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The Society of New France Essay

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The Society of New France There were many early expeditions from Europe to North America, most in search of a
Northwest Passage that linked the Atlantic to the Pacific, thus leading to the wealth of Asia .
These excursions alerted Europeans of the resources North America offered and this attraction of fish and furs stimulated annual voyages from Europe to reap the benefits of the New World. As appealing as this discovery was, Europeans considered this New World a harsh environment and few thought of settling permanently , but eventually political and economic interests inspired
Europeans establish settlements in North America . Overseas colonies were regarded as an opportunity to gain political advantage amongst European …show more content…

They enjoyed a fixed rent, one that was far less than the amount of labour expected by French peasants, security of tenure, better housing and relatively large, fertile plots which provided a nourishing diet for himself and the family, rarely experiencing famine . This widespread availability of land and shortage of work may have contributed to habitant’s noticeable spirit of independence and lack of discipline . Despite the apparent lack of respect for authority, most habitants worked very hard to make a living. Every single member of the family, father, mother and children, would work to make the farm successful . Families were the most important social and economic unit where most of the colony’s production took place and everyone worked together to ensure collective survival. Similar to the society of New France, families were hierarchical with the father at the top of ladder. The father controlled all of his wife’s possessions including the children who primarily belonged to him . Families in New France were quite large. The average age of marriage for women was younger than that in France, as well, they also had more children. A women who survived long enough could expect to give birth to about seven or eight children, though on average 25 percent died within the first year of life and childhood diseases prevented even more from reaching adolescence . For the children that

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