Section 4 – History of Canada Chapter 7 Section 4 – History of Canada

The French & the British Both countries wanted the land of the new world for their own purposes The French wanted areas around rivers and lakes for trapping and selling furs The British wanted areas around lakes and rivers for settlement It was only a matter of time before a conflict occurred

Great Britain Gains Control The conflict was called the Seven Years War (We call it what?) The British won and took over most of the region The French who remained were allowed to speak their language and practice their religion under the Quebec Act During our Revolutionary War the British created two colonies in Canada Lower Canada, which is today Quebec, for the French culture and Upper Canada, which is today Ontario, for the British culture and Loyalists from America who did not support American independence

Canada Seeks Independence After working together in the war of 1812 the people of Quebec and Ontario did not exactly see eye to eye However, they both tried unsuccessfully to break free of British rule In French Canada Louis Papineau organized a revolt, but failed In Upper Canada William Mackenzie tried to lead a rebellion and it was quickly squashed too https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis-Joseph_Papineau https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Lyon_Mackenzie#/media/File:WilliamLyonMackenzie.jpeg

A Peaceful Revolution As a result of the two attempts at rebellion the British were concerned so they sent over the Earl of Durham He suggested that Canadians be given more control Britain instead united Quebec & Ontario only into the Province of Canada Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island, and New Brunswick were left on their own Britain did this on purpose because they feared the power of uniting all of Canada

Still seeking Independence Canadians believed all provinces should be included In 1864 the leaders of each province came up with a plan They presented this to Britain and in 1867 British Parliament accepted the British North American Act This made Canada a dominion or self-governing area Without war Canadians now had their own government This change allowed Canada to grow and brought immigrants to farm and mine in the west and northwest

Time To Compare! Break into groups of 4 Use what you have learned about the American Revolution and Canada gaining their independence to analyze clear differences between these two stories of countries gaining freedom.

Canada a World Power When World War I began Canadians were still British subjects so they entered the war too Canada was happy to help on the Allied side Their willingness and contributions were so great that their involvement made them a world power During World War II Canadians built factories and helped the Allies again This boom for their economy made them an attractive place for immigrants after WWII and led to economic success for Canada

Canada: Postwar 1969 Canada became bilingual speaking both English and French 1976 French Canadians considered breaking free and forming their own country 1982 Canada adopted a new constitution giving them complete control over their own decisions without having to ask Great Britain first

Parliamentary System Canada’s government is modeled to be like Britain’s They have a Constitutional Monarchy Laws say what the King or Queen can or can not do, but the British Monarch lives in Britain so these responsibilities are fulfilled by the governor-general The governor-general makes no major decisions, they just perform ceremonial duties

Parliamentary Democracy Canada has a Parliament that makes most of the decisions for the country There are two chambers or halves: the House of Commons & the Senate The House of Commons are elected by the people The Senate is chosen by the governor- general The Prime Minister is the head of the government and chosen by the governor- general from the party in charge of the House of Commons http://democracychange.org/2013/05/2013-fda-global-electoral-fairness-report-on-canada/canadian-parliament-building/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_Minister_of_Canada

The Commonwealth of Nations Canada chooses to be part of the Commonwealth of Nations Any country in the world that is a former British colony can be part of this group The purpose of this organization is to cooperate together in matters of trade and economics Members of this group are also able to participate in the Commonwealth Games every four years, which are similar to the Olympics, and began in 1930