Early British Columbia

Shape of the Day How Well Do You Know British Columbia? Presentation: Why was British Columbia British? Discussion: The Racial Attitude of James Douglas Activity: Early Vancouver Island Carousel

Why was British Columbia British? Originally, three countries were fighting of control over what is now British Columbia These countries were Russia Britain The United States of America At the time this area was known as the Oregon Territory

The Oregon Territory Russia had a claim to the Oregon Territory as early as 1741 when it created posts for trade in Sea Otter Fur The United States was expanding rapidly due to Manifest Destiny and felt they had the right to the area The HBC wanted to claim this area in order to create more trade

John McLoughlin In 1826, the new Leader of the HBC, George Simpson, appointed John McLoughlin to create more trade and a larger presence in the Oregon territory The two of them together created Fort Vancouver and Fort Langley in the Fraser Valley

American Overload Despite the wishes of Simpson, McLoughlin encouraged Americans to inhabit the area as long as they were not going higher than the Columbia river By the 1930’s the Americans had an extremely dominant presence in the area While McLoughlin had created more trade as Simpson asked, he was failing to secure the area for the HBC and the British

The Russians Retreat Shortly, after in 1839 the Russians decided to give up all their land below 54’40 In exchange for their withdrawal the HBC would supply the Russian posts using a trade ship known as the Beaver This ship would soon replace all HBC forts aside from Fort Vancouver

The Creation of Victoria George Simpson visited the Oregon Territory in the 1840’s only to realise that Americans had an overwhelming presence in the area In case the Oregon Territory was lost, Simpson focused building a new fort on Vancouver Island In 1843, Fort Victoria would open 840

54’40 or Fight Just as Simpson had feared, the Americans were becoming aggressive and their new president James Polk had gained support under the term 54’40 or fight What does this mean? The Americans wanted all land up to the 54’40 parallel or he threatened to take it by force

54’40…….or 49 While James Polk had argued that he would fight if he didn’t get territory up to 54’40, he would settle for all land up the 49th parallel All land above the 49th parallel now belonged to the British In order to protect this area the British felt they needed an “official presence” so the crown colony of Vancouver Island was created in 1848

James Douglas In 1848, James Douglas was appointed Governor of the new crown colony Like George Simpson he was anti American and pro British In order to encourage British settlement land was sold at the rate of 1 Pound per 20 acres How much do you think an acre in Victoria costs today? Anywhere from $200,000 to over $1 Million

What is the Most Expensive City to Buy Property In? Hong Kong $1 Million per 20 Sq. Meters Singapore $1 Million per 32.6 Sq. Meters London $1 Million per 25 Sq. Meters Monaco $1 Million per 15 Sq. Meters

The Population of Victoria In 1855 a census showed that only 774 people lived in Victoria and almost half were under the age of twenty (Today the number is around 35%) At the same time, the island had over 30,000 aboriginals Moreover, the aboriginals inhabited the most valuable and useful farmlands on the island

The Douglas Treaty of 1854 The condition of, or understanding of, this sale is hits, that our village sites and enclosed fields are to be kept for our own use, for the use of our children, and for those who follow after us; and the land shall be properly surveyed hereafter. It is understood, however, that the land itself, with these small exceptions, becomes the entire property of the white people forever; it is also understood that we are at liberty to hunt over the unoccupied lands, and to carry on out fisheries as normal

A Unique Treaty According to how the Treaty was written, Douglas was leasing the lands from the Aboriginals (each family was paid 2 pounds and 10 shillings annually) The governments of Britain, Canada, and British Columbia have all acknowledged that aboriginal people own the title to these lands The Douglas treaties are the only treaties of the 1800s of this nature

An Admirable Man Shortly before becoming governor Douglas argued that it was important that when dealing with First Nations he: “Invariably acted on the principle that it is inexpedient and unjust to hold tribes responsible for the acts of individuals” What did James Douglas mean by this? Can you see any parallels in the modern world where this advice is valuable?