Exploring and Colonizing Lands

Social Studies

Ms. Lancaster Presentation

Introduction• When the first explorers came to

Canada, they were looking for trade passages– They wanted to retrieve silks, spices,

and gold from Asia

• Instead they found a harsh and heavily forested land

• It did not take them long to discover that this area had many valuable resources, such as: unclaimed land, fish, natural resources, and most importantly FUR! (beaver, deer, and rabbit)

Aboriginals

• Aboriginal peoples had knowledge of the waterways, wilderness travel routes, and trapping techniques

• In exchange for knowledge and furs, the Europeans offered Aboriginal peoples cloth, metal knives, pots, kettles, axes, and guns

• There was money to be made in the New World by sending these plentiful Canadian furs back to Europe to be sold

• The furs were used to make beautiful hats, which were popular among fashionable Europeans– Created a demand which

lead to the fur trade

What Next?• For years the Europeans had

considered North America an obstacle that stood between them and Asia

• They explored North American and claimed lands new to them

• Eventually Europeans began to see North America as an important area for trading and colonization

Colonization

• One country brining another region under its direct control by creating permanent settlements– Claiming new land as their

own

• Europeans explored and claimed lands new to them before they started colonies in North America

Colonize• Colonize: to create settlements

in new lands in order to control the land and trade in the regions

• The extension of a nation's sovereignty (power to rule) over territory beyond its borders by the establishment of permanent settlements

Why?

• Many European Countries established colonies in the Americas

• They did this for a variety of reasons:– Colonies were the sources of raw

materials and a market for finished goods– They competed with other countries for

power– Land was plentiful and inexpensive– Needed to control newly claimed lands

Why? cont…

– Attempted to convert Aboriginals to Christianity

– Settlers moved to the colonies so they could practice any religion they wanted

– Personal reasons, perhaps to get away from family, neighbours, enemies, he law, or for adventure

The French Colonies

• Throughout the 1600s the French Traders established settlements along the St. Lawrence River in the area they called New France

The English Colonies

• The English traders formed their own colonies in the South along the Atlantic coast which they called New England

• They were also active in the Northern region of Hudson Bay

Video Presentation

_____’S Colony

• Create your own colony based from any of the Exploring countries and place it somewhere in Canada– Explain why you choose there and how

its placement will help the people of your colony

–Why would people want to leave from the Mother Country to live in your colony?