Ideas: Two key events in the history of New France

In two very interesting texts published on January 8 and 15, historian and sociologist Gérard Bouchard discusses the difficulty Quebecers have in quoting founding myths, whose role is “to assign a direction, a vocation for posterity, and to arouse solidarity at the same time as pride, the desire to take over”.

He suggests, with good reason, the Declaration of Independence of Lower Canada of 1838 written by Robert Nelson as well as the letter of Chevalier de Lorimier written the day before his hanging, February 15, 1839.

When I was teaching the history of Quebec at CEGEP—course, alas, optional—the students and I spent a lot of time analyzing the modernity of the articles of this declaration of the patriots.

We ended this segment by listening to Luc Picard’s moving interpretation of Chevalier de Lorimier’s two letters — one to his children and the other to his wife — in Pierre Falardeau’s magnificent film.

Distinguishing difficult

Mr. Bouchard points out, however, the difficulty of distinguishing the founding myths of the era of New France: “Today’s Quebecers can hardly draw from their most distant origins enough to nourish their civic conscience and their collective dreams. »

However, it seems essential to me to name the founding myths for this period, because if there is a French-speaking Quebec nation today, it is because New France existed!

Two events related to the birth and consolidation of New France seem significant to me. First, the arrival in 1663 of the King’s Daughters. They will be 800 between 1663 and 1673. Bringing with them a dowry of 50 pounds provided by the king, these young women – orphans and poor – came for the most part from the Paris region. They spoke modern French—the language of Molière—while patois were still spoken in all rural regions of France.

It was not until the 19th century that modern French was spoken in France, whereas it had been the case since the 17th century in New France thanks to the Filles du Roy. The work of historian Yves Landry has documented very well the importance of this event in our history.

“These women instilled French in their children,” says Mr. Landry, recalling that the expression “mother tongue” takes on its full meaning here. “French has thus become the language spoken in Quebec. All linguists agree on that,” he says.

A second event seems to me to be key in the history of Quebec: the Great Peace of Montreal of 1701. Today largely documented by, among others, the work of Gilles Havard, this meeting aims to establish a lasting peace between the Amerindian nations themselves as well as between them and New France.

Delegates from some forty nations meet there, from “the Cree of the James Bay basin to the Illinois of the Mississippi, and from the Sioux of the Great Lakes to the Abenaki of New England, without forgetting the Iroquois and the Five Nations Confederacy nor the Amerindians domiciled near Montreal”, as sociologist and historian Denys Delâge writes.

Inspiration

The Great Peace consecrates the role of Montreal and New France as the center of major trade and diplomatic networks. On August 4, 1701, L’Aigle, chief of the Iroquois of Sault, speaking to Sieur de Callière, said this: “Onontio, all the different nations coming from the extremities of this vast continent are gathered here on your mat for the Great Fire from Montreal. They stopped the ax and put it deep in the earth. Casting their eyes on the Tree of Peace which you have planted on the highest mountain, they put strong and deep roots in it, so that neither winds nor storms nor any other accident can overthrow it. »

Of course, contrary winds have been blowing in Quebec since 1701. The Quebec nation has not been and still is not exempt from racism against Aboriginal peoples. However, can’t the Great Peace, this great and fruitful dialogue, inspire us in the actions to be taken today?

To see in video


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