Canada's History Flashcards
What did the European explorers of Canada first call the native people occupying the region and why?
Indians, because the first explorers thought they had reached the East Indies.
What type of people were famously farmers and hunters?
The Huron-Wendat of the Great Lakes region, like the Iroquois
Who were hunter-gatherers?
The Cree and Dene of the Northwest
Who were nomadic?
The Sioux followed the bison (buffalo) herd.
Who lived off arctic wildlife?
The Inuit
Who preserved fish and how did they do it?
The West Coast by drying and smoking
Where was warfare common and why?
Among Aboriginal groups as they competed for land, resources and prestige.
What event changed the native way of life?
The arrival of European traders, missionaries, soldiers and colonists
Why did a large number of Aboriginals die?
Because of European diseases to which they lacked immunity.
Which provinces did the Vikings reach?
Labrador and the island of Newfoundland.
What is the name of the remains of the Vikings’ settlement?
l’Anse aux Meadows. They are a world heritage site.
Who was the first to draw a map of Canada’s East Coast?
John Cabot
When did European exploration start and with who?
1497 with the expedition of John Cabot
What did Jacques Cartier do?
Between 1534 and 1542, Jacques Cartier made three voyages across the Atlantic, claiming the land for King Francis I of France.
When did Canada start appearing on maps?
1550s.
Who established the first European settlement north of Florida and when?
French explorers Pierre de Monts and Samuel de Champlain in 1604
Where did Pierre de Monts and Samuel de Champlain establish European settlement?
first on St. Croix Island (in present-day Maine), then at Port-Royal, in Acadia (present-day Nova Scotia)
Who built a fortress at what is now Quebec City and when?
Champlain in 1608
Who were the Iroquois?
A confederation of five (later six) First Nations who battled with the French settlements for a century
Who did Champlain ally the colony with?
The Algonquin, Montagnais, and Huron,
When did the French and the Iroquois make peace?
1701
What did the French and Aboriginal people collaborate on?
Fur-trade economy driven by the demand for beaver pelts in Europe
Which leaders built a French Empire in North America that reached from Hudson Bay to the Gulf of Mexico?
Jean Talon, Bishop Laval, and Count Frontenac
What did King Charles II do in 1670?
He granted the Hudson’s Bay Company exclusive trading rights over the watershed draining into Hudson Bay.
Who did the Hudson Bay company compete with?
Montreal-based traders
Who were the voyageurs and coureurs des bois?
The skilled and courageous men who travelled by canoe. They formed alliance with First Nations.
When did France and Great Britain battle for control of North America?
1700s.
What historic event occurred in 1759
British defeated the French in the Battle of the Plains of Abraham at Québec City — marking the end of France’s empire in America. The commanders of both armies, Brigadier James Wolfe and the Marquis de Montcalm, were killed leading their troops in battle.
Following the war, what did Great Britain rename the colony?
The province of Quebec
What are thhe Frenchspeaking Catholic people referred to as?
Habitants or Canadiens
When did the British parliament pass the Quebec Act?
1774
What did the Quebec Act do?
It accommodated the principles of British institutions to the reality of the province. It allowed religious freedom for Catholics and permitted them to hold public office, a practice not then allowed in Britain. The Quebec Act restored French civil law while maintaining British criminal law.
How many British colonies to the south of Quebec declared independence and formed the United States and when?
13 in 1776
Who were the “Loyalists”?
A group of more than 40,000 people loyal to the Crown who fled the oppression of the American Revolution to settle in Nova Scotia and Quebec.
Who was Joseph Brant?
He led thousands of Loyalist Mohawk Indians into Canada.
Who were the Loyalists made up of?
Dutch, German, British, Scandinavian, Aboriginal and other origins and from Presbyterian, Anglican, Baptist, Methodist, Jewish, Quaker, and Catholic religious backgrounds
How many Black loyalists came north?
About 3000
What is Freetown, Sierra Leone (West Africa) and when was it established?
In 1792, some black Nova Scotians, who were given poor land, moved on to establish Freetown, Sierra Leone (West Africa), a new British colony for freed slaves.
