How did the French treat Native Americans?
Quick Answer
The French initially had a peaceful relationship with Native Americans, and they often traded with them and engaged in intermarriage. However, even though the French primarily made peaceful attempts to promote Franco culture among Native American tribes, there were occasions when they forcefully removed them from their land and employed the use of slavery.
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When the French first began exploring North America, they made attempts to alleviate the diseases the Native American population was experiencing because of earlier European explorers. The French recognized the need to establish peaceful trading relationships with the Native Americans, and so they supported intermarriage. However, although they were engaging in intermarriage, they did make attempts to influence Native American practices by insisting that children born from such marriages were raised in the French style.
The French made further attempts to promote Franco values in North America. This included relocating tribes close to French settlements in the hope they could influence them. Despite this, they did recognize that Native American culture was diverse and became the only European power to try and understand it.
There were some cases of cruel treatment during the 18th century. When members of the Natchez tribe resisted France's presence, they were sold as slaves to companies in the West Indies. In addition, the French would occasionally relocate tribes without their permission to make use of their land.
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