French Louisiana Study guide Answers

  1. Desoto was from Spain. He was the first European to discover the Mississippi River.
  2. King Louis XIV was the leader of France that allowed LaSalle and other explorers to colonize Louisiana.
  3. LaSalle claimed all the land drained by the Mississippi River for France.
  4. LaSalle built Fort Louis in Texas. They were originally trying to build a colony by the mouth of the Mississippi River.
  5. France was bitter enemies with England.
  6. Iberville and Bienville were sent, from France, to establish a colony in Louisiana.
  7. Baton Rouge means Red Stick. Iberville and Bienville discovered Baton Rouge with the help of the Biloxi Indians.
  8. Iberville built Fort Maurepas in modern day Biloxi.
  9. English Turn is the event when Bienville lied to the English about the French having a colony at the mouth of the Mississippi River.
  10. The Coureurs de Bois translates to “Runners of the woods”. They were hunters and traders who depended on Indians to keep them alive. They married Indians, dressed like Indians and it was hard to tell the difference.
  11. The Pelican Girls were 23 women from Paris sent to marry eligible bachelors (Coureurs de Bois). They were told Louisiana was a Garden of Eden filled with eligible young bachelors. They were promised nice homes, shops, etc.
  12. Mercantilism is the belief that each country should have asses to, and control of, raw materials needed to build and maintain a healthy economy. Mercantilism was a closed system, which means a country did not rely on, or trade with, another. It was against the law for people in Louisiana to trade with other countries besides France.
  13. Nepotism is the practice of appointing family members to important positions. Bienville practiced nepotism.
  14. A proprietor handles the economics of the colony.
  15. The 1st proprietor was Crozat.
  16. The 2nd proprietor was John Law. His company was The Company of the West.
  17. The Mississippi Bubble was when John Law sold more shares of stock in his company than actually existed. The bubble burst and people lost all of their money. John Law’s Company of the West was a charter.
  18. A positive way John Law impacted the colony was he got thousands of people to come to the colony.
  19. Bienville picked New Orleans as the new capital because Mobile was too far and New Orleans was situated between the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain.
  20. Cadillac created the Superior Council.
  21. The First Natchez war started because Natchez Indians murdered four French traders.
  22. The French punished the Natchez by forcing them to murder the guilty and by forcing them (slave labor) to build Fort Rosalie so that the French could use it to watch over the Natchez.
  23. St. Denis initially refused to fight the Natchez because he was friendly with the Native Americans, but he decided to fight when he realized the Natchez would continue to harm his people.
  24. The Second Natchez war was caused because the Natchez were mad about Ft. Rosalie being built. The Indians came to the fort with hidden weapons and then attacked the French.
  25. Marquis was governor during the “Era of Good Feelings”
  26. France and England fought against each other during the French and Indian War.
  27. The Treaty of Fontainbleau was a secret treaty in which France gave Louisiana to Spain. It was secret because the French did not want the British to get Louisiana.
  28. The Treaty of Paris ended the French and Indian War.
  29. England received France’s colony in Canada and all the land east of the Mississippi River, except the Isle of Orleans,after the French and Indian War.
  30. France had Saint-Domingueafter the French and Indian War.
  31. The Code Noir were a code of law, adopted by the Superior Council, to regulate the growing number of slaves in the colony.
  32. Laws in the Code Noir: interracial marriage was forbidden, slaves and French could not live together as couples, any children born to interracial couples would be slaves, slaves could not be educated, slaves could not gather in public in large numbers, slaves could not carry weapons, if a slave ran away they could be branded or have their ears cut off, if a slave hit their owner or ran away three times they could be executed, slaves had to be Christian, etc.
  33. The Code Noir was different from other slave codes because it provided slaves with a few rights. Examples of rights slaves had: they were recognized as human beings and could marry each other, children under 14 could not be separated from their mothers, slaves had Sundays and religious holidays off, slave owners were required to provide food, shelter, clothing, and medical attention to their slaves.
  34. Christianity was the only religion allowed in the colony.

***Essay Topics----Natchez Wars, the impact of English Turn, why did the French colonize Louisiana****