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Treaty of Utrecht signed
The Treaty of Utrecht was signed on this date in Utrecht in the Netherlands. It basically marked the end of the War of the Spanish Succession between France and Spain. Through this treaty, France gave up Acadia but gained the Caribbean Islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe. Acadia now basically was a British colony, with the exception of Ile Royale (present day Cape Breton Island). New France now was surrounded by the British. -
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Grade 7C History Timeline - 1713 to 1855
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Announcement of the Expulsion of the Acadians
The Acadians react as Winslow reads the order of expulsion to them in the Parish Church at Grand-Pre. -
Seven Years War
The Seven Years War was a world war that lasted from 1756 to 1763. It started in Europe on this date between Britain and France. It soon spread around the world including North America. Battles such as the Plains of Abraham were part of this war. It ended in 1763 with the Treaty of Paris. -
Battle of the Plains of Abraham
This painting is a depiction of General Wolfe dying in the battle. The French and British fought this battle on the Plains of Abraham just outside of Quebec. The British used a strategy of the "Thin Red Line" and defeated a disorganized French force in a very quick battle. Both the British commander (Wolfe) and the French commander (Montcalm) died as a result of the battle. With the victory, the British now controlled New France. -
Royal Proclamation of 1763
Now that Britain had control of New France, it needed to have some rules on how to govern this territory. Some of the key parts of this law included: smaller boundaries for Quebec, more First Nations territory, English civil law replacing French civil law, abolishment of the seigneurial system, those involved in the fur trade would now need a license. -
The Quebec Act, 1774
The Quebec Act of 1774 replaced the Royal Proclamation of 1763. It established French rights, many of which had been lost by the Royal Proclamation. The British realized that they needed to be allies with the French in case of an attack from America. -
American Declaration of Independence
The American Revolution, also known as the War of Independence, broke out in 1775 as a result of the anger of the British North Americans to the Quebec Act and the new taxes imposed by the British. Representatives from the Thirteen Colonies met in Philadelphia on this date and declared the United States of America to be an independent nation. -
Birchtown established by Black Loyalists
On this date, Black Loyalists founded the community of Birchtown, near present-day Shelburne, Nova Scotia. Unfortunately, many Blacks were not treated well by the white Loyalists, and over time became disheartened and eventually went to Africa in hope of a better life. -
North West Company established
The North West Company was a fur trading company established as a competitor to the Hudson's Bay Company which had a monopoly on fur trading at the time. The two companies competed with each other for a number of years, even having wars with each other, before merging in 1821. -
Constitutional Act, 1791
Due to the influx of the Loyalists, the British government passed the Constitutional Act. The Act made some changes to the Quebec Act of 1774, but the British didn't want to give the Loyalists too much power. It divided Quebec into two parts (Upper and Lower Canada), each Canada would have a lieutenant-governor, legislative council, and legislative assembly. Landowners in Lower Canada could land under the seigneurial or freehold system, but only under the freehold system in Upper Canada. -
Tecumseh helps Brock in winning the Battle of Detroit in the War of 1812
Tecumseh uses bluff and deception techniques to cause General Hull to surrender at the Battle of Detroit, even though the American forces substantially outnumbered the British forces. -
Isaac Brock dies during the Battle of Queenston Heights on this date
Isaac Brock had come to Canada in 1802 as a soldier. He originally thought that his life in Canada would be boring but it soon changed once the War of 1812 began. Brock was a great leader and worked with the First Nations leader Tecumseh to win the Battle of Detroit in August of 1812. The British also won the Battle of Queenston Heights in October of 1812, but Brock was killed by a sniper during this battle. A battle had been won but a leader was lost. -
Battle of Queenston Heights - War of 1812
The Battle of Queenston Heights was the first major battle of the War of 1812. Although the British won the battle, the victory was costly as General Isaac Brock was killed in action. -
