[Ursus arctos horribilis]

Uh, duh, that 250th anniversary was for the third and final F&I war, there were two earlier ones.

The French did not leave much of a foot print except for place names, they limited colonization and stuck with exploitation for furs.

The French won this battle and won that one, on & on adnauseam. But there is only one battle that matters, the last one that ends the war & defeats the enemy, and the Brits won that one, again.

IHMHO the best movie ever on early North America transires in 1600's New France, "Black Robe" Is brutally realistic in cast, makeup, costumes, and mans inhumanity to man.

http://www.suntimes.com/ebert/ebert_reviews/1991/11/678497.html

[dufekin]

Don't forget the heavy French influence in Louisiana. 3.8 million Americans speak some version of French, mostly Louisiana Cajuns and Acadians. Never fear: they're fully Americanized. Most are Catholic and will vote for Bush.