Dr. Frances Chevalier, professor of French at Norwich University, has been researching the Champlain Lighthouse Memorial in Crown Point, NY, just across the Champlain Bridge from Chimney Point, VT. Professor Chevalier's research has led her to Paris, Brouage, and Honfleur, France, as well as to the development of service-learning projects for her students of French at Norwich University that deal with the French heritage of Vermont, and the examination of Samuel Champlain's voyages and adventures from France to Vermont. VT Governor Jim Douglas recently appointed Professor Chevalier to the Lake Champlain Quadricentennial Commission which is preparing the 400th anniversary commemoration of Champlain's arrival to the region, which will also celebrate the land, the lake, and its people. For an example of a Norwich University service-learning course that featured French-heritage in the Crown Point community, see: ÔFrench Students Add Flair to the Festival of NationsĶ http://www.servicelearning.org/nslc/success_stories/he.php]
The 400th Anniversary of Samuel de ChamplainÕs Exploration of Our Region: New Horizons for French-Heritage and French-Language Study
As a member of the Lake Champlain Quadricentennial Commission, I have some suggestions I would like to share with you and ask you to consider for raising French-heritage awareness and promoting interest in developing French-language proficiency at the advanced level in the state of Vermont. The 400th anniversary of Samuel de ChamplainÕs exploration in 1609 of the lake and region that bear his name today seems an ideal time to actively explore French-heritage roots, genealogy, local history, and to promote French-language learning. Local schools can work together with the VT Quad Commission to sponsor French-heritage and language activities and increase awareness of French and Native American life experiences in our region in 1609 and beyond. Vermont History Day projects and service-learning components in college courses could also address these areas and be featured on Quad Commission webpages.
Champlain, a mystery man in some regards, an explorer and cartographer, came to this region not only to explore this uncharted area for France, but also to make good on his promise to the Algonquians, Montagnais, and Hurons, that he would assist them in their fight against the encroaching Iroquois. When researching and selecting texts for classroom use, it is important to select sources carefully. There is a lot of popular misinformation regarding this period in history and ChamplainÕs role. The following are but a few examples. Champlain, sometimes portrayed as a ŌsoldierĶ or ŌwarriorĶ, was, instead, more of a seeker of information regarding the topography of the new world, native peoples and their customs, the flora, fauna, and possibilities for trade. An authentic portrait of Champlain does not exist, yet many times we see in texts and on websites what appears to be an official portrait of Samuel de Champlain. This image, which you may have seen, is not that of Champlain but of Michel Particelli d'Emery, Comptroller General of finances under Mazarin, engraved by Moncornet in 1654. The only image available of Champlain comes from his text, where he roughly sketched out how the Algonquians opened up a path for him to directly confront the oncoming Iroquois enemy with his high tech weapon of the times—an arquebus. Apparently, the Algonquians hoped that this weapon would deter the warring Iroquois from taking over the land on the eastern side of the lake. Champlain states that when the advancing Iroquois were targeting him and the Algonquians with their weapons, he mortally wounded two Iroquois chiefs from a single discharge of four balls. Champlain and his two French companions were the only Frenchmen at this confrontation. The sketch Champlain drew is sometimes incorrectly used, out of context, to portray Champlain as an aggressor. (For details of the journal account, see the bibliography below.) Also, some writers state that the confrontation occurred at Crown Point, others situate it at Ticonderoga. Based on the geographic descriptions in ChamplainÕs journal, Crown Point seems the location of choice. As part of the Tercentenary celebrations, a Champlain Lighthouse Memorial was constructed there. However, in his journal, Champlain also estimates the location to be at 43 degrees some minutes in latitude. Given the potential inaccuracy of the navigational instruments at the time (which could not calculate longitude) and the fact that the latitude of Crown Point is 44.02 degrees and that of Ticonderoga, 43.58 degrees, one is left with the geographical description to consider carefully.
