1. The Fall of New France and the Rise of British North America
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2. War, War Never Changes
For most of New France’s history, conflict was almost constantly happening There were the early conflicts involving the Algonkians, Montagnais, and Huron during Champlain’s time and the conflict with the Iroquois later on Soon, New France became involved in wars between European nations First was King William’s War in , where Britain tried to stop French expansion in North America The War of the Spanish Succession took place in , and resulted in Acadia, part of New France coming under British control

3. Tensions Rise
The constant conflicts began to take their toll on New France It also faced increasing raids from Native peoples, who were becoming increasingly unhappy with European settlement in their territories In particular, the Iroquois had allied with the British, making them enemies of the French and the Natives allied with them To try and protect itself, France built the “super-fortress” of Louisborg between 1720 and 1740

5. Louisbourg
Why do you think the French chose to build a fort there?

6. Louisborg
Louisborg was built on a cliff that overlooked the Gulf of St. Lawrence River, in modern Nova Scotia This allowed it to see any approaching ships and soldiers from far away Because its walls were angled, it could withstand cannonballs Its high walls let defenders easily shoot at sappers who would try and place explosives Why do you think this is the case? But ultimately, Louisborg could not prevent the fall of New France

7. The Seven Years war
Fought between 1754 and 1763, it is sometimes called the true first “World War” because it involved multiple countries over multiple continents The primary countries involved were Britain and France While it had multiple consequences for all countries involved, the most siginificant for us is the fall of New France to the British

8. Origins
Even before 1754, settlers in New England were angry that they could not cross the Allegheny Mountains and settle in the Ohio Valley They would often fight with French settlers even though the countries were officially at peace But by 1754, both countries had sent so many soldiers into the region that war broke out

9. Expulsion of the Acadians
One of the first acts that Britain did in the war was to expel all the French- speaking Acadians from their homes in southern Nova Scotia and across the maritimes While some Acadians did support the French military, Britain made no attempt to distinguish between the two Ultimately, 11,500 of the 14,100 Acadians in the area were deported They were mostly sent either back to France or to the Thirteen Colonies, where they were often the only French- speaking people there

10. The Fall of Louisborg and the beginning of the End
In 1758, British soldiers commanded by James Wolfe captured Louisborg, meaning that British troops and ships could easily enter the St. Lawrence River The British had the advantage of brilliant generals that worked well with each other Meanwhile, the French general, Montcalm, was a brilliant commander himself but did not get along with Vaudreuil, the governor Despite being on the same side, they would often cancel each others orders, leading to confusion amongst the French troops While the French had enjoyed success in the war at first, losing Louisborg was the beginning of the end

11. The Plains of Abraham
The decisive battle of the Seven Years War took place on the Plains of Abraham, just outside the French fort and capital of Quebec Despite the city’s high walls and other natural defences, Wolfe reduced French morale by threatening to burn any farms that were missing workers, as this meant they were fighting for the French instead Wolfe also had discovered a small cove that led to the top of Quebec’s hills, where they could march on the city without alerting its defenders early

12. Quebec Falls
When Montcalm finally saw the British soldiers approaching, he chose to battle the British in the open plains instead of defending the fortress, because he believed more troops would arrive with larger cannons However, Montcalm gave the order to fire too early, making most of their shots miss But the British waited until the French were only 40 metres away, so when they opened fire, hundreds of French soldiers were killed in the first volley The French eventually retreated, and Quebec surrendered soon after, effectively ending the North American part of the Seven Years War Both Montcalm and Wolfe were killed in the battle; Wolfe died on the battlefield while Montcalm died the next day

13. Results of the War
New France comes under British control after signing the Treaty of Paris in 1763 France loses almost all of its colonies in North America to the British The future of Canada will be shaped by Britain through British North America, though conflict between French-speakers and Anglophones will be a constant throughout the next centuries