-
1000
First People
Aboriginal Peoples were the first residents in Canada. This includes many different tribes.
While the First People were living in Canada, they had a strong connection to the land. All of their shelters were made from trees and other natural resources found on their land. They also hunted for food and used animal skins for clothing.
Each tribe had their own territory that they lived in and protected. The tribes would trade with each other for resources, and fight to protect their land. -
1397
First Europeans
The Vikings, living on Iceland realized they didn't have enough resources to continue living there so they started building boats and travelling short distances to Europe and Greenland. From there, they were able to expand their resources and travel all the way to Newfoundland where they started to colonize it. -
1497
John Cabot
John Cabot was a European explorer who created the first map of the Atlantic Coast of Canada. While travelling he found resources, such as fish and claimed Newfoundland for England. John Cabot was the person who notified Europeans that there was more land and resources in Canada. -
1534
Jacques Cartier
Jacques Cartier was a European explorer from France. He was the first to explore the St. Lawrence River and colonized the locations that we now know as Quebec City and Montreal. When Jacques landed, he was greeted by members of the Iroquoian tribe who mentioned the word "kanada". To the native people, this word meant "village", however Cartier did not understand their language so he thought that that was the name of this place. Because of this event, we are known as Canada today. -
The Iroquois War
Samuel de Champlain was a french soldier and explorer who built a fortress in Quebec City. The colonist at his fortress were struggling to survive so they became allies with native tribes including the Huron. In the following year, Champlain even helped his allies fight against their known enemies, the Iroquois. This is significant because it is the first time that the Aboriginals and the Europeans worked together, also it is known as the Iroquois War. -
Henry Hudson
Henry Hudson was an English explorer who's goal was to find an ice free passage to Asia. He failed twice and on his third try he sailed into what we now know as Hudson's Bay. After his third failure his crew kicked him off the boat and he was stranded in Hudson's Bay and never seen again. This is significant because Hudson's Bay became a major shipping port for fur trade. The success of the fur trade from Hudson's Bay created the Hudson's Bay company that is well known today. -
Fur Trade
The Aboriginal Tribes had fur that they traded for other resources. This became the biggest industry the Canadian economy had seen at the time. Fur trade created jobs, exploration of the country, more immigration and made allies and enemies from other tribes and settlers. Fur trade was so popular that around the time of 1670-1681, rules were set in place so that only people with a license could control fur trade. -
The Seven Year's War
The Seven's Years war is a war between the British and the French. These two European powers had an ongoing conflict for many years and both wanted full control over North America. Originally, the war started as a fight between the two countries on North American land. However, as the fighting spread, more countries became involved and it became the first World War. The outcome of the war was a triumphant British victory, leaving North America under British control. -
The Treaty of Paris
This treaty is signed to end the Seven Year's War. Since the British had a major victory over the French, the best option was to sign the Treaty of Paris to end the war. This leaves Britain as the dominant power of North America. Quebec is the only place in Canada that, to this day, still embraces their French roots.
