and went to war with them

as in the case in 1609

when French explorer Samuel de Champlain

helped Algonquians in their war against the Iroquois.

And like New France,

New Netherland situated as it was in this very good harbor,

the Island of Manhattan, was likewise very focused on trade.

In fact, New Amsterdam was a little bit of a company town

controlled by the Dutch West India Company

which sought to make the most of all of the goodies

that could be brought from North America

and then shipped to Europe.

In fact, you can get a sense of what the major concerns

of the Europeans settling in this area were from this map.

You can see that they point out where beavers, turkeys,

foxes, and bears can be found all with their valuable pelts,

but you also see that there's an extremely detailed

rendering of where many Native American Tribes lived

like this detailed rendering of what I believe

is a Mahican village.

The French and Dutch bothered to learn all of these names

and map all of this territory because they cooperated

with the Native Americans to get these pelts.

It's hard to imagine a Spanish map

that would go into such detail about native villages.

It's important to remember

that Europeans were competing with each other

for resources in the New World

hoping that they could secure the best trade deals for furs

with Native Americans and prevent other nations

from securing those furs.

For example, the Dutch allied with the Iroquois

in the New World as trading partners

because the Iroquois were the long-time enemies

of the Algonquians who were allied with the French.

So just as the Europeans recruited Native Americans

into their competitions to supply Europe with furs,

Native Americans recruited Europeans

into their inter-tribal feuds

to supply the Americas with European goods.

I wanna finish by just briefly comparing

each nation's colonial goals with their outcomes

and what sorts of people settled,

what the relationships were like with Native Americans,

and even how they attempted or didn't attempt

to convert Native Americans to a form of Christianity.

Now, as we saw with Spain,

their goal was to quickly extract natural resources

from the Americas and to set up plantations

for tobacco and later sugar,

plus to convert as many of the native people to Catholicism

as possible by force if necessary

and it was frequently necessary.

Consequently, most of the Spanish settlers

who came to the New World were men and adventurers

who treated native people with violence and enslaved them

in the encomienda system

and in some cases had relationships with native women

and African women that resulted in that very complex set

of racial designations we see in the caste system.

But France and the Netherlands by contrast came for trade.

They wanted furs and fish and so they were very careful

to cultivate very friendly relationships

with Native Americans including by intermarrying with them

in a deliberate and formal way

so that they could take advantage of having natives

do the hunting for them

rather than having to do it themselves

so that really only a few men

came to New France and New Netherland,

nothing like the numbers of Spain.

And unlike the Spanish,

although the French did attempt

to convert natives to Catholicism,

they rarely did so by force.

Now, going forward as we talk about British colonization

in the next few lessons,

I want you to keep both the Spanish

and the French and Dutch modes of colonization in your mind

so you can compare and contrast English colonization

with both of them.

And as we'll see,

the goals of the various English colonies

whether it's to found plantations

like in Jamestown, Virginia,

or to escape religious persecution

like in Massachusetts Bay,

that goal will go on to influence

not only who came to the Americas from Europe,

but also their relationships with native people.