Battle of York
The Battle of York was a crushing defeat for the British. In this battle, 16 American ships attacked the shoreline of Lake Ontario, easily taking control of Fort York. The British general, Roger Sheaffe retreated and negotiated the terms of the surrender. This battle showed major problems in the British defences, and also led to another attack in July of 1813, where the Americans landed and burned several buildings and boats, and even made off with a number of supplies. -
Battle of Stoney Creek
The Battle of Stoney Creek occurred during the night of June 5 and 6, 1813. Fort George had been captured by the Americans in May, and they wanted to restart an aggressive campaign in Upper Canada. However, the casual pace and attitude of the Americans allowed a local youth, Billy Green, to share all he heard about the Americans with British Lieutenant Colonel John Harvey. The British were able to defeat the Americans who ended up retreating to Fort George. -
Laura Secord talking to James FitzGibbon about American plans to invade
On this date, Laura Secord travelled approximately 32 km on foot to warn British commander James FitzGibbon of an impending American attack at Beaver Dams. -
Battle of Lundy's Lane
The Battle of Lundy's Lane was one of the bloodiest battles in the War of 1812, resulting in heavy losses for both the British and American forces. The battle ended the American offensive in the Niagara region as they retreated shortly afterwards. -
Colonel John By Comes to Canada
Lieutenant-Colonel John By was born in Britain, but spent several years in Lower and Upper Canada building canals and improving shipping routes on the St. Lawrence River. He also designed new fortifications in Quebec City. In 1826, By was sent to Upper Canada to build a canal connecting the Ottawa River and Lake Ontario. This canal, called the Rideau Canal, is 202 km long and was a direct response to the War of 1812. -
Joseph Howe starts writing articles in Novascotian (newspaper) demanding reform
After writing his articles in his newspaper and bringing the issue of responsible government out in the open, Joseph Howe was elected to the Nova Scotia legislature in 1836. He worked with the Reformers to press for responsible government and eventually succeeded in February 1848. Nova Scotia was granted responsible government and was the first British colony in the world to achieve this. -
Louis-Joseph Papineau publishes Ninety-Two Resolutions to demand reform
Papineau's Ninety-Two Resolutions document contained grievances (complaints) that the Lower Canadian legislative assembly had with the British government. He wanted to make the legislative council into a body elected by the people. He also wanted the executive council to "be responsible to" the legislative assembly. Also, he wanted to abolish the seigneuries and turn them into freehold (privately owned) farms. The British did not want to grant major reform and a rebellion occurred in 1837. -
William Lyon Mackenzie expresses anger towards government
Mackenzie was angry with the government system and claimed that the officials at the top had all of the power. He used his newspaper, the "Colonial Advocate" to publish articles that insulted his political enemies. His anger eventually led a rebellion in Upper Canada just north of Toronto in December, 1837. -
Lordd Durham arrives in Quebec City
Lord Durham was sent from Britain to Canada on this date for two main reasons. First of all, he was to determine why the recent rebellions in Upper and Lower Canada had occurred. Also, he was to prepare and present a report including recommendations on how to prevent future violence. His report was presented to the Colonial Office on February 4, 1839. Lord Durham's work eventually led the way to responsible government in the Canadas. -
Lord Durham's Report presented to the Colonial Office
Lord Durham had been sent to Quebec City the previous year to carry out two important tasks for the British government. One task was to prepare and present a report making recommendations for avoiding future violence. Key highlights of his report included him wanting to assimilate the French in Lower Canada (i.e. change them into English people over time). He also wanted responsible government in the Canadas. -
Act of Union
On this date, Upper and Lower Canada were united by the Act of Union. The two Canadas (Upper and Lower Canada) would now exist under one name - The Province of Canada (consisting of Canada East and Canada West). The new province would be led by a Governor. There were members appointed to the Executive Council and Legislative Council, as well as a House of Representatives where members were elected (an equal number from Canada East and Canada West).
