23 The naive acceptance and failure to critically analyze primary French sources has cascaded into an unreliable, misleading historical narrative of a cooperative New France against the “barbaric” Fox tribes, which has seeped into the contemporary literature focused on the French presence in the Great Lakes region. It is however clear that the opposite is absurdly more accurate in describing the dynamics of the French and Fox relations. The French’s perceptions of the Fox, as seen through French correspondence, disregard for the enslaved Fox, and power dynamics signify a predatory, imperialist France against the Fox, who themselves sought cooperation. In essence, the Fox-French alliance only served the French and their trade interests, while leaving the Fox defenseless in times of desperation.
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