French explorer, Rene-Robert Cavelier de La Salle , sailed from the Great Lakes up the St. Lawrence River, through the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico, to the mouth of the Mississippi River in 1682. There he raised a French flag and claimed all the lands drained by the Mississippi for France.
Which French explorer claimed all land near the Mississippi River?
René-Robert Cavelier, sieur de La Salle , (born November 22, 1643, Rouen, France—died March 19, 1687, near Brazos River [now in Texas, U.S.]), French explorer in North America who led an expedition down the Illinois and Mississippi rivers and claimed all the region watered by the Mississippi and its tributaries for ...
What was the name given to the large French claim on the Mississippi River?
René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, claims for France all territory drained by Mississippi River from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico and names it Louisiana.
Who claimed Louisiana for France?
French explorer Robert Cavelier de La Salle first claimed the Louisiana Territory, which he named for King Louis XIV, during a 1682 canoe expedition down the Mississippi River.
When did France claim land west of the Mississippi River?
In 1762 , during the French and Indian War, France ceded its America territory west of the Mississippi River to Spain and in 1763 transferred nearly all of its remaining North American holdings to Great Britain.
What did La Salle explore?
René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle was an explorer best known for leading an expedition down the Illinois and Mississippi rivers . He claimed the region watered by the Mississippi and its tributaries for France and named it Louisiana after King Louis XIV.
What was La Salle looking for?
No sooner had young La Salle arrived than he was granted a piece of land in the western part of the island of Montreal. He became so obsessed with the search for a route to the Orient that his seigneurie (estate) became jokingly known as ‘La Chine’ (French for China.)
Why did the French want the Mississippi River?
From 1699 to 1763, the future state of Mississippi was a part of the French colony of Louisiana. During these years, the French explored the region, established settlements and military outposts, engaged in political and economic relations with the area’s American Indians, and sought to establish a profitable economy .
Why did French colonies fail?
The settlement was abandoned two years later. The French tried again several times to colonize North America, but failed due to disease, weather, conflict with Indians or with other European powers . Their most infamous failure may have been at Charlesfort in 1562.
Why did the French settle along the Mississippi River?
The French territorial government in Canada hoped the land would yield furs and precious metals. Although there were no profitable mineral deposits, the French colony developed fur trading and farming communities along the Mississippi, including Cahokia, Kaskaskia, and Prairie du Rocher.
Why did France leave Louisiana?
Napoleon Bonaparte sold the land because he needed money for the Great French War . The British had re-entered the war and France was losing the Haitian Revolution and could not defend Louisiana.
Why did Spain give Louisiana back to France?
In 1802 Bonaparte forced Spain to return Louisiana to France in the secret Treaty of San Ildefonso. Bonaparte’s purpose was to build up a French Army to send to Louisiana to defend his “New France” from British and U.S. attacks. At roughly the same time, a slave revolt broke out in the French held island of Haiti.
Did the Louisiana Purchase put the US in debt?
In 1803 the government increased its debt fifteen million dollars when the United States purchased the Louisiana Territory from France . Still, this major expense did not alter Gallatin’s plan for the nation’s economy.
Why did France sell Louisiana to the US?
The Louisiana Purchase Was Driven by a Slave Rebellion . Napoleon was eager to sell—but the purchase would end up expanding slavery in the U.S. Slaves revolting against French power in Haiti. ... But the purchase was also fueled by a slave revolt in Haiti—and tragically, it ended up expanding slavery in the United States.
Which Native American tribes were friendly with the French?
The Delawares and Shawnees became France’s most important allies. Shawnees and Delawares, originally “dependents” of the Iroquois, had migrated from Pennsylvania to the upper Ohio Valley during the second quarter of the 18th century as did numerous Indian peoples from other areas.
Why is Louisiana so French?
French Louisiana
In 1682, the French claimed what came to be known as the Louisiana Territory or “La Louisiane,” an immense parcel of land named in honor of King Louis XIV . ... Engineers designed 66 squares of a walled village, naming the streets after French royalty.
