New France Versus New England: . New France’s settlements were markedly different from English ones. - Most French settlers were men who worked as traders and fur trappers. - Their goal was to make a quick profit before they returned home to France. - While in the New World, these men assimilated closely with Indian tribes, forging friendships and allies in order to conduct business. - Both the French and their Native allies wanted to drive the English eastward and often joined together to raid settlements located in Indian homelands. - Also, French missionaries established outposts specifically to introduce Catholicism to the native population. - In contrast, New England colonists consisting mainly of Puritans and Pilgrims were more numerous and included whole families who were looking to establish a home in North America. - New England colonists established towns that included local forms of government, schools and businesses. - The Puritan work ethic helped create an ordered society that flourished. - The English did not approach Native peoples in the same way as the French. - While the English also wanted to convert the Native Americans, they did not readily form allies or accept Indian traditions. - In addition, their primary economic activity – farming – brought them into conflict with Indians over land use issues.
France wanted to keep the population restricted to French Catholic settlers and was never able to attract all that many. In the English colonies there were a lot of people fleeing persecution and discrimination in Europe. They would not have been welcome in New France. So by the time of the F&I War, the population of New France was around 75,000 whereas the population of the English Colonies was about 1.2 million. Is is amazing that the French did as well as they did.
"Les deux pieds contre la muraille et la tete sous le robinet"