Champlain, the first European to explore what is now known as the Champlain Valley region, mapped it and it became part of La Nouvelle France, also known as Canada. So, the French heritage of the region predates that of later arriving Europeans, the British and the Dutch. All around Lake Champlain, French seigneuries (plots for land settlement) were established by the King of France and allotted to the French nobility for exploitation by settlers. A strategic area to New France for controlling access to the Champlain Valley, this area attracted the French to build Fort St-Frdric in 1734 at La Pointe--la Chevelure, i.e., Crown Point. Opposite Crown Point settlers established a settlement at the siegneurie on the opposing shore, i.e., at Chimney Point. These were abandoned and destroyed by the French in 1759 during the Seven Years War. This first wave of French settlement was followed by later migrations of French Canadians to Vermont and other parts of New England. It is estimated that between 1840 and 1930 900,000 French Canadians migrated to these regions and that 13.6 million Americans claimed French heritage in 1980. (See Claude BelangerÕs article: http://faculty.marianopolis.edu/c.belanger/QuebecHistory/readings/leaving.htm.) Governor Douglas has highlighted the important fact that many Vermonters can trace their origins back to France during the recent signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the Maison de la France, a historic contractual event which promotes tourism in Vermont and France for the Champlain Quadricentennial in 2009. VT Commissioner of Tourism and Marketing, Bruce Hyde stated that approximately 40% of Vermonters have a French-heritage connection. In addition, French Consul General Francois Gauthier explained: "Before the United States was born, Samuel de Champlain established the first bridge between France and New England. An explorer, cartographer, naturalist, diplomat and much more, he has been a tremendous precursor to the French-American friendship that binds our two countries." (See the French consulate site: http://www.consulfrance-boston.org/article.php3?id_article=1133.)
Given this history and these statistics, one would expect Vermont to reflect the magnitude of this ethnic group in the number of students electing to study French at school, the availability of a bilingual workforce (French/English), and frequent, cultural manifestations, for example, as seen in Louisiana. Yet, this is not the case.
Perhaps discriminatory practices that took place in the preceding century may have had a significant negative impact on Franco-AmericansÕ sense of ethnic identity and pride that still resonate today. Targeted by the KKK and the VT eugenics survey, and exploited for strike-breaking, French-Canadian immigrants survived in many instances by staying under the radar screen. The Quad celebration is an opportunity to give this heritage group a voice. With contributions from Vermonters of French-Canadian/Franco-American heritage, schools, teachers, scholars, and the community at large, this Quad celebration can contribute towards identifying the strong positive associations that can come from learning about French heritage, its roots, and the value of the French language in the global arena today. We all benefit from the raising of such cultural awareness. Learning about one's own cultural roots and identity, one is better able to appreciate other cultures.
Since French is one of two world languages (English being the other one), learning French can be a great way not only to delve into this history and but open horizons as well. Journals and reports of Champlain and the early French settlers are rich in descriptions of nature, Native American customs and their language. At present, over 44 countries around the globe use French in an official capacity, so this venture can take us beyond the borders of Vermont. It makes the study of French culture and language a very practical choice.
It is important to make teachers, administrations, students, and parents aware of the nationÕs critical need for foreign-language speakers at the advanced level. The Department of Defense Policy regarding recruitment of heritage speakers was expressed by Letitia Long, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, Requirements and Resources to the House Subcommittee on Intelligence Policy and National Security on February 26, 2004, as follows: ŌAll military services and Defense intelligence agencies have established recruiting programs to target native and heritage speakers of languages other than English. High schools and college-level programs with quality language departments are of specific interest.Ķ Given the French-heritage background of our state, we have a great opportunity to develop and restore French-language expression in schools, at home, and in the workforce.
