Doctrine of Discovery Terra Nullius North West Passage First Contact First Nations meet Europeans Doctrine of Discovery Terra Nullius North West Passage

Doctrine of Discovery -15th century belief that: -any land that was uninhabited by Christians was able to be  discovered  claimed  exploited -Non-Christians cannot have title to land (own land) -Indigenous inhabitants would be converted, refusal warranted enslavement or death

Terra Nullius What is it? -policy for claiming land What does it mean? -“land belonging to no one” or “empty land” -take what looks empty BC 1st Nations Context: -sailors see “empty land” and claim sovereignty (Sovereignty: supreme power or authority over a land) King George III of England – instructions for sailors: [Terra Nullius] “if you find the countries so discovered are uninhabited you are to take possession of them for His Majesty by setting up proper marks and inscriptions as first discoverers and possessors”

Why North America? -completely unintentional -Christopher Columbus was searching for India / Asia + the North West Passage -Landed his ship in the Bahamas -called the people “Indians” because:  thought it was India

North West Passage What was it: -myth of a secret trade route to India / Asia Incentive to find it: -drastically decreased travel time -$20,000 for finding it (millions today) Why?: -lucrative trade items / resources (spices, teas, etc)