Development of Canada

L'Anse aux Meadows• In around AD 1000 Norse

Vikings sailed from Greenland to North America and set up a village on the tip of what is now the island of Newfoundland's Great Northern Peninsula.

• At this site, known as L'Anse aux Meadows, the settlers built houses of wood framing covered with sod.

Leif Eriksson’s Sighting of Newfoundland

• Evidence that Viking explorers settled at Newfoundland was discovered in the 1960s at L’Anse aux Meadows.

• This painting dramatizes Leif Eriksson’s sighting of Newfoundland in around 1000 AD.

Exploration of Eastern Canada

• The Vikings built a settlement on Canadian soil but soon abandoned it.

• Cabot sought the riches of Asia and was disappointed to find North America instead.

• Cartier sought a passage to Asia and discovered the St. Lawrence River.

• Frobisher sought the passage farther north.

• Hudson too was seeking the passage when he found the great northern bay.

• Champlain, in contrast, was looking for an ideal place to start a colony. Not finding it on the Atlantic coast, he went up the St. Lawrence and founded Québec.

Jacques Cartier• In 1534 King Francis I sent

French explorer Jacques Cartier to find a northwest passage to the Moluccas, or Spice Islands.

• Cartier explored the Gulf of St. Lawrence and regions now known as Newfoundland, New Brunswick, and Québec.

• Much of the French claim to Canada was based on Cartier’s explorations.

Explorations of Jacques Cartier

• The French navigator Jacques Cartier led two exploratory expeditions to North America, both funded by King Francis I. He claimed the area he discovered for France, and named the St. Lawrence River, which he explored as far as present-day Montréal.

Acadia• First colonized by the French in

1604, possession of Acadia was disputed by the French and the British during the struggle for supremacy in North America.

• The region of Acadia is now made up of the Canadian Maritime provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island, and parts of what are now the province of Québec and the state of Maine.

Samuel de Champlain

• Samuel de Champlain was a French explorer who, in 1608, founded the Canadian city of Québec as a fur-trading post.

• Champlain befriended the Algonquin and Hurons in the area.

Early Settlement of Québec• The French first settled Québec in the early 1600s. Their settlement grew slowly, as

French pioneers mostly traded furs instead of establishing farms. In 1663, France made the region a royal colony—sending troops for defense, actively encouraging settlement, and developing industries. Québec then rapidly became a rich agricultural region, as depicted here in 1688.

Exploration of Central Canada

• The English entered central Canada from the north, and the French from the south.

• Hudson, an Englishman, was marooned on the bay named for him, and Button came to search for him.

• Groseilliers and Radisson, though French, were in English service and helped to start the Hudson's Bay Company.

• Kelsey explored far to the west for the company, but it did not follow up on his discoveries.

• Meanwhile French fur traders extended their routes along the Great Lakes and by the 1750s had reached as far west as Kelsey or farther. Franklin's ill-fated voyage resulted in the death of his entire party, but geographic knowledge was expanded by several rescue parties that were sent to find him.

New France in 1750

• New France, which included Canada, was the French empire in North America. By 1750 fur traders had expanded it in the northwest, although wars with the British had reduced it in the east. Isle Royale was the remnant of French Acadia, most of which the British ruled as Nova Scotia. The French still maintained forts in the part west of the Bay of Fundy (cross-hatched area). Actual French settlement was largely limited to present-day Nova Scotia, Québec province, Illinois, and Louisiana; French influence extended farther through alliances with the indigenous nations for trade and defense.

Fur Trade Routes• In the 1750s the trade in beaver furs was a major part of the economy of

northern North America. While British traders did business primarily at their posts on Hudson Bay, the French developed a network of trade routes almost as far west as the Rocky Mountains.

French and Indian War• The French and Indian War (1754-1763) concluded a global series

of wars (1689-1763) between Britain and France. In the French and Indian War, the two European powers teamed with their respective Native American allies in a quest for domination of North America. The conflict ended in complete victory for the British, culminating with the division of the French territories in North America between Britain and Spain. The removal of a French threat to colonial security helped bring about the American Revolution.

NEW FRANCE’S MILITARIZED SOCIETY

1650-1760 • New France’s frontier was

receiving threats from the Iroquois and British.

• A militia system of civilian soldiers was a basic feature of society in New France.

• In 1669, all Canadian males aged 16 to 60 joined militia companies.

• Militia formed the backbone of the colony’s military forces until the Seven Years’ War (1756-1763).

Clash EmpiresClash Empires1608-17601608-1760

Major wars between France and Britain spread to North Major wars between France and Britain spread to North America.America.

• Soldiers of New France defended their homes and launched daring raids all along the frontier.

• 1713, France ceded much of Acadia to Britain and abandoned its claims to Newfoundland.

• France retained Cape Breton Island

• 1720-1745, France built the fortress of Louisburg

• The British established a naval base at Halifax in 1749.

THE SEVEN YEARS’ WARTHE SEVEN YEARS’ WAR1756-1763 1756-1763

The Seven Years’ War determined the fate of New The Seven Years’ War determined the fate of New FranceFrance..

