1. British North America Background Information Prior to the mid 1700’s the French and the British fought for control of what is now Canada. In 1763 Britain won and all French colonies became the property of Britain.

2. In 1776 British Colonies that were south of New Brunswick rebelled against Great Britain. They won their independence and created the United States of America. These event were the lead up to what was known as British North America.

3. Facts and Figures: 17 th and 18 th centuries A colony is a piece of land that belongs to the home country but is located in another part of the world. Vancouver’s Island, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and PEI were all colonies of Great Britain.

4. All important decisions about the colonies were made by the government of Great Britain. Rupert’s Land, North Western Territory and New Caledonia were under the control of Hudson’s Bay Company (fur trading company). They were given this right by the government of Great Britain.

5. The Royal Proclamation of 1763 said that no land would be taken from the First Nations people unless and agreement was made between the First Nations leaders and the government of Great Britain. This proclamation was the basis for all treaties that were agreed on, many of which are still in effect today.

6. Province of Canada The province of Canada was made up of Canada East and Canada West. Canada East was mostly people of French Heritage. Canada West was mostly people of British heritage.

7. Within the colonies the majority of people were Europeans and the First Nations people were in the minority. In the land controlled by Hudson’s Bay Company the European population was small and the First Nations were in the majority. By the mid-1800’s most people lived in rural communities (outside cities).

8. By the mid-1800’s most of the economy was controlled by the Europeans. First Nations struggled to survive the economic effects of the Europeans. The economies of the colonies were more influenced by the Europeans than the economies of the areas under the control of the Hudson’s Bay Company.