The Development of the French Mentality and Identity in the Illinois Country
The Development of the French Mentality and Identity in the Illinois Country
This chapter provides a development of the French mentality during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The French mentality of solidarity developed based on a tripartite agricultural system, which encouraged communal support to maintain the structure of the community. French communities were revered for their hospitality, manners, customs, and celebrations, despite the negative representations in travelers’ writings. Contrary to the French mentality, American communities tended to support individualism, in which Americans developed individual homesteads. French Catholics tended to separate their religious and economic goals whereas the British-American Protestants joined these goals to reflect a religious based work ethic. As socio-political changes occurred in French, British, and American societies, the French mentality evolved to incorporate these changes.
Keywords: French Mentality, American Community, Individualism, Solidarity, Socio-Political Changes
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