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How did contact and the fur trade affect both the native peoples and the European Colonists

In the year 1534, Jacques Cartier a French explorer, arrived at Baie des Chaleurs. During his quest, he met with the Mi’kmaq, known to be natives, and they had trading relations with the Europeans. Cartier gave an account of the life, which he experienced, while with the natives in a foreign land. The natives could not communicate well with the Europeans, and this led to difficulties during trade. The natives were the ones who had ownership of fur, and would exchange them for various European products. The latter were products made from iron such as knives.

As the fifteenth century came to an end, many Europeans came to North America due to the presence of fish. Later on, they discovered they would obtain fur from the natives, and this became the norm. There were many vital reasons why the Europeans had vetted interest in the native’s land of North America. The interests were economically and politically related, and in turn, created competition among European leaders. Those who conquered oversees colonies believed that they had obtained an advantage over the other powers. Most European powers were built using cheap resources, as they did not have a lot of money. The world, which Europeans sort to conquer, is known as the ‘New World’. Entrepreneurs in the fur trade were granted a monopoly, so that in turn, they would assist the colonizers in sponsoring Christian missions and settlements. Moreover, the natives believed that they would benefit significantly from the military and trade alliances with the Europeans.

Towards the sixteenth century, there were many changes taking place in Europe. Furthermore, the developments made many of them explore other, unknown lands. For example, the Christian Church became divided due to the different ideologies held by its followers. In turn, it led to the reformation of the church, as the Protestants migrated to various lands. The natives would be exploited for their labor, if colonies were to be successful. Resources obtained would be transported to the colonizer’s mother country. Also, there is evidence that suggests that native people in the America’s had interacted with foreigners. It seems that the fur trade paved way for other European powers to explore other areas. Examples are the Portuguese who went to Africa, and they obtained ivory, gold and slaves. The later took place in the year 1440, and many other Portuguese explorers such as Vasco da Gama and Bartolomeu Diaz did the same. Spain did the same and sent explorers such as Hernando Cortes and Christopher Columbus to the Aztec empire and Caribbean’s. The need to find a passage in the sea led to the discovery of native lands. Explorers wanted to find a link that existed between the Pacific and Atlantic. In turn, it would be easy to reach the East Indies and China, which had valuable wealth.

There was limited interaction between the aboriginals and the Europeans who were interested in the cod fish industry. Natives were appreciative of the products they acquired from the Europeans as it improved their lives. As fashion trends progressed in Europe, the need to acquire fur increased. After some time, the sources of fur became exhausted as demand had increased significantly. Whale hunting is another activity, which gained popularity, apart from the fur trade and cod fishery. Whales were vital sources of lighting lamps; some parts were used in dresses worn by Europeans. A notable whaling operation took place in the 1540’s in what is known as the Strait of Belle. The English made extreme progress in conquering their new lands such as the Ferry Land. The success of colonizers such as Portugal and Spain made France want to experience the same. French kings sent many of its citizens to explore North America, and an example is Giovanni da Verrazzano. Many ill-fated things took place in France and made it difficult to conquer other new lands. For example, there were many wars of a religious nature, which needed to be addressed. France’s interest only arose after people demanded that they obtain fur, also because the civil war had just ended.

In conclusion, after many tough and long years of hard work, France acquired its new territory. Many provinces, in the eastern part of Canada, were formed by the French as it did not succeed in North America. Acadia and Canada were known for being lucrative due to the various trade activities. Furthermore, they had developed significantly due to the fur that could be obtained. The position of Canada made it vulnerable to external assault and internal dissension. It is not known why many French explorers were attracted to Canada, yet it did not have resources as the other lands. Effective leadership is what made the French succeed in most conquest and especially in Africa. By obtaining sufficient capital, they would prosper even more. Indeed, the fur trade as well as the contact between the Europeans and the natives had significant impacts to the world.