Protection And Unequal Alliance Summary

The article by Gilles Havard “Protection” and “Unequal Alliance” The French Conception of Sovereignty over Indians in New France, begins by highlighting the relationship struggles between the colonists from Old France and the Indigenous Indian settlers. Moreover, it describes the intentions of the French monarch to naturalize the natives and convert them through the knowledge of faith (Havard, 2013). However, as it is later discovered in the article, that conformity of the natives through strict rule would be deemed unnecessary. In fact the French lead rhetoric of colonization in New France was strategically motivated, in order to, gain allegiance with the native population against the British Empire. France transitioned its sovereign power in the region as it became clear that “the colony would need a greater number of troops to impress more respect and more fear upon the savages” (Havard, 2013). The socio-political discourse

However, the article fails to maintain a systematic approach to explaining the events that led to the conception of sovereignty over Indians. In other words, Havard tends to refer to dates that do not follow a chronological order; instead he jumps decades from early 1600 to mid 1700 than refers back to early 1600 dates. What occurs is a confusing timeline that is both difficult to read and to follow. Moreover, Havard rarely goes in to depth about social themes and fails to explain their meaning within context of the narrative. For instance, there is a heavy use of French terms throughout the article, with very little definition for what it represents. The article also tends to be repetitive, as the author continuously relates back to concepts in earlier parts of the paper instead of fully developing the ideas in an organized and concise