• The expanding population of Britain’s North American colonies pushed over the Appalachian Mountains into the Ohio River valley.

• An undeclared war broke out between the French and British colonies.

• Despite several victories the tide of war gradually shifted in favour of Britain.

• British naval forces isolated New France while a British army attacked Louisbourg in 1758, which surrendered after a seven-week siege, leaving Québec vulnerable.

The French and Indian Waror

the Seven Years War (1756-1763)

• British soldiers fought against French soldiers and Native Americans.

• Native Americans joined in the battle against the British because they were afraid the British would take over their land.

• The war ended in 1759 when British Major General James Wolfe captured Quebec.

• In the peace treaty of 1763 the British got most of the French land in North America. Also as a result of the war, the British began taxing the colonists to pay for the war.

THE SIEGE OF QUÉBEC 1759

• Québec City surrendered to the British following the Battle of the Plains of Abraham.

• June 1759 Major-General James Wolfe led a powerful army to Québec.

• Unable to overcome the city’s defences, Wolfe bombarded Québec for two months.

• On the verge of failure, the British noticed a small cove three kilometres west of the city walls. Wolfe and 4800 troops landed undetected there on the night of 13 September 1759.

THE SIEGE OF QUÉBEC 1759

• They scaled the cliffs and advanced to the Plains of Abraham. The Marquis de Montcalm, the French commander, left a strong position just outside the city and fought them with an army of 4500 French regulars, Canadiens, and First Peoples.

• The British won following an intense, 30-minute battle. Both Montcalm and Wolfe were mortally wounded. Québec surrendered five days later.

THE FALL OF NEW FRANCE1760-1763

• British troops occupied the remainder of New France, which became a British colony in 1763.

• The survivors of the Battle of the Plains of Abraham escaped to Montréal to the arrival of a British fleet in May and forced the French and Canadiens to retreat.

• That summer, three British armies converged on Montreal .

• The French surrendered on 8 September

• In 1763, the Treaty of Paris ended the war and ceded New France to Britain.

American Revolution

The American Revolutionary War (1775–1783),

also known as the American War of

Independence • A war between the

Kingdom of Great Britain and the thirteen "United Colonies" which expelled royal officials in 1775.

American Revolution

• The American Revolution refers to the period during the last half of the 18th century in which the Thirteen Colonies became the United States of America who gained independence from the British Empire.

• The Thirteen Colonies were British colonies in North America founded between 1607 (Virginia), and 1732 (Georgia).

The Patriots• By 1776, the population of the

colonies had reached 2.5 million people. This was about one third the population of Britain. There were now many roads connecting the individual colonies, and newspapers kept them informed about each other. The colonies were beginning to think of themselves as Americans, not as separate colonies.

• Many colonists were split over the issue of independence. There were both rich and poor colonists on both sides of the independence issue.

The Patriots• Large landowners like George Washington, and wealthy

businessmen like John Hancock were in favor of independence. They both resented British control over their lives, and British interference in their business.

• On the other hand, some rich colonists were afraid they would lose their wealth if the revolution succeeded. Their wealth was heavily connected to British trade and the British government. Some poor colonists didn't want to be controlled by the wealthy colonists. They either believed the King of England treated them well, or they just didn't want to cause trouble.

• Over time, support for independence grew as issues like taxation without representation angered the local population.

Lack of Government Representation

• When England colonized America it had no master plan on how the colonies would be governed.

• Some colonies governed themselves. Other colonies were governed by the King's officials.

• The King insisted on his right to create laws governing the colonies. British parliament also created laws that governed the colonies.

Lack of Government Representation

• The British passed laws that were in the best interest of England, not the colonies. For example, they passed the Navigation Act which restricted colonists from competing with British businesses.

• They also prevented colonists from selling their goods to countries other than Britain, even if the country was willing to pay a higher price than the British. Britain made it difficult for the colonies to trade with the French and the Spanish.

Lack of Government Representation

• While the British continued to enforce their control of the colonies, they refused to allow the colonies government representation in England. The British believed that their own appointed government officials adequately represented the colonies.

• The colonies resented British control. The colonies created their own laws, and ignored the British laws they did not like. This created considerable tension between Britain and the colonies.

Taxation• While England found governing its colonies in America

difficult, it also found it expensive. Britain had recently fought the French and Indian War, which gave it control of Canada and much of the land east of the Mississippi. The war was very expensive for England, and it now needed more money to maintain soldiers in all these areas.

• In 1764, the British government decided to tax the colonists to pay a share of the costs.

• The British taxed all sugar bought from the French or Spanish. The British then created the Stamp Act, requiring all newspapers and legal documents to carry a stamp purchased from the British. These taxes angered the colonists and they managed to force the British to eliminate the Stamp Act and to reduce the taxes on sugar.

AMERICAN INVASION 1763-1776

• British and Canadiens co- operated to defend Canada during the American Revolution.

• Britain’s American colonies rebelled in 1775 and invaded Canada capturing Montréal, and advancing on Québec.

• 31 December 1775, a force of British soldiers and French- and English-speaking militia soundly defeated an assault on Québec City.

• The Americans remained outside Québec, suffering from cold, hunger, and disease.

