New France wasn’t a footnote — it was the forgotten engine that reshaped North America.
In this episode, I’m joined by comedian and social studies educator Jimmy McCartney to break down how New France (Quebec & the St. Lawrence) was built differently than the British colonies: smaller population, massive territory, and an economy powered by the fur trade — which created strategic alliances with Indigenous nations and set the stage for the French & Indian War / Seven Years’ War.
We also connect the dots most history classes skip:
✅ Champlain’s alliance that shaped the Iroquois/British alignment
✅ Why New France controlled huge land with tiny population
✅ How Quebec fell (Plains of Abraham)
✅ The Acadian deportation — and how it helped create the Cajuns
✅ The overlooked chain reaction: Seven Years’ War → British debt → colonial taxes → “no taxation without representation”
If you like history as investigation — no spin, just receipts — hit subscribe and drop your take in the comments.