In addition to addressing critical national needs, valuation of this rich heritage and language opens horizons in other ways. It offers opportunities for business ventures within the state of Vermont, with our French-Canadian neighbor, France, and beyond. Our young people, with an advanced level of French language and cultural proficiency, would enhance their opportunities for well-paying bilingual positions in Vermont or with an organization doing business with any of the 44 countries around the globe that use French in an official capacity. The Memorandum of Understanding with France in 2007 and the Quebec-Vermont Trade Corridor Agreement recently signed by the state of Vermont illustrate a trend towards doing business with French-speaking countries. Yet, there is a drastic shortage of qualified, French linguists for key positions in the state of Vermont.
Workshops Available:
The Quebec Consulate in Boston (www.Quebec-Boston.org) is offering workshops for teachers who are interested in Quebec history : * Summer Institute for Teachers of French – Samuel de Champlain Explorateur de la Nouvelle-France (22 June-2 July 2008, * Summer Institute for K-12 Professionals – Samuel de Champlain and the Meeting of Two Worlds (6-11July 2008), * The Qubec Summer Seminar – Qubec, The Art of Living in North America : 400 years and beyond (4-8 August 2008), The Quebec Studies Program 2008-2009. For more information, contact: mael-solen.picard@mri.gouv.qc.ca (dlgation du Qubec).
I am considering creating a workshop for teachers in the summer of 2009 and would like to address your needs in the area of using resources to teach a variety of French-heritage topics. I invite your comments and suggestions about such a workshop and also those relating to this article. To contact me, please email: fchevali@norwich.edu.
Select Bibliography: An Introduction to Readings on Champlain and French-Heritage
Historical Overview:
La France en Amrique/France in America, a bilingual website prepared by the Bibliothque Nationale de France and the Library of Congress, with many useful links for all audiences: http://international.loc.gov/intldl/fiahtml/fiahome.html
Nouvelle France—Horizons Nouveaux: Histoire dÕune terre franaise en Amrique / New France—New Horizons : On French Soil in America. An excellent website available in French or English, loaded with useful archival images , prepared by the Bibliothque et Archives du Canada : http://www.archivescanadafrance.org/francais/accueil.html
Beautifully illustrated texts available in French or English
Litalien Raymonde et Denis Vaugeois, eds. Champlain : la Naissance de l'Amrique franaise Publisher : Nouveau Monde, Paris / Septentrion, Sillery (Qubec, Canada), 2004 .
---. Champlain : The Birth of French America. Tr. Kthe Roth. [Montral] : McGill-Queen's University Press, 2004.
Brief Champlain Reader in French or English
Legar, Francine. Samuel de Champlain, Pre de la Nouvelle-France. Montreal : XYZ, 2003. 172pp.
---. Samuel de Champlain: Father of New France. Trans. Jonathan Kaplansky. Quest Library 22. Montreal: XYZ, 2003.
[Note: This little book has been written in French and English and would be good to include in a library display in anticipation of the 400th-anniversary celebration of ChamplainÕs exploration of the Champlain Valley region. It is suitable for high school and adult audiences. A word of caution: the text does include ChamplainÕs description of Native American torture practices.]
ChamplainÕs Journals
Online full-text bilingual version
Champlain, Samuel de. The Works of Samuel de Champlain, Vol. II. -- v. 2. 1608-1613. Ed. H.P. Biggar. Trans. John Squair. Toronto : Champlain Society, 1925. Reprinted 1971: U of Toronto Press. http://link.library.utoronto.ca/champlain/item_record.cfm?Idno=9_96822&lang=eng&query=Works%20AND%20of%20AND%20Samuel%20AND%20de%20AND%20Champlain&searchtype=Title&startrow=1&Limit=All [For ChamplainÕs exploration of our area, view pp. 82 – 101.]
