The Foundation of British Columbia From Colonies to Confederation

FIRST CONTACT More than ______ Aboriginal bands had been living in the region for 10,000 years ___________ reached the Northwest in 1741 and began the sea otter fur trade Spain, England, and US also came to area to enjoy the benefits of the _______________fur trade In 1826, ________________, head of the HBC, was assigned to govern BC (known at that time as _______________________________)

WHO OWNS THIS LAND? ___________ laid claim to the coast as far south as the northern tip of Vancouver Island The ______ laid claim as far north as the Queen Charlotte Islands and as far east as the current BC border The _______ saw this region as an extension of Rupert’s Land By 1835, there were ___ NWC posts, ___ HBC posts, and ___ American posts in the _________________________– land that was claimed by both Britain and the US

OREGON TERRITORY ________________– control all of North America BRITAIN ________________– control all of North America Encouraged settlers to move into the region HBC did not want settlers in this region because it would disrupt the ____________

HBC Presence in the Oregon Territory George Simpson created a new post, ____________________, under the leadership of _______________________ to maximize resources in the area He was a fair leader Rewarded employees Encouraged Americans to settle south of the Columbia River Trade was also expanded into the Fraser Valley and a second post was opened at __________________ in 1827

The HBC also had to address the Russian presence in the region The Russians had established fur trading posts in _____________ and were starting to extend their influence south It was agreed upon that Russia would not trade below _________; in exchange the HBC would supply food to the Russian posts The ____________became a fixture on the waters of the Pacific Coast

54º40’ or fight In 1845, US President James Polk wanted to lay claim in the Oregon Territory up to __________ Britain refused to accept this boundary: all of their forts and fur trade business would now be part of the US! __________ became the boundary between BNA and the US

THE COLONY OF VANCOUVER ISLAND __________________was established in 1843, under the leadership of Chief Factor ________________ Britain wanted a more official presence in the region So, in 1848, the Crown Colony of _______________________ was created HBC had a trade monopoly, but they had to sell land to British settlers James Douglas would be the colony’s _______________

Life in Fort Victoria Britain wanted to re-create the __________________________ on Vancouver Island; settlers had to purchase land _______: first government in the colony is established Legislative Assembly would have ___ elected representatives You could only vote if you owned _______ The Leg. Assembly could pass resolutions but ___________ would have final authority over resolutions By 1855, __________ Aboriginals and ______ immigrants lived on Vancouver Island More land was needed to attract immigrants, so Douglas negotiated ___________ with the First Nations to surrender their land stretching from Victoria to Nanaimo Settlers would be __________ the land (still aboriginal title)

JOINING THE COLONIES After the Cariboo Gold Rush was over, people started to __________________________ The idea of uniting the colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia was discussed to address economic issues Van Is. debt = $___________ BC debt = $______________ August 6, 1866: two colonies joined together and named __________________________

GOVERNMENT OF THE NEW COLONY BRITISH COLUMBIA ________________ became the governor of BC Legislative Council with _______ seats It wasn’t _____________ government – only 9 seats were elected ___ from the mainland ___ from the island

SHOULD BC JOIN CANADA? Uniting the two colonies did not end their woes regarding declining ________________ and a shortage of __________ The idea of joining _____________ was suggested 1) ________________________________ Mainly elected officials from the mainland supported this position Proposed that Canada pay off their ______ and build a _____________ to connect with Eastern Canada Used ___________________to promote Confederation 2) _______________________________ 3) _______________________________ Victoria businessmen supported this position Eastern Canada was _______________________________________ US would be a better ___________ for BC resources and more ____________________ would come from the US vs. Eastern Canada

TOWARDS CONFEDERATION In the 1868 election, support for Confederation was split: ____________supported, ____________ opposed June 1869: Governor Seymour died suddenly and was replaced with ____________________ Governor Musgrave __________ Confederation Annexationists had no support

Confederation is achieved ___________________ Both pro and con sides worked out the details of BC’s proposal to Ottawa Ottawa agreed to pay ____________ and build _____________ In 1871, the BC Legislative Assembly voted in favour of Confederation with the promise that ___________ government would be brought to BC after Confederation