It is the year 1534, An explorer named Jaques Cartier has found new land. What was it called? Nouvelle-France or New France. In this new land, there are rumors of gold, fur, wood, and even people. When a captain named Pierre de Gua de Monts sailed over from France no one knew that he’d come with a man that would change the course of history. The name of this man? Samuel de Champlain.
Introduction
In this paper, I will argue why Champlain should be considered a good leader and attempt to disprove the people who believe that he is not a good leader. According to this essay, leadership should be defined as “the trait that some people have that allows them to lead a group. Leadership is a trait that captivates the people around you and makes them follow you and believe in you. Leadership is being brave in times of need. Leadership is putting yourself in front of whom you are leading. Leadership is leading your crew members in times of need and sacrificing yourself for your crew. Leadership is understanding and helping everyone that you are leading during the toughest situations and the hardest challenges. Leadership is persevering through the toughest of times and never giving up.” When Champlain is measured against this definition of leadership, Champlain matches all of the most important traits that make a leader. The definition of leadership proves that Samuel de Champlain is a great leader. Champlain matches up with almost all of these characteristics but the most important ones I’ll prove why he does and how it makes him a leader. In this essay, I’ll prove why Champlain shows the top three traits of leadership and how he does it. I will write about how he cares for each one of his crew members and is empathetic with everyone, his selflessness, and how Champlain perseveres through tough times.
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Main Body Paragraph #1
One of the ways that Champlain is a good leader is because of his perseverance through tough times. The trait of perseverance is important in a leader for many reasons. To answer why perseverance is important, we have to ask; “What is perseverance?” The Oxford Dictionary defines perseverance as “The quality of continuing to try to achieve a particular aim despite difficulties''. The way I interpret this definition is that perseverance is pushing yourself to your limits and pushing through challenges no matter how difficult they are. A historical example of perseverance is when Ernest Shackleton (15 February 1874 – 5 January 1922) trekked the harsh conditions that define the Arctic when his ship The Endurance (December 12th, 1912 - 21 November 1915) was crushed. The temperature in the Arctic often dropped below -20 C. Instead of giving up when his ship crashed, Shackleton kept going. He constantly motivated his crew to keep on pushing and never give up. After 3 years during May of 1917, he was rescued.
Having a leader who will give up easily will be difficult for the crew. A leader can’t lead a crew if the leader gives up at the slightest problem. Champlain showed perseverance throughout the main periods of his life but this story is one of the best demonstrations of his perseverance.
During the year 1627, David Kirke’s father and several other London investors set up a company named the Company of Adventurers to Canada (Henceforth referred to as the C.A.C). Later in 1627, when the Anglo-French war broke out (1627-1629) the C.A.C funded an expedition whose primary goal was to remove the French from what is now known as Canada. With his brothers, Sir Lewis (1599-1683), Thomas (1603-1641), John, and James, David Kirke set out with three armed ships to disrupt Canada. While the Kirke brothers were sailing, another vessel that was under the sailor and adventurer Émery de Caen was as well. This ship was set to provide aid to the struggling settlers of Canada. Expecting to meet Caen, Champlain sent a group of settlers to meet him at the gulf. On the way backriver, the group was captured by the Kirke brothers. Now aware of the conditions of the Quebec settlements, David Kirke sent his brothers Lewis and Thomas to demand a French surrender. With no other option, the leader of the settlements, Samual de Champlain (August 13th, 1567 - December 25th, 1635) was forced to surrender to the English forces. What truly showcases Champlain’s perseverance in this story is what he did after he surrendered the French land in Quebec. After he surrendered the land, Champlain argued tirelessly that the land seized in the English attack was unlawfully taken from him and had the Kirke brothers sail him to England so he could talk to the king himself. Around three years later and after much effort from Champlain, the land was given back to the French. Despite the Peace Treaty Of Suza (Signed 1629), The King of England, Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) would only restore the land if the King of France Louis XIII (27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) agreed to pay his wife, Anne of Austria’s Downey or wedding payment. Anne of Austria (22 September 1601-January 20th 1666) was betrothed to King Louis XIII at the age of 11.
This is one of the best showcases of Champlain's perseverance. When he and his fellow settlers lost the French land, Champlain worked tirelessly to get it back so he and his fellow settlers could thrive together. This point is proven by my definition of Leadership (Henceforth referred to as D.o.L). Part of my D.o.L states “Leadership is persevering through the toughest of times and never giving up”. This proves my point because this is exactly what Champlain did. When the French land was taken by the English, he didn’t give up the land but instead traveled into the English territory to get his land back. Samuel de Champlain showed the character trait of perseverance because of his constant efforts to always better his country during times of hardship. He fought for 3 years to get the land back to his people and never once did he back down or waiver.
Main Body Paragraph #2
The next trait that proves that Champlain is a great leader is how he puts himself in front of his crew in difficult situations and is extremely selfless. Putting yourself in front of others is a way to show leadership and character. The best leaders in history are the leaders who lead their groups on the front lines. Ernest Shackleton (15 February 1874 – 5 January 1922) was an example of why this character trait is extremely important in leadership. When Shackleton and his crew had to brave the deadly weather of the Arctic, Ernest Shackleton was leading his crew through the cold and that achieved him respect from everyone. When Ernest Shackleton traveled 1300 KM throughout the icey Arctic he always led the group with him at the helm. Shackleton was almost always at the forefront of the danger.
