A SHORT HISTORY OF CANADA

 

1000
Lief Erikson reaches North America - Newfoundland
1492
Columbus discovers America
1497 - 1498
John Cabot sails to the New World from England. He claims the North American Coast
1534
Jacques Cartier's first voyage. He claims the land for France
1535
Jacques Cartier's voyage up the St. Lawrence River. He sees the Indian villages of Hochelaga (Montreal) and Stadacona (Quebec City)
1541
Cartier and Roberval try to develop a colony
No settlement for more than 60 years, but Spain, Portugal, France, and England continue to fish off the Grand Banks around Newfoundland
1584
Sir Humphrey Gilbert claims Newfoundland for Queen Elizabeth 1

 

1605
French colonists settle in Acadia
1607
The English establish Virginia as a colony
1608
Champlain establishes the colony of New France (Quebec) with the help of French missionaries
1609 - 1610
Henry Hudson sails the Hudson River and into Hudson Bay. His crew mutinied and set him adrift in Hudson Bay
1617
The first farmer in New France - Louis Hebert
1642
The Jesuits establish Montreal. This explains the importance of the Roman Catholic church in the history of New France (Quebec)
The French (La Salle and others ) explore the Mississippi River as far as New Orleans
1689
War between France and England off and on for almost 100 years. It ended in the Seven Years War and gave England control over North America
1690
Henry Kelsey and La Verandrye explore the west. Laverandrye comes to the Red and Assiniboine River in 1738 and travelled to The Pas in 1749

 

During this period of exploration, control of North America was as follows

SPAIN
FLORIDA AND MEXICO
ENGLAND
HUDSON BAY, NEWFOUNDLAND AND THE 13 COLONIES
FRANCE
ACADIA AND QUEBEC

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1713
After a war between England and France, England gets Acadia
1755
The British expel the Acadians to the 13 colonies. The Acadians refuse to give an Oath of Allegiance to the British
1756 - 1763
The Seven Years War. Canada is under British control and becomes a colony as part of the British North America Act
1774
The British create the Quebec Act. It allows the French the right to their own language, religion and their Civil Law. The British want the loyalty of the French in case of war with the 13 Colonies ( The United States)
There was fighting between the two trading companies during this time. The Hudson Bay Company and The Northwest Company.
1778
Captain Cook and Vancouver ( 1792) explore the west coast of Canada

 

1800 - 1850
A time of pioneer expansion. The Selkirk Settlers come to Manitoba in 1811
1812 - 1814
There is war between Canada and The United States over boundary lines and the desire of the US to gain more territory
1837
There are rebellions in Canada. There is a desire for responsible government and to be self-governing
1867
Canada becomes a country with The British North America Act
1870
Manitoba becomes a province. Most of the residents are French speaking and Metis
The Riel Rebellion and the execution of Louis Riel
1885
The first wave of immigration to Canada. Mainly from Eastern and Western Europe
1889
The Gold Rush begins in The Yukon
1897 - 1914
Immigration to Canada
The third wave of immigration 1,000,000 from the USA1,000,000 from Britain1,000,000 from Eastern Europe

The first wave of immigration was from 1660 - 1670, from the 13 Colonies

The second wave of immigration was in the 1780's,The United Empire Loyalists

 

1914 - 1918
World War 1
1939 - 1945
World War 2
1950 - 1953
Korean Conflict

 

1946
The creation of The Citizenship Act. Before 1946 Canadians were British Subjects
1959
St. Lawrence Seaway opens
1964
Canada gets her own flag
1970
The development of a multicultural policy in Canada
1982
Repatriation of the Constitution. The Charter of Rights and Freedoms
1968 - 1976
The creation of The Bloc Quebecois - Lucien Bouchard's mandate
1990
The Bloc people could vote for it
1980
The 1st Quebec Referendum: 40% = yes
1987
Trying to get Quebec to come to the table vis a vis. Meech Lake
1992
The Charlottetown Accord made changes to the Constitution
1995

The 2nd Quebec Referendum

49.4% = yes 50.6% = no

93% of the people voted

.

 

INTERESTING NOTES

Quebec means "The Fortress"

Canada means "A collection of huts" or "A Village"

Cartier was the first European to hear these Indian/Native words

 

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