Hello! This blog post is the summary and story of my final Humanities project, New Beginnings! In this project we learned about the history of New France (modern day Quebec) and then we made two visuals for one of the parts of New France. The big idea for this project is “What did the establishment of New France mean for all the people involved?”

The first thing for this project that we did was revisit ads and photography. We worked on ads in the Medium is the Message and we worked on photography in Constructing Creative Communication: Herzog. We did a small activity about making an ad for Seycove but thats not really important.

The next class we started watching a video about the history of New France. We were supposed to answer these questions from the video but I thought wasn’t extensive enough. So I decided to just take normal notes. I forgot that the teachers won’t stop the video and explain things… Sooo… I couldn’t function because stress and anxiety and other shtuff. So I didn’t get any notes. So I basically wasted two classes.

I don’t quite remember the specifics but we ended up deciding our people that we are going to research. We could also choose other stuff like the Beaver Trade. I don’t remember what they all were but the one I chose was the Seigneur. They were nobles that got land from the crown. Then they lend it out to people to farm it. Then we got to do research. Yay. I didn’t do all of it. *shrug* Weeelllll its to late nooooow. This is my research:
As you begin your research,  you should gather information from at least three different sources. Split screen with the web and your research document. Always start by copying and pasting the URL for the website first –> Then write the title of this source –> Add 5 – 10 bullet points underneath the source. See below for an example!

https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/seigneurial-system
Seigneurial System
Started 1627, stoped 1854
The Seigneur gave a piece of land to a family (tenant or habitant), the family worked it. The family then regularly paid the Seigneur money for the land.
Its purpose was to promote settlement.
The Seigneur had onerous and honorary rights, including the power to make a court of law, operate a mill and grant hunting, fishing and woodcutting licenses.
Seiagneuries (Seiagneuries were also the plots of land that the Seigneur owned) were given to nobles, civil administrators, religious institutions (in return for education and hospital services) and military officers.

https://www.canadahistoryproject.ca/1663/1663-07-seignurial.html
Seigneurial System
The tenant farmer was obliged to pay a nominal rent for the land and give one-fourteenth of his grain harvest to the seigneur.
The seigneur was obliged to build and maintain a mill for grinding the grain. He was also responsible for settling disputes and acting as local magistrate upholding French civil law.
The tenant farmer or habitant was not tied to the land. He could move to a different piece of land by selling one lease and buying another.
The seigneurs, who had money, tended to spend it outside the colony on goods from France rather than put it into the economy of the colony.
The seigneurial system worked against economic development in the colony

First People Trade
first ppl in america used trade networks for thousands of years. many first ppl chose to trade with europeans. started trading 1500s or 1600s. Think first trade when some europeon fishers off the coast newfoundland in exchange for fish for furs. trade sometimes helpful, sometimes not. most valuable were the fire or thunder stick, aka gun. also useful steel axe and kettles. first ppl trade was apart if ceremonies, feasting and gift giving. first ppl who got things from trade shared what they got. white men who did these ceremonies who successful. also white men that married first ppl got access to a network of trade. the North West Company did lots of gift giving, and its part of their official costs

during 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries, many first ppl did specialized jobs for the fur trade. they got food, translation and helped lead white men. first ppl fur traders were middle men for the trading posts.
So thats what I learned.

The next class was super fun. We watched some videos about nature photography and I really learned a lot. Then we went into the forest and took some great photos. Then we came back and edited them. There isn’t really anything else with that but I just really enjoyed. Oh right, looking back on it I think that was when I was supposed to take my photo for the final product…

The final thing we did before the final product was fun. It was a roleplaying simulation of the fur trade and the different parties. It was stupid though. There was no freedom or creativity. And when I said we should do something else that wasn’t in the rules (which were give something, get something, oh and no one would go above or below the starting price), like try to be efficient and just kill the other parties because we were the only one with guns. It got out of hand. It ended with us breeding beavers and hunting beavers ourselves. With isn’t in the rules of course. Oh and the rules were like one page or something. And it was a group activity. With 4 parties 7 ppl per. Hey it was better than normal Humanities.

Ok I have foreshadowed the final product a bit. (It actually changed mid project from something I forget to this) The final product is two photos with 3 images from the internet with a bit of text. Thats the final product… ok I’m not complaining, I like photography. I actually didn’t take use the photo from the forest. I went to my home and took a photo of a grass field. I then made it look and vibrant like it was the summer. Finally I got images and added them. My first symbol in my first visual in the seigneur himself. I couldn’t find a picture that was a perfect seigneur so I used a noblemen picture instead. I got one that didn’t look too rich, but rich enough to be a seigneur. The second symbol is his crown that he is wearing. It shows not only that he is a wealthy seigneur, but also that he got the land from the king. The third symbol for the first visual is the sign and text on it. It was originally going to say owned but I think sold looks and feels better even if its a little less factual. What I was trying to do with this was like when a house is sold and there is a sign that says sold. The first symbol of the second visual is the country homestead. I got one that looked man made or more man made then usual in this day in age. It also has the animal pen on the side that shows that the people here work for their food. The second symbol is a photo of soil. The third is the wheat. Both of these show how they had to work the land and make food for themselves. This connects to how the habitants (the people the seigneurs rented the land to) had to be strong, tough, and able to take care of themsleves. The sign and text have the label wheat. This was supposed to be the small wooden signs that are in gardens to show what vegetables are where. I would have made it much smaller like in real life but if I did that you couldn’t be able to see it. I preferred my first draft with smaller images but the teacher didn’t. Eh, doesn’t really matter.

The answer to the driving question! (“What did the establishment of New France mean for all the people involved?”) The answer is *drum roll* it meant that they had a people to trade furs, which meant people had jobs, which made places to live, which create cultures, which create a country, Canada, heaven on earth and beautiful and… capitalism, death, trauma, drugs, and other stuff that is not school appropriate and just country stuff. On that note…

See ya around and goodbye,

Judah G!