The story that proves that Champlain possesses this character trait is when he fought in the attack on the Haudenosaunee tribe. When the French landed in what is now known as Canada, They had to join an alliance with the tribes of the Wendat, Huron, Algonquins, and Montagnais to trade. One of the conditions that came with joining the alliance was that some of the French had to fight against the Haudenosaunee tribe. Instead of sending a few of his men to fight on his behalf, Samuel de Champlain and a few men went to fight with the Algonquin. They sailed towards the Iroquois land and on the trip many people backed out and turned back. Their numbers went down from 300 to 60. Champlain comes across a 14-year-old Iroquois boy and wants to set him free but an Algonquin man kills him instantly. After arriving at Ticonderoga which is near the current day Lake Champlain, Champlain and the Algonquin fight against the Iroquois alliance. Champlain is at the front of the battle and manages to kill two Haudenosaunee chiefs with his arquebus (rifle). Even though he killed the chiefs of the Iroquois, Champlain was injured by an arrow shot by a Haudenosaunee soldier.
This is a true showcase of Champlain’s selflessness for many reasons. The first reason is that instead of sending soldiers to deal with it Champlain went with the group and fought. Even though he knew the risks that were involved he still fought. The second reason why this is a true showcase of selflessness is because of my D.O.L. My D.O.L states “Leadership is putting yourself in front of whom you are leading. Leadership is leading your crew members in times of need and sacrificing yourself for your crew.” This proves my point because Champlain did exactly what the D.O.L. said. When the Algonquin fought the Haudenosaunee, Champlain was at the front lines in front of his fellow alliance and crew members. He put his body on the line for his friends and comrades. Champlain shows selflessness because of how he understood various risks involved during his fight but didn’t let it phase him and fought on the frontlines.
Main Body Paragraph #3
The last trait that will prove why Champlain is a great leader is the trait of empathy. The trait of empathy is important for many reasons. To answer this question we have to ask “What is empathy?” The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines empathy as “the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another of either the past or present without having the feelings, thoughts, and experience fully communicated in an objectively explicit manner”. What does this mean?
Empathy is the ability to understand and sympathize with other people and their emotions. Why is this important in a leader? A leader must be aware of his crew and their feelings. Empathy allows leaders to distinguish the problem behind an action. A historical example that proves why empathy is important is the travels of Ernest Shackleton. Shackleton cared for his crew’s mental health just as much as their physical health. During the cold-ridden Arctic venture, Shackleton was always observant about his crew’s health and made sure to talk to everyone whenever he could. I think that this demonstrates his leadership by showing how much he cared about everyone and treated them as his equals. An example of a leader who didn’t possess the trait of empathy was the sailor and adventurer Christopher Columbus (August 26 - October 31, 1451- May 20, 1506). Christopher Columbus didn’t possess the trait of empathy because of the actions he partook in during the discovery of the new world. When Columbus discovered the new world of what is now referred to as North America, he participated in heinous acts such as the rape and killing of indigenous girls and women and the enslavement of First Nations peoples of varying ages. He didn’t show empathy because he didn’t take into consideration the feelings of the First Nations people when he committed several crimes against them and the tribes. The first story that proves that Champlain possesses the trait of empathy is the story about The Order of Good Cheer (Henceforth referred to as the O.G.C). After the scurvy-filled winter at Ste. Croix Island, the settlers moved to Port Royale When the settlers in Port Royal’s morale was low, The O.G.C was created by Samuel de Champlain to help uplift the settlers of New France (see above). The O.G.C. was what several sources called “an organized way of promoting fun”. Every two weeks a different member of the order had to plan and cook a great feast. Several days were set aside for planning, hunting, and cooking the feast. The feast contained many different foods and delicacies that helped uplift the settlers and bring them together. This shows how Champlain can empathize with the feelings of the settlers of Port Royal when they need help. He can read the feelings of the people and react accordingly. The second story that proves that Champlain possesses the trait of empathy is when Champlain first encountered the tribes of the northern Americas. Before Champlain had docked in New France, He sailed through the Caribbean and witnessed the horrible crimes the Spanish performed on the First Nations there. Learning from what he saw, Samuel de Champlain decided to change how he was going to approach the First Nations people. At Tadoussac, when he found himself before a large group of First Nations Peoples, including Innu, Algonquin, and Maliseet, he chose to engage them as equals in diplomatic discussions. This shows how Champlain learned from what he saw and used the trait of empathy to sympathize with the First Nations people and to create a decades-long alliance.
These examples show that Champlain possesses the trait of empathy because of two reasons. The first reason is that the stories show how Champlain used empathy to learn and build off different situations. The second reason why it shows the trait of empathy is because it agrees with the D.O.L. The D.O.L states that “Leadership is understanding and helping everyone that you are leading during the toughest situations and the hardest challenges.” These stories show how Champlain has the defining trait of empathy. During the second story, when Champlain sees the horrific actions against the indigenous people of the Caribbean, he empathizes with them and decides to change his approach to the indigenous tribes in New France. He understood the pain and suffering the Caribbean went through and didn’t want to inflict that on the New French people. Champlain shows empathy as a leader because of how he saw horrific things and changed his view constantly.
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