French settlers came to North America to build new lives.
THE STRUGGLE
TO SURVIVE
A
fter Champlain established Quebec in 1608, French
settlers flocked to the continent. Another colony was
established on the St. Lawrence River and a third became
modern-day Montreal. By 1642 New France was growing.
But the growing colonies posed problems for both the
French and their First Nations neighbours. French survival
relied on friendly trade relationships with the Aboriginal
Peoples. The Huron-Wendat provided New French settlers
with corn, squash, and tobacco. They also provided the
beaver fur that made French traders wealthy in Europe.
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