What Is The Main Factor Motivating Americans In France

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America’s unknown wilderness attracted men in France, many without women, to cross the Atlantic Ocean in search of a new and prosperous life. France was motivated to establish the colony for: trade, natural resources, expansion of French influence, to spread the Catholic faith and to establish military outposts. Individuals typically came to the New World for economic reasons. Many saw it as an opportunity to work in a new land that offered economic prosperity not found in France. The French men gained great wealth by participating in these ventures. The main factor motivating the French was money, which was obtained through trade. The fur industry was lucrative and an ordinary man could make his fortune in the New World with furs. The Frenchmen prospered and the king supported efforts to make their country prosperous as well. …show more content…
The demand for beaver pelts in France was insatiable and even uneducated trappers could make a small fortune. The Indians were a challenge, but they eventually recognized and accepted the French as partners in trade. The natives did not see the French as a physical threat to their land since so few of them actually settled. The ones that did come were mostly men, hunters and trappers, who were not interested in settling or farming. These unaccompanied men soon found it acceptable to pair with the Indian women and have children, which were known as metissages. A view as societal equals and outwardly shown respect between the French and the native Indians, along with mutual acceptance allowed this to occur. The children that were produced further solidified the bond between the two groups, which united the cultures economically, racially and culturally. Maintaining a state of peaceful cohabitation between the French and the Indians was not an