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US history
Course: US history > Unit 2
Lesson 1: Early colonization projects- French and Dutch colonization
- French and Dutch exploration in the New World
- Lesson summary: French and Dutch colonization
- England in the Age of Exploration
- Motivations for English colonization
- The Lost Colony of Roanoke - background and first attempts
- The Lost Colony of Roanoke - settlement and disappearance
- Early colonization projects
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Lesson summary: French and Dutch colonization
AP.USH:
KC‑2.1.I.B (KC)
, MIG (Theme)
, Unit 2: Learning Objective B
A high-level overview of French and Dutch efforts at early colonization.
French and Dutch colonization in the Americans focused on the profitable fur trade. Depending on Native Americans to hunt animals for their pelts, French and Dutch colonizers cultivated friendly relationships with Native Americans through intermarriage and military alliances.
Key terms
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Samuel de Champlain | A French explorer who founded the first permanent French settlement in North America, Quebec. |
| Quebec | The first permanent French settlement, founded in 1608. |
| Henry Hudson | An English adventurer hired by the Dutch government who led an expedition to find a path to Asia through North America. His expedition led to the establishment of New Amsterdam. |
| New Netherlands | New Netherlands was a Dutch colony founded in 1609 by the Dutch East India Company to maintain Dutch fur-trading practices. |
| Dutch East India Company | A Dutch merchant company chartered in 1602 to carry on trade with Africa, the West Indies, North and South America, and Australia. |
| Fur trading | The sale and exchange of animal furs (like beaver pelts). French and Dutch colonizers focused on trading furs with Native American tribes in North America. |
French and Dutch colonization patterns
Core historical themes
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. The original intent of Dutch colonization was to find a path to Asia through North America, but after finding the fur trade profitable, the Dutch claimed the area of New Netherlands.
Establishing permanent settlements: Unlike the Spanish and English, the French and Dutch created few permanent settlements. French settlements were initially made up of fur traders, merchants, and missionaries, so that there were fewer than 5,000 settlers by 1672. Dutch settlements were also relatively small, and only about half of their residents were Dutch, the others being a mix of ethnicities, including Germans and French .
Interactions with Native Americans: The goals of both the French and Dutch revolved around the fur trade. Unlike the Spanish and English, the French and Dutch fostered good relationships with Native Americans. The French in particular created alliances with the Hurons and Algonquians. Both the Dutch and the French relied on marriages with Native Americans to expand their fur trading operations.
Review questions
- What was the main motivation for French colonization and Dutch colonization?
- Compare French and Dutch colonization to Spanish colonization. What are two differences and one similarity?
Want to join the conversation?
Was the Dutch East India Company similar to the East India Company in India when India was colonized by the British?(14 votes)
Yes, they were both private corporations working for countries and had their own colonies.(21 votes)
- what are some similarities between Spanish colonization and french/dutch colonization(4 votes)
Find the lesson summary on Spanish colonization and print it out. Then print out the summary of French and Dutch colonization you'll find in this lesson. Lay them side by side and the similarities will become apparent. When you do your own work, you learn the answer better, and you also learn the method better. You can do it!(11 votes)
Are Dutch and French the same(0 votes)
No, the Dutch live in the Netherlands and the French live in France :)(24 votes)
Which 3 present-day cities grew out of New France and New Netherland?(2 votes)- Jersey City, NJ. Albany, NY. New York City, NY. Montreal, QE,(5 votes)
What is a joint stock company(2 votes)- In a joint stock company, the small investments of many owners are combined to create the capital needed to create the initial organization. These small investments are made by purchasing of "stock certificates" which, if the company succeeds, rise in value. If, however, the company fails, all of the investments are lost.(1 vote)
- Why didn't they realize these bad reasons and choose some place else where.(1 vote)
This is because they were all competing for resources such as land, fur, etc. While the French, Dutch, and British were competing with each other the Native Americans who were already there were oppressed by the European settlers and were forced to move away or were left with limited resources.(3 votes)
I wonder why on some lessons the videos have the most information and on others the articles have the most information. Also, I've noticed that on a lot of lessons they have questions about information that doesn't appear until the next lesson.(2 votes)- How did Native Americans react when the Dutch and French first came? and why did they allow them to stay?(2 votes)
- The Dutch, French, English, Spanish and anyone else who came carried guns, which are difficult to resist.(0 votes)
was the hudson bay company and hudson bay named after Henry Hudson??(1 vote)- English explorers and colonists named Hudson Bay after Sir Henry Hudson who explored the bay beginning August 2, 1610, on his ship Discovery.(2 votes)
- why did dutch and french make rules? was ther miscomunication or was ther a fight or debate going on, or was it just like that?(1 vote)
- There was money to be made and lost. There was commerce to be taxed. There were taxes to pay and to avoid. Of COURSE there were rules.(1 vote)