Champlain's Dream: The European Founding of North America is a biography written by American historian David Hackett Fischer and published in 2008.

It chronicles the life of French soldier, spy, master mariner, explorer, cartographer, artist, and "Father of New France," Samuel de Champlain.

He also needed to convince figures such as the duc de Sully, the King's Chief Minister, who believed American colonies were contrary to French national interests as they distracted from domestic affairs.

The explorers had to claim land, protect it from "Indian nations," and convince French subjects to emigrate to the New World—a prospect they were far less enthusiastic about than the British fleeing religious persecution.

Fischer rejects the view that Champlain was merely another European mercenary seeking to seize lands and enslave native populations, as many early British and Spanish explorers in North America did.

"[10] Due to its thriving economy and "cosmopolitan nature," Champlain's father managed to rise from a humble ship's pilot to a naval captain in the King's Marine.

[12] Despite lacking a 'classical' education, Samuel de Champlain became skilled in the use of weapons and likely learned map-making from a family friend who was an "engineer and geographer to the King.

"[13] Fischer emphasizes the exposure Champlain had as a youth and the diverse strengths he gained through his family, education, and town, showing how each contributed to his later adventures.

Fischer recounts an incident in which a rival port city sent "barges full of sand and rock" to block the channel leading to Brouage and sabotage its trade.

"[15] Fischer further draws parallels between King Henry IV of France and Champlain, arguing that both men detested intolerance, viewing it as "anti-Christian.

"[16] He claims that both believed religion was a force for social and political stability, that faith was an intensely personal choice, and that religious controversy mattered far less than "piety, humility, and good works.

[20] Under its influence, the "structure of society and the details of daily and communal life" were considered more important subjects for history than great men or major events.

Max Boot, writing for The New York Times, argues that this work should be considered in light of the limited documentation available about Champlain's life and his "relatively obscure" place in our continent's history.

[2] He notes that Fischer's "plain, unadorned" prose is infused with "intriguing ideas," which capture the reader's interest by revealing how this man, about whom so little was known, was both versatile and accomplished.