French and Dutch Immigration

French and Dutch Immigration

Like Spain and England, France and the Netherlands sought to expand their empires in the seventeenth century. Both nations established important colonies, and each stood a good chance of building an enduring empire in North America. But the competition was becoming fierce among the European nations. No nation could hold onto territorial claims in the New World without populating the land with its people. Populating the early colonies meant a tremendous commitment: tens of thousands of people, many of whom might die; long-term financial investment that was extremely risky; and well-planned government and security systems in the New World that could hold the new settlements together. Although their methods of colonizing and their situations in the homelands differed greatly, both France and the Netherlands failed in some or all of these commitments and ultimately lost their North American colonies.

French Colonization in the New World

In the first century after European contact with the New World, a series of conflicts hindered France's ability to

settle overseas colonies. Wars with Spain and England drained vital resources in military, shipping, and finances. Perhaps the deepest trauma to the nation was the religious division within. The Protestant Reformation had begun in about 1517, when a German theologian (one who studies religion) named Martin Luther (1483–1546) challenged the practices of the Roman Catholic Church and launched his ideas about reforming it in a new Christian church.

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