• In May 1776, British reinforcements arrived by sea and the Americans withdrew.

BRITISH NORTH AMERICA 1776-1812

• The creation of the United States profoundly affected Canadian society which constituted a serious military threat.

• About forty thousand American Loyalists who had supported Britain during the revolution came to Canada as refugees.

• This added a significant English-speaking element to Canada’s population which led to the creation of New Brunswick in 1784 and the division of Quebec into Upper and Lower Canada (now Ontario and Quebec) in 1791.

•

BRITISH NORTH AMERICA 1776-1812

• British-American relations remained tense between 1783 and 1812 as the result of territorial disputes, economic rivalry, and British attempts to control trans- Atlantic trade.

• If war came, Canada’s survival would depend upon the cooperation of the militia, First Peoples, and a small garrison of British regulars.

United States Declaration of

Independence • The Declaration of

Independence was an act adopted on July 4, 1776, which declared that the Thirteen Colonies were independent of Great Britain. The Declaration was written chiefly by Thomas Jefferson.

1812-1813: Invasion RepelledIn 1812, the United States invaded

Canada.• In June 1812, the United States

declared war on Britain, already locked in combat with Napoleon’s France.

• The resulting War of 1812 was fought largely on Canadian territory.

• The Americans were superior in numbers but badly organized.

• First Peoples, including a Shawnee contingent led by Tecumseh, and Canadian militia units supported Canada’s garrison of professional soldiers.

1812-1813: Invasion RepelledIn 1812, the United States invaded

Canada

• In October 1812, Sir Isaac Brock, commander-in- chief of Upper Canada, was killed defeating a major American invasion attempt at Queenston Heights, on the Niagara River.

• Much skirmishing and raiding occurred throughout the first part of 1813, especially along Lake Ontario and the Niagara frontier.

THE WAR OF 18121813-1814 : Canada Saved

Every American invasion ended in defeat.

• In October 1813 460 troops, mostly French- Canadian voltigeurs (light infantry), turned back 4000 American invaders south of Montréal.

• British regulars defeated a second American column at Crysler’s Farm, in eastern Ontario.

• Bitter fighting along the Niagara frontier, an American attack on Toronto in 1813, and American naval successes on Lake Champlain in 1814 did little to affect the military situation.

THE WAR OF 18121813-1814 : Canada Saved

Every American invasion ended in defeat.

• December 1814, Britain and the United States signed the Treaty of Ghent and returned all captured territory.

• Canadians took justifiable pride in their role in the war, but Canada’s security had been preserved mainly by well-trained British regulars.

FORTIFYING CANADA1815-1837

To protect Canada, Britain built fortifications, roads, and canals.

• The United States and Britain signed the Rush-Bagot Treaty in 1817 and agreed to remove most of their warships from the Great Lakes.

• Both sides retained strong defences on land.

THE FENIAN RAIDS1841-1871

• Canada organized permanent militia units and repelled raids by the American-based Fenian Brotherhood.

• Strained Anglo-American relations during the American Civil War (1861-65) led Britain to send 11,000 troops to protect its North American colonies.

• Following the Civil War, the Fenian Brotherhood, largely composed of Irish-American veterans, sought to achieve Ireland’s independence from Britain by capturing Canada as a hostage. Between 1866 and 1871, they raided Canadian territory from New Brunswick to Manitoba.

THE FENIAN RAIDS1841-1871

• June 1866 along the Niagara frontier, the Fenians defeated a small Canadian force at Ridgeway but returned to the United States before Canadian and British reinforcements arrived.

• Every other Fenian raid ended in failure, and the movement collapsed after 1871.

CANADA AND IMPERIALISM1875-1899

• Britain controlled the world’s largest empire and most Canadians were proud to be a part of it.

• Imperialism’ was a form of territorial, economic, and cultural expansion practiced on a global scale by the great powers.

CANADA AND IMPERIALISM1875-1899

During the last quarter of the nineteenth century, Britain and other nations colonized territories in Africa, Asia, and elsewhere.

In Canada, support for the British ‘Imperial idea’ and the need to protect the Empire was strongest among Canadians of British origin, the majority of the population.

While professing attachment to the Empire, successive Canadian governments sought to avoid military commitments in support of Imperial defence.

Such commitments might have damaged national unity, since public opinion in French Canada believed that participation in Imperial affairs prevented Canada from achieving greater autonomy.

THE SOUTH AFRICAN WAR1899-1902

• The South African War was Canada’s first overseas conflict.

• In October 1899, the British Empire and the two small South African Boer republics went to war.

• Over 7300 Canadian volunteers

served in South Africa in infantry, mounted rifle, artillery, and other units.

• Paardeberg in February 1900, more than 4000 Boers surrendered following a Canadian-led assault.

THE SOUTH AFRICAN WAR1899-1902

• By May 1902 (the end of the war), Canadian losses amounted to 89 killed in action and 135 who died of other causes.

• Most English Canadians responded enthusiastically to the war, but much of French Canada was unsupportive.

• Battlefield successes increased Canadian self-confidence

and advanced Canadian nationalism, but the war also magnified domestic linguistic and cultural differences.