History of Canada

How it came to be:A Presentation By:

Brittany Steer

Why did European People come to North America?

• The European's wanted to find a better life with work and good health. They were also looking for gold. The king at the time was trying to force them into a different religion that the didn’t want to be in They wanted different job offers. Most of all they just wanted a new life. Vikings were some of the first Europeans to what is now called Canada. The Vikings were an aggressive people who were originally from Scandinavia. The Vikings left their homeland to search for better and more farmland. The next first person to set foot on present day Canada was John Cabot. This here is a journal entry recently found written by one of the previous Vikings:– I am leaving my home land today, to go try and find some different land that is

good for farming. I need a new life, where I have freedom. I am going to be setting foot into a new life once I leave this place. I am hoping to find good land where I can farm and get better in health. I have been pretty sick lately but if I survive this trip I have a feeling my life will become a lot better. I am getting ready to leave now. Am I scared or nervous? Of course I am nervous because I am hoping for a better life but where I end up might not be any better than where I live right now.

New France: The First Colony• New France was huge but the population remained very small . In 1716 the

population of this entire area was 20,890. The future of the colony was not yet decided of its future. Some officials thought that the colony should remain compact, easily defended, and French dominated. Others felt that the colony should be expanded to increase the influence of France even if all of the people in the colony would not be French

• The Fur Trade started as a side bar to the fisheries industry• Fishermen who came ashore to dry fish or to wait out a storm would trade metal

goods and firearms for furs. For many years the fur trade was the economic backbone of the colony

This is a journal entry of a resident in New France:I am a farmer now, I have very little wealth or political power for that matter. All of my land is owned by the crown and was granted to land lords assuming that they would perform certain duties. The landlords were known as Seigneurs.Their chief responsibility was to have the land cleared and settled

Seven Year War

• It was the British and the French• In 1756, war broke out between France and Great Britain. In

North America, hostilities between American and Canadian colonists had erupted two years previously. The war led to the fall of New France. In Europe, the conflict pitted Great Britain against France, which was supported by Austria, Sweden, Saxony, Russia and Spain.

American Revolution• During the Seven Years War the British were not happy with the ability of

the colonies to defend themselves. Most of the fighting was done by the British regular army was of little consequence. The British were then faced with the task of raising, training, and maintaining an army in North America.

• There was not one leader but several in the American Revolution

The Canadian Connection: What the American’s did not count on was the French desire to remain a distinct society. They were not moved to fight for Britain either and remained neutral throughout the conflict

This is a journal entry from Martin Poissant from the French’s Perspective of the Revolution:The revolution has been going on for some time now but since I am French I don’t need to move to fight for Britain we are just staying neutral through this whole conflict. I am happy to stay neutral. We want to stay a distinct society so we are not moving anywhere to fight for something we have no part of.

War of 1812Relations between Britain and the United States following the American Revolution were

strained. The causes of the War of 1812 had little to do with British North America. The points of contention were largely between Britain and the United States. The British colonies were to become quickly involved at the outbreak of the War of 1812. While unable to directly attack the British Isles, the Americans were capable of attacking Britain's North American possessions. On 1 June 1812, President Madison sent Congress a request for an immediate declaration of war. On 4 June Congress voted 79-49 in favor. On 17 June the Senate followed with approval 19 votes to 13, and on 18 June Madison signed a declaration of war against Great Britain.

This following is how a English person tells it :The Americans thought that we would be the easiest to attack which is Upper Canada but little did they know we were way more prepared then they were. Even though we were out numbered the 41st Regiment of British regulars had been reinforced. Much of the preparation was thanks to the prescience of Major-General Sir Isaac BROCK administrator of Upper Canada. Brock had a thorough grasp of the challenges of the upcoming conflict and for the 8 months prior to the war he pushed forward defense measures in every possible way. Perhaps most importantly, Brock developed a policy towards making allies of the First Nations. Like most commanders, Brock was dissatisfied by the number of troops at his disposal, with only some 1600 regulars in the province.

The Loyalists• Those who opposed the revolution were branded as traitors and became known

as Loyalists since they remained loyal to the British Crown. Loyalists were harassed, denied the right to vote, sell land, sue debtors or to be lawyers, doctors or schoolmasters. With the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1783, Britain recognized the independence of the United States.

• Many First Nations groups were forced to leave their traditional lands and migrate to British North America. The British desired to avoid conflict with the First Nations over the granting of lands to the arriving Loyalists. A number of First Nations peoples were displaced by the influx and settlement of the Loyalists. The newly-arriving Loyalists did not settle in areas already occupied by the French-speaking population. They preferred to settle in sparsely populated areas and create their own islands of settlement.