The Early History of Canada

Lesson 1 Early Exploration

One thousand years ago, people who lived in one area knew very little about the rest of the world.

To travel or not to travel… Farmers stay in one place Hunter/gatherers follow the herds We follow our food!!!

The earliest European explorers were the Vikings.

They lived in the part of Europe that is today called Scandinavia.

Iceland and Greenland Vikings head west from Norway and reach an icy and also volcanic island (Iceland) After settling Iceland, they head further west and hit a HUGE island (Greenland) covered from coast to coast in ice Iceland is habitable (livable) Greenland is barely habitable The ultimate trickery

A Viking Sailing Ship

Erik the Red ~ 985 Settles Greenland as a fishing post Has one son named Leif Eriksson (settles Canada for the first time around the year 1000) reaching Newfoundland (responsible for discovering North American continent) The settlement fails and Leif heads back to Greenland The Vikings do not return to Canada

The Vikings were known throughout northern Europe as great warriors and sailors.

Historians have come to believe that the Vikings were the first Europeans to reach the Americas, about 1,000 years ago.

Fierce battles took place between the Indians and the Vikings as a result of a land dispute....

The Vikings eventually abandoned their settlements in North America.

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

Three reasons: 1. Better ships 2. Better instruments 3. Desire to trade with Asia (Unlimited natural resources)

What was in Asia? Silk, spices, perfume, gems (rubies, diamonds sapphires and pearls) gun powder, and knowledge!

Traders knew of only two routes to Asia, both of which were very long and dangerous. 1)Silk Route ~ land/dangerous 2)Cape of Good Hope (Africa/water)

Some people thought that if they sailed west, instead of east, they could also reach Asia.

The 2nd European to attempt this route was Christopher Columbus. (But he reached the Americas instead of Asia.)

1492… Colombus is trying to get $ to explore Asks Italian King (turned down) Asks King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain (yes), Spain becomes richest on Earth 1493 Colombus lands in Bahamas He kills as many Arawak Indians as possible, enslaves the rest, takes back to Spain the gold, silver, sugar, and tobacco he finds

Later, other explorers began to hope that they could find an all-water route to Asia by traveling along the north coast of North America.

Although none of them ever found this Northwest Passage, they were able to explore much of Canada.

English Exploration (1497)John Cabot, an Italian, reached Vinland. He renamed it Newfoundland.

French Exploration (1524) Giovanni da Verrazano (Italian) established French claims to land in Canada. Novelle Francais (New France)

(1534) Jacques Cartier explored the St. Lawrence River and founded the present-day city of Montreal.

Lesson 2 Settlements and Colonies

Many European fishing boats fished in the Grand Banks, an area near Newfoundland that was teaming with fish.

Europeans living in Canada traded with the Indians knives and kettles for fur pelts.

Hats made out of beaver fur were very popular back home in Europe.

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

In 1608, Champlain established the settlement of Quebec.

Quebec was the beginning of the first French colony in North America, which was called New France.

Because of his hard work, Champlain became known as the “Father of New France”.

The French would not allow anyone to move to Quebec that was not Roman Catholic.

Also, people were not used to the area’s climate and farming was difficult.

Champlain was the first European to see the Great Lakes.

Most of the traders who ran the Canadian trading posts were French.

The British formed the Hudson’s Bay Company, which spread quickly, establishing posts all along Hudson Bay.

Some European trappers lived in the forests with the Indians. They were called coureurs de bois, “wood runners”

These scouts learned from the Indians. They learned how to use birchbark canoes.

The French voyageurs carried the traders’ goods from the forests.

The strong voyageurs paddled down Canada’s swift rivers, carrying their canoes and cargo over each portage, or land route.

In 1642, the colony of Montreal was founded.

Montreal became the center for missionaries from France.

The French hoped to convert the Indians to Christianity.

Montreal served as a missionary center for many years. It also became an important base for fur traders and explorers.

Lesson 3: Colonies in Conflict

By the 1700’s, Canada was a land of many cultures.

French British Huron Iroquois

In the late 1600’s and early 1700’s the French and British frequently fought over land and competed for the fur trade.

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

The war became known as the rench and Indian War because the French and the Huron banded together against the British.

British troops surrounded New France, using a blockade to keep food and other supplies from entering the colony.

James Wolfe was one of the officers for the British army.

General Louis de Montcalm was with the French army.

The Battle of the Plains of Abraham is considered the most decisive in Canadian history. This battle lasted only ten minutes!

By 1763, France had given up all of its claims to land in North America.

In 1774, the British passed the Quebec Act, which guaranteed the French the right to maintain their own culture.

Thousands of French- speaking people were forced by British soldiers to leave Nova Scotia, then called Acadia.

These Acadians refused to pledge loyalty to the British crown. Some Acadians went to the area around present-day Louisiana.

Today, their descendants are called “Cajuns”.

In 1776, the United States became independent of Great Britain.

Loyalists, colonists who had remained loyal to Britain had often been forced by the rebels to leave their homes.

Many loyalists migrated to Canada during and after the American Revolution.

Many Loyalists did not want to live among French-speaking Canadians. Est-ce que vous parlez en Francais? Huh? Non, il a’ arrive’ a L’Angleterre.

In 1791 Britain divided the former colony of New France into two colonies, Lower Canada and Upper Canada.

Most English-speaking settlers lived in the western part of Upper Canada.

Lower Canada, now Quebec, was home to many French-speaking settlers. Au contraire, mon frere!

In the 1700’s Britain gained control over the vast area of Canada.

However, Canada would have to struggle in order to survive as one nation.