French only
Champlain, Samuel. Les voyages du Sieur de Champlain Xaintongeois, capitaine ordinaire pour le Roy, en la marine divisez en deux livres. Paris, 1613. Online full text available at Early Canadiana Online : http://www.canadiana.org/ECO/PageView?id=c3be910975f42fc9&display=90024+0003 [Select pp.218 – 232 (p. 225, chaousarou ; 232 image) to read passage about ChamplainÕs
Champlain, Samuel de. Voyages en la Nouvelle-France : Explorations de l'Acadie, de la Valle du Saint-Laurent, Rencontres avec les Autochtones et Fondation de Qubec, 1604-1611. Ed. Eric Thierry. Paris : Cosmopole, 2004. [In modern French, paperback]
French-Heritage Issues of Vermont and New England
Blanger, Damien-Claude . ŌFrench Canadian Emigration to the United States, 1840-1930Ķ. Department of History, Marianopolis College, 1999. See Quebec History Website of Marionopolis College: http://faculty.marianopolis.edu/c.belanger/QuebecHistory/readings/leaving.htm
Bolduc, Vincent. ŌWe Americans: Exploring Our EthnicityĶ in Versteeg, Jennie G., ed. Lake Champlain : Reflections on Our Past. Burlington : University of Vermont, Center for Research on Vermont, 1987. 42-6. [Discusses negative views expressed towards French-heritage Vermonters in the 1930s.]
Brault, Gerard. The French-Canadian Heritage in New England. Hanover/Montreal/ Kingston, UP of New England/McGill-Queen's UP, 1986.
Gallagher, Nancy L. Breeding Better Vermonters: The Eugenics Project in the Green Mountain State. by Nancy L. Gallagher. Hanover, N.H.: University Press of New England, 1999. [Includes discussion of Prof. Henry F. Perkins of UVM and his concern that the influx of ŌdegenerateĶ French-Canadian families would dilute Old Protestant Yankee stock. See also the book review by Molly Ladd-Taylor in The Journal of American History, Vol. 87, No. 2. (Sep., 2000), pp. 713-714. ]
Neil, Maudean. Fiery Crosses in the Green Mountains, The Story of the Ku Klux Klan in Vermont. Randolph, VT, Greenhills, 1989. [The KKK focused on French-Canadian, Irish, and Italian immigrants. For an example of cross-burning in Montpelier, see the Saint Augustine article ŌThe Ku Klux KlanĶ at http://www.saintaugustinechurch.com/htm/curiosities.shtml
Sencal , Joseph Andr . Ō ÔNos anctres les GauloisÕ: Ethnicity and History in VermontĶ Vermont History 71 (Winter/Spring 2003): 62–70. For full text online: http://www.vermonthistory.org/journal/71/vt711_205.pdf
Samuel de Champlain, New France, The French and Native American Relationship
Augeron, Mickal et Dominique Guillemet, eds. Champlain ou les portes du Nouveau Monde. Cinq sicles dÕchanges entre le Centre-Ouest franais et lÕAmrique du Nord. La Crche, Geste ditions, 2004, 414pp.
Coolidge, Guy Omeron and Alexander D Gibson. The French Occupation of the Champlain Valley. Proceedings of the Vermont Historical Society, New series, Vol. 6, number 3, 1938. Reprint with notes and intro. by Gibson. Barre: VT Historical Soc., 1985.
Greer, Allan . The Jesuit Relations : Natives and Missionaries in Seventeenth-Century North America. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2000.
Havard, Gilles and Ccile Vidal. Histoire de l'Amrique franaise. Paris : Flammarion, 2003.
Havard, Gilles, The Great Peace of Montreal of 1701 : French-Native Diplomacy in the Seventeenth Century. Trans. Phyllis Aronoff and Howard Scott. Montreal / Ithaca : McGill-Queen's University Press, 2001.
[Note: The story of one of the most significant European-Native diplomatic negotiations of the colonial period and the resulting treaty.]
Laflche, Guy. Bibliographie littraire de la Nouvelle-France. Laval : Singulier, 2000. 252pp.
[This bibliography provides a list of reference works from the early Jesuits and explorers of Nouvelle France/Canada/early Northeastern America to scholars of today.]
Montel-Glnisson, Caroline. Champlain : La Dcouverte du Canada. Paris : Nouveau Monde, 2004.