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Grade 7C History Timeline (2018-2019) - 1713 to 1855
Here is our class's history timeline for 2018-2019! -
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. -
Announcement of the Expulsion of the Acadians
On this date, the British announced to the Acadians that they were to be expelled from their land. They had previously signed an oath declaring them to be British subjects, but didn't have to bear arms in the case of war. As tensions increased between the French and British, the British wanted the Acadians to sign a new oath, declaring that they would fight against the French in the event of war. The Acadians refused and thus were ordered expelled from their lands. -
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 had control of Quebec. -
Battle of Ste. Foy
On this date, François de Lévis and his French force of 5000 engaged 3900 British troops under Colonel James Murray outside the city walls, soundly defeating them. Lévis then laid siege to the town while awaiting reinforcements from France. However, British ships arrived first. Lévis was forced to raise his siege and retreat to Montréal. -
Treaty of Paris, 1763
The French, British, and Spanish signed the Treaty of Paris on this date, concluding the Seven Years' War and giving control of New France to the British. Britain also got control of Ile-Royale (Cape Breton Island) from France, and Florida from Spain. France retained fishing rights in Newfoundland and in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. -
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 Québec Act, 1774
The Québec 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. -
Alexander Mackenzie reaches the Arctic Ocean
After a 40 day journey by canoe, Alexander Mackenzie reached the mouth of the "big river" (also called the Deh-cho River). He thought he reached the Pacific Ocean, which was his original goal, so as to find a route across the Rocky Mountains for the fur trade. He was disappointed to find an unexplored and frozen ocean not navigable by ships. However, this expedition led to future exploration, and Mackenzie found an overland route to the Pacific Ocean four years later. -
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 have land under the seigneurial or freehold system, but only under the freehold system in Upper Canada. -
Isaac Brock dies in the Battle of Queenston Heights
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 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. -
Laura Secord talking to James FitzGibbon about American plans to invade at Beaver Dams
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. She received help from the First Nations on her journey. With this information, the British were able to defeat the Americans. -
Battle of Chateauguay
The Americans were planning to invade Montréal and cut off British supply ties between Montréal and Kingston. Their goal was to hinder British war efforts in Upper Canada. However, leadership and communication were poor on the American side. Although they outnumbered the British by eight times, the British and French as well as First Nations warriors, led by Charles de Salaberry defeated the Americans at Chateauguay. They used horns in the woods to trick the Americans about their numbers. -
Battle of Washington
This battle occurred during the final summer of the War of 1812, when the British attempted to divert the frontiers of the American forces from Upper and Lower Canada. On this date, the British captured the city of Washington and burned numerous public buildings, including the White House. The battle was regarded as a retaliation for the Battle of York in April 1813. -
Treaty of Ghent signed
The War of 1812 officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of Ghent in Belgium on this date. The treaty took five months to negotiate. In the treaty, impressment and the naval blockade were not mentioned, even though these had been among the major reasons the USA had declared war. Boundaries between the USA and British North America went back to the way they were before the war. -
Hudson's Bay Company and North West Company Merger
The Hudson's Bay Company was formed on May 2, 1670. It started as a fur trading company, but with the decline of the fur trading industry, the company began to sell other important goods. It originally owned much of Canada (Rupert's Land) but the land later became part of the new Dominion of Canada in 1870 as part of the Northwest Territories. The HBC was in competition with the North West Company from 1783 until 1821 when it merged with the North West Company, but kept the HBC name. -
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 the 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. -
Treaty of Reciprocity signed between British North America and the USA
On this date, British North America and the United States signed the Reciprocity Treaty. This meant that tariffs would be reduced for trade between the two regions. It allowed free trade on natural products but tariffs still continued on manufactured imports into British North America from the United States. The United States eventually backed out of the treaty in 1865, and the BNA colonies were forced to find new trading options.
