Historians believe that the First Nations, native people of Canada who are related to Asians, arrived about 12,000 years ago. They migrated to North America across the Bering Land Bridge, joining Siberia and Alaska.

Alaska Siberia Siberia is in northeast Asia, so these very first inhabitants were from Asia.

The Inuit are also a group of very early inhabitants of Canada.

These First Nations and the Inuit lived off the land by hunting animals and fishing.

They hunted whales and seals…

caribou, and fish

Many years later, the Vikings landed in eastern Canada. This was about 1000 years ago.

These Scandinavian Vikings, also called Norse, were the earliest European explorers.

Leif Eriksson – an early Viking who founded the island called Newfoundland

Scandinavia is in northern Europe

The Norse stayed in the area for several years to rest, hunt, and trade with the Inuit before returning to Europe

Almost 500 years passed before Europeans took up interest again in sailing across the Atlantic

They were looking for an all-water route to Asia by traveling along the north coast of North America, called the Northwest Passage.

During this second wave of exploration, John Cabot, an Italian who moved to England, was the first to explore Canada in 1497 when he landed in Nova Scotia.

In 1498 Cabot set sail a second time in stormy weather and was never seen again.

In 1534, Frenchman Jacques Cartier sailed from France to Canada, up the St. Lawrence Seaway.

Cartier founded the present day city of Montreal.

The King of France then sent Samuel de Champlain to start a colony in Canada in the early 1600s.

Champlain’s route; settled Quebec in 1608

Quebec was the beginning of the first French colony in North America. It was called “New France.”

Early French settlers came to what was known as “Lower Canada”, in present-day Quebec.

British Upper Canada – its name reflects its position closer to the headwaters of the St. Lawrence River Upper Canada Lower Canada (French)

A third group of early Canadian inhabitants is the Métis – a people of mixed ancestry -an Indian mother and European father (usually French)

The early French settlers established colonies in Canada and remained there for many years. They married the native Indian women and their children are called Métis.

a Métis buffalo hunt

Europeans traded knives, kettles, and beads with the Indians for their fur beaver pelts.

The First Nations and Inuit were instrumental in the success of the fur trade. Without their knowledge and technology, many European explorers would not have survived.

Hats made from beaver fur were all the rage back home in Europe! Beavers were becoming extinct in Europe.

European beaver fur top hat Beaver hats were not made from the thick outer fur of the pelt, but from the barbed, fibrous under-fur. This fur was mashed, pounded, rolled, and turned into felt. Status symbol of position & wealth in Europe

Trading posts were created to make trading easier.

Most of the traders who ran the Canadian trading posts were French. New France (Quebec) dominated the fur trade.

It was not long before England saw how much money could be made in the fur trade. The competition between the French and English was fierce. They both wanted to be in control of the land and its resources.

So, in 1670,the British government established the Hudson’s Bay Company.

They established posts all along the Hudson Bay, and were very successful.

Since Hudson’s Bay was the only company allowed to trade fur, they had no competition.

1. To find a western passage to the Pacific They had three objectives:

2. To acquire land around the Hudson Bay

3. And to regulate and control the fur trade

In the late 1600s and early 1700s Britain and France frequently fought over land and competed for the fur trade.

The French claimed all of Canada for King Louis XIV and the British claimed all of it for the English monarch. These conflicting claims led to nearly two centuries of war for ownership of the country. British lower French upper

Even today, there is still evidence of that French claim. Quebec is the only French- speaking province in Canada.

The beaver hat was a fashion necessity in Europe for over 200 years. The fur trade ended in 1850 when silk hats became the rage.

By the 1700s, Canada was a land of many cultures. British French Indian

In 1754 war broke out in the Ohio River Valley, an area claimed by both France and Britain.

It was called the French and Indian War because the French and Indians banded together to fight against the British. This war was also called the Seven Years’ War.

Canada belongs to England And gained control of Canada

Canada was now a British colony; however, it would struggle to survive as one nation.

The British forced Nova Scotia’s French-speaking people to leave.

Many of Nova Scotia’s French went to another French colony, Louisiana. The descendants of these people are the Cajuns.

The British allowed the French to stay in Quebec (originally called “New France”).

During this time, ( ) the Revolutionary War was being fought in America. This was also called the War of Independence. The 13 colonies were fighting against the British.

After the war, some American colonists remained loyal to Britain – they were called Loyalists. When Britain lost the war, many of these Loyalists moved to Canada.

But, many Loyalists did not want to live among French- speaking Canadians, especially in Quebec. Huh? Est-ce que vous parlez in Francais?

Results of the war: 1. Neither side won

2. The war defined the US/Canadian border

3. It increased a sense of Canadian nationalism

4. French and English Canadians joined together to protect their land against the United States

Later, Canadians began to rebel against British control. After much consideration, the British government discovered an economic need to unify the provinces.

They established the Province of Canada in 1841 Province of Canada

By the 1860s, Canadian leaders discussed the confederation, or union, of all British North American colonies.

The British North America Act of 1867 formed the Canadian Confeder- ation

The Canadian Confederation: allowed each region to sell goods more easily to one another improved trade helped the economy brought in money to build a railroad across the country (transcontinental) provided safety in numbers (could work together to fight the US)

With the confederation of Canada in 1867, there were only four provinces. But Canadian leaders wanted to expand the country and extend its borders, to reach from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific. Ocean.

So, in 1869 they bought territory owned by Hudson’s Bay Company

The First Nations agreed to relocate to reservations

The Canadian government built the Canadian Pacific Railway on this land.

Canadian Pacific Railway Stretched from Atlantic to Pacific Oceans

Chinese immigrants to the dying California gold rush were brought to Canada to build the railroad. They were cheap labor.

Results of the railroad: increased shipment of goods across the country

increased travel from coast to coast

created four new western provinces

united Canadians and began nationalism (feeling like they were part of one country)

In the beginning of the 20 th century, Canada still had close ties to Britain. Then, World War I began and the British and French were fighting Germany.

Some Canadians felt they should contribute to the war because of their ties to the British. So Canada sent military forces to fight in Europe, along with food and other supplies to help the war effort.

The war lasted from 1914 to Tens of thousands of Canadians were injured or killed.

Canada’s contribution to the war effort changed the way the world viewed the country. They were no longer a group of British colonies, but a unified country that was able to compete with world powers.

World War I dramatically increased Canadian nationalism.

Many French Canadians disagreed with Canada joining the war. They thought of themselves as French, not Canadian.

By joining the war, many French Canadians felt that the rest of Canada did not care about them. They thought Quebec should become its own country.

By the 1960s, many French Canadians had become Quebec nationalists, and thought they should secede from Canada, or become independent.

They thought of themselves as Québécois not Canadians.

Because of Canada’s close ties to Britain, the French Canadians began to feel that their language and culture might disappear.

In 1980 the people of Quebec voted on whether or not to secede. The vote was in favor of staying Canadian.

They voted again in The vote was very close – 49.4% of people voted to secede, and 50.6% voted to stay Canadian.

Inuit building an igloo.

They don’t build igloos anymore.

They were temporary homes while they were hunting.

Goggles made from bone to protect the Inuit from blinding snow glare