When and where was the first democratic representative assembly elected?
Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 1758
When did Prince Edward elect the first democratic representative assembly?
1773
When did New Brunswick elect the first democratic representative assembly?
1785
What is the Constitutional Act?
It divided the Province of Quebec into Upper Canada (later Ontario), which was mainly Loyalist, Protestant and English-speaking, and Lower Canada (later Quebec), heavily Catholic and French-speaking.
When was the Constitutional Act created?
1791
What did the Constitutional Act do?
It granted to the Canadas, for the first time, legislative assemblies elected by the people. The name Canada also became official at this time
What is collectively known as British North America?
The Atlantic colonies and the two Canadas
When was the first movement to abolish the transatlantic slave trade?
Late 1700s by the British Parliament
Which became the first province in the Empire to move toward abolition of slavery? Who led the movement and when?
Upper Canada in 1793 by Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe
When did the British Parliament prohibited the buying and selling of slaves?
1807
When did the British Parliament abolish slavery throughout the Empire?
1833
What is known as the Christian anti-slavery network?
Underground Railroad
When were the first companies in Canada formed and for what trade?
During the French and British regimes. They competed for the fur trade
Where were employees of the Hudson Bay Company from?
They were French, British, and Aboriginal
Where did the Hudson Bay Company dominate the trade?
In the northwest from Fort Garry (Winnipeg) and Fort Edmonton to Fort Langley (near Vancouver) and Fort Victoria
When did the first financial institutions open?
The late 18th and early 19th centuries
When did the Montreal stock exchange open?
1832
What was Canada’s economy based on for centuries?
Mainly on farming and on exporting natural resources such as fur, fish and timber, transported by roads, lakes, rivers and canals.
When was the fight for Canada?
1812
Who was defeated in the Battle of Trafalgar and when was it?
Napoleon Bonaparte’s fleet in 1805
Who ruled after the defeat of Napolean Bonaparte’s fleet?
The Royal Navy
Who launched an invasion on Canada in June 1812?
The United States
What occurred in July 1812?
Major-General Sir Isaac Brock captured Detroit but was killed while defending against an American attack at Queenston Heights, near Niagara Falls, a battle the Americans lost.
What occurred in 1813?
The Americans burned Government House and the Parliament Buildings in York (now Toronto).
What ocurred in 1814?
Major-General Robert Ross led an expedition from Nova Scotia that burned down the White House and other public buildings in Washington, D.C. Ross died in battle soon afterwards and was buried in Halifax with full military honours.
What is the present-day Canada-U.S.A border partly an outocome of?
The War of 1812, which ensured that Canada would remain independent of the United States
What kind of Canadian defence system did the British Parliament pay for?
The Citadels at Halifax and Québec City, the naval drydock at Halifax and Fort Henry at Kingston
Why were there rebellions in 1830s?
Reformers in Upper and Lower Canada believed that progress toward full democracy was too slow.
When did armed rebellions occur and where?
Between 1837-1838 in the area outside Montreal and Toronto. The rebels did not have enough public support to succeed. They were defeated by British troops and Canadian volunteers.
Who was Lord Durham?
An English reformer sent to report on the rebellions who recommended that Upper and Lower Canada be merged and given responsible government. This meant that the ministers of the Crown must have the support of a majority of the elected representatives in order to govern.
What was controversial about Lord Durham’s opinions?
The quickest way for the Canadiens to achieve progress was to assimilate into English-speaking Protestant culture. This recommendation demonstrated a complete lack of understanding of French Canadians, who sought to uphold the distinct identity of French Canada.
Which two reformers became Fathers of Confederation?
Sir Étienne-Paschal Taché and Sir George-Étienne Cartier
Which former member of the voluntary government militia in Upper Canada became a Father of Confederartion?
Sir John A. Macdonald.
When was Upper and Lower Canada united as the Province of Canada?
1840
Who worked with British governors toward responsible government?
Reformers such as Sir Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine and Robert Baldwin, in parallel with