1. CANADA: Creating a Nation

2. Context: The People
Aboriginal people who had occupied the land from time immemorial
French explorers who came to the territory to participate in the fur trade

3. Context: The People
English settlers who wanted to expand the land for farming
Immigrants who had been displaced by war/ searching for a better life

4. Early Exploration 1. Vikings sailed to Newfoundland
evidence found in sagas and artifacts
viking settlement at L’anse aux Meadow
not a large population and did not settle for long

5. 2. Jacques Cartier
French explorer looking for Northwest Passage
Soon found Newfoundland and continued to New Brunswick and P.E.I.
Kidnapped two Iroquois men (sons of a chief) to act as guides

6. The French King, King Francis I, believes that the relationship between Cartier and the Iroquois will lead to great trade opportunities
The French begin to settle
Harsh winter conditions
Strained relationships with the Iroquois
Early attempts of French colonization failed

7. The Fur Trade and New France

8. Before there was Canada, there was…

9. The French initially considered the role of the colony was to support the home country and not for settlement
Europeans were profiting from fish
Another resource emerged – beautiful beaver furs

10. The Fur Trade
the fur trade was a commercial network that expanded across what is now Canada.
From the early 17th to the mid-19th centuries, fur was very fashionable all over Europe.
French traders trapped beavers to satisfy the European demand for hats

12. French began setting up trading posts but they moved around often in search of furs
their main trading post was Montreal

13. Aboriginal communities also liked the idea of trading furs
They received goods in return for furs
In the beginning, the fur trade benefited both French and Aboriginal people as a way to supplement income from fishing and hunting.

14. Samuel Champlain
Sailor and navigator
creates a small trading post called Port Royal and later Quebec
Finds himself in an ongoing war between Algonkians and Montagnias vs. Iroquois