Louisiana and Lord Amherst

Treaty of Fontainebleau - 1762
Secret treaty between France and Spain
Spain given Louisiana and New Orleans
Treaty of Paris, 1763:
Britain takes Louisiana east of the Mississippi
Spain takes west Louisiana
See “British Indian Territory” pg. 166
French citizens fled from British control, only to find they were now ruled by the Spanish
German and Creole (early Louisianan) citizens rebelled against the Spanish in 1768, but were quickly put down
Treaty of San Ildefonso - 1800
Secret treaty where Spain gave western Louisiana back to Napoleonic France
The transfer also confirmed a previous treaty that allied Spain and France against Britain

Three Flags Day
3/9/1804: Spain officially hands Louisiana over to France
3/9/1804: France officially hands Louisiana over to the US in the Louisiana Purchase
None of these treaties accurately defined where Louisiana was (see pg. 167)
1804: US's Lewis and Clark explore

Where was Louisiana?
Generally, Louisiana was the Mississippi River system west of the Appalachian Mountains and south of the Great Lakes
Unlike French settlers in Quebec, French Louisiana consisted of settlers who assimilated into Indian cultures and families
Sparsely populated – both French and Indian
French depended on Indians for food and furs, making alliances
British could not control British settlers. How could they control French ones?

St. Louis

Founded in 1764 by French-speaking traders from New Orleans
Traders used old alliances and kinship bonds to trade with Midwestern natives
Though created through Spanish rule, St. Louis attracted French settlers fleeing from the British
Became the capital of “Upper Louisiana”
“It grew up speaking French, and its new imperial guardian made no attempt to change it” (130)

Lord Amherst (p. 26)
Over two dozen tribes traded with the French near St. Louis
Even though the British controlled trade and produced trade goods, the French did the trading
Jeffrey Amherst, British Commander-in-Chief, tried to force new trade alliances
He stopped giving gifts, upsetting traditional trade practices
Several times he suggested infecting Indians with smallpox to “Extirpate this Execrable Race” (also see p. 73)

In the 7 Years War, Amherst conquered Montreal and Quebec City. To disgrace the defeated French, he burned their flags
“Amherst viewed an empire as something to be governed, not negotiated and cultivated” (69)
Without good trading partners, Indians could not get needed weapons for hunting/defense
Amherst also demanded the return of prisoners, even “Indianized” ones
The British sent Amherst back home for fouling up British-Indian relations