Why was France able to hold onto its vast North American domain against Spanish and English expansion? The French maintained
a large army. They constructed fortified missions. They maintained stable relations with the Native Americans. They were technologically superior.
The answer is that they maintained stable relations with the Native Americans, who allowed them to hold onto it's vast North American domain against Spanish and English expansion.
There are all kinds of stories of hostilities between early American colonists and the Native people who were already there. However, these hostilities did not occur with every European group who came. The French are a notable exception to this, and in fact, enjoyed excellent relations with the Natives almost from the very beginning.
Why were the French different? The main reason is that they did not try to change the Natives. They also did not compete with the Natives for land. When the French first came to the Americas in the 1530s and 1540s to engage in seasonal fur trading, they immediately established strong trading ties with the local Natives they found there. The Natives already dealt extensively in furs.
