Life in British North America in 1800’s

Chapter Five

Facts and Figures

The Great Colonies of Great Britain were:• Vancouver Island• Nova Scotia• Prince Edward Island• The Province of Canada• Newfoundland• New Brunswick

• All important decisions were made by government of Great Britain

• Rupert’s Land, the North Western Territory and New Caledonia were under the control of the British Fur Trading Company called the Hudson Bay Company

Population• In 1851, the population of British North America was

approximately 2 536 000. (this was a small population for the area of land)

• One of the largest population was in the eastern colonies• The largest city was Montreal with a population of 58,000

(Canada East) and In the Maritimes was Saint John, New Brunswick with 30,000

• Europeans were the majority of the population and minority was the First Nations and Inuit

• 85% of the population was rural• 15% of the population was urban

Economics

• Controlled by the European Settlers• The Pre-Industrial Economy was in place from the natural

resources such as fur, fish, timber and farmland.

• First Nations struggled to survive, some adapted taking jobs in this new economy. In the area of HBC—Aboriginals participated in fur trade.

Read: A Closer Look p.79• Read about the New Economy of British North America

• Come up with the a list of possible jobs in the different colonies during this time.

The People of British North America

• Immigrants: are individuals who come to live in a county that is not part of their original home.

• 2/3 of the European population in the 1800 was of British or Irish Heritage

• Their experience was based solely on their background and how long they lived in British North America.

The Different Groups were:

The Elite• These were the individuals in society that had more

political, economic and social power than the majority• Made up of British heritage who have lived in the

colonies for several generations.• Many were descendants of United Empire Loyalists:

individuals from the United States that sided with Great Britain and came to Canada after the American Revolution• Merchants in Newfoundland who controlled the

fishing industry were elite.

What defined the Elite?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oklPl95DC8c

• Clothes• Control of Power• “Snobbish”• Better than thou Attitude

Newer Immigrants• 800,000 English, Scottish and Irish immigrants came to British

North America due to hardships in their homelands• English and Scottish adapted well—and worked hard to move

up in society

Irish• The English were prejudiced against the Irish due to religious

differences• They faced discrimination is different parts of the colony.

• Read A Closer Look Feature on p.84

People of French HeritageTwo main groups of French:• French in Canada East• Acadians

Small elite—Most were habitants: farmers who lived in rural areas.• Great Britain took over French Colonies in 1763. They were given

special rights• Lived in fear of becoming a minority and losing their rights. • Acadia was the name for first permanent French settlements in

North America.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIJKmFisrPg&safe=activehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbjrUAl3yBs

Aboriginals Peoples • By the mid 1800’s the European settlers had a huge impact on

the First Nations which was felt strongly throughout the Atlantic Region

• Colony leaders were treating the First Nations no longer as a separate nations.

• Racist ideas were inflicted onto the First Nations

Loss of Land• The Europeans needed more land from the First Nations either

through Treaties or government bought land• When the First Nations complained they would give them land

but never controlled settlers from taking over the land• In the end, they were left with poor quality land which led to

poverty and many faced starvation.

Drop In Population:

First Nations Population dropped because of:

• Disease: for example: Measles, Tuberculosis and smallpox• Poverty: (lack of Nutrition) Made them Weak• Lack of Resistance: First Contact with diseases

led to whole communities being whipped out.

Black Colonists:• American Slaves that fled to Canada to become “free”• At the time of the American Revolution approximately 3000

Black Loyalists came to BNA• The Land given to these colonists were not large and fought

for official “title”• But they did set up education, medical care and churches to

their people

Slavery Outlawed• Another wave of Black immigration happened after slavery

was outlawed in BNA• 30,000 slaves came from the States to escape.• Many settled in all parts of BNA but most joined Canada West

(Ontario) Other settled in:• Nova Scotia• New Brunswick• Rupert’s Land• Vancouver Island

Opportunities For Black Colonists

• None had same opportunities as white colonists• They received poor land and low wages• As colonies grew—Black Colonists were forced further and

further away from resources like roads and water.

Daily Life in British North America

Homes:• Your home and furnishings depended on your wealth.• Light would come from candles or oil• Heat would be from a fireplace• There was no indoor plumbing• Water came from wells and outdoor springs

Transportation:• One of the biggest challenges• Travelled mostly by river—Roads were rough• They would use oxen, horse or foot—In the winter they would

rely on sleighs.First railway was in 1836.

Daily Life ContinuedHealthcare:• Few families excepted all of their children who grow into

adulthood.• Epidemics were quite common in communities• Lack of proper medical care—resulted in a lot more natural

remedies. The Aboriginals taught the settlers what they knew.• Small accidents could be deadly.

Education:• Not deemed as essential• Books were seen as prize possessions• In the early colonies—schools were used to teach proper behavior

and religious education.• Publicly funded schools were partly paid by tax money.