HISTORY 203B Forum Discussion #3 What are some of the major differences between English and French colonies in North America? English colonists consisted of people who, for the most part, came to America as families. Seeking religious freedoms and financial security, they were farmers, artisan, merchants, cattlemen and fur traders. The largest majority, 80%, were indentured servants, hoping to find a better life. By contracting for 4-7 years, they could gain passage to America, and eventually earn their freedom, a piece of land, tools and clothing. These servants were usually single men. To gain the means for acquiring imported goods, the English set up services to the Caribbean Islands, Africa and Europe for shipping and commercial interests, exporting tobacco, rice, timber and fish. Their intelligence for reading the market, aided by flexibility and organizational skills lead to …show more content…
French colonists worked to integrate with the native people, to both force their religion on them and to learn their skills as fur traders. Men married native women and with the families they formed, they then went about organizing the fur trade, which aided French expansion in the South and West. Farming, while encouraged by their government, did not compare with the wealth to be gained from the fur trade and was largely a failure. Even though, the English were, initially, aided by the native peoples in alliances and commercial contracts, they did not seek to integrate with them. While the English started out as being friendly towards them, native peoples were treated as mostly peripheral, or insignificant to English society. Over a period of time, greed and disdain for native peoples resulted in serious conflicts with them. Even as the French, insinuated themselves into Native populations to advance financial gains in the fur trade and to force their religion upon them, they still treated them with