-
1497
John Cabot, explorer from 1497
John Cabot is an explorer that landed in Newfoundland in the year 1497 in hopes of finding a passage to Asia by going west of Europe. The passage is known as the Northwest Passage and Cabot did not find the passage but found codfish in Newfoundland. The codfish attracted fishermen from Europe to live in Newfoundland. -
Period: 1530 to
The Fur Trade
Due to the extinction of the beaver population in Europe. Many Europeans moved to Canada in search of more beaver furs. This started the Fur Trade and helped establish trading patterns with the First Nations. The Fur Trade impacted the development of Canada and helped Canada to expand. -
1534
Jacques Cartier, voyager from 1534
Jacques Cartier's first voyage was to North America in 1534. He convinced the King of France to pay for his first voyage. While on his trip he was travelling up the St. Lawrence. While he was on the river Cartier met a tribe known as the Iroquois group and their leader. This would be one of the first interactions between Europeans and the natives of North America which would become a big part of Canada's history. -
Acadia
Acadia was a colony that was established in 1604 and was a colony of France. Acadia stretched from modern day Quebec to as far as modern day Philadelphia. Great Britain eventually acquired the colony in 1713 by the signing of the Treaty of Utrecht. Acadia brought many French people to Canada. -
Quebec City and New France
Samuel de Champlain was the first person to establish a permanent settlement in Canada. Samuel de Champlain named the settlement Quebec City. Champlain also founded New France which grew thanks to the coronation of King Louis Dieudonne in France. -
Jesuits
Jesuits came to New France with the intentions of converting anyone who was a First Nation into a Catholic. They traveled west of New France but did not have much luck with the indigenous. However, the Jesuits were able to learn some of the languages of the First Nations which is helpful for interactions with the First Nations. -
Period: to
Seven Years War
This was the first global war. The French (aided by Prussia and Hanover) fought against the English (aided by Russia, Austria, and many countries) for control over territory. The Seven Years War extended from 1756-1763 and France was able to fight of many of the British attacks with the help of Canada militia. The British were losing at the start but turned the tide when they captured Louisburg in 1758, Quebec City in 1759, and Montreal in 1760. The war ended with the Treaty of Paris in 1763. -
Plains of Abraham
The Battle of the Plains of Abraham was during the Seven Years War. The battle was a pivotal moment in the war and in the history of Canada. General James Wolfe led the British invasion to defeat the French army and its leader, Marquis de Montcalm. Both Wolfe and Montcalm die in battle due to wounds and both sides lost nearly the same amount of troops. -
Loyalists
Americans who remained loyal to Britain were known as the Loyalists. During the American Revolution of 1775-1783, they supported the British side. At the same time, many of the loyalists migrated to British North America. This boosted the population and heavily influenced the politics and culture of what would become Canada. -
David Thompson, mapmaker from 1792
David Thompson started as a clerk in Churchill for the Hudson's Bay Company. One day he broke his leg and an old mapmaker took care of Thompson while he was injured. Thompson learned about map making from the old man and he later became a surveyor for the HBC. His first voyage was to Lake Athabasca but he is more famous for finding the Northwest Passage in Alaska. -
Period: to
The Great Migration
In the 1840s, the failure of potatoes in Ireland caused widespread famine. Many Irish people emigrated to Canada during this time because they were unable to pay for the land and many families were evicted from their homes by their landlords. The famine in Ireland caused 1 million to die from starvation and disease. -
The Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was a secret network of abolitionists who helped African Americans escape from enslavement in the American South to flee to Northern States or Canada. When African American slaves arrived to Canada, Canadians welcomed them, but as the slaves settled, Canadians demanded to send the slaves back. -
Period: to
The Last Best West
Canada needed more people to settle in Western Canada so they advertised themselves to Europe. Canada was giving out 160 acres of free land in Western Canada to any European immigrant that moved to Western Canada. Despite missing their homes, European immigrants were happy to stay in Canada because they were able to grow more crops. European immigrants also had more land and were able to live in prosperity here. -
Construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway in the Rocky Mountains
The Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR for short) was one of the biggest projects ever but Canada did not have enough workers to build the railway in the Rocky Mountains so Canada got a lot of workers from China. In the early 1880s, there was as many as 17 000 workers that came to B.C. to work for the CPR. The Chinese workers were paid $1 a day and still had to pay for camping gear, cooking gear, and food. Many of them died due to dynamite blasts, landslides, and scurvy. -
Life of a Chinese person after the construction of the CPR
In the early 1900s, Chinese people were treated poorly. No one likes them and they took the dirty work such as laundry service and cooking because no one took them in. After many of them immigrated to Canada, the government put an entry fee for them to enter Canada for $50. Because of the treatment of people towards the Chinese, they came together in one part of the town for companionship, these areas would be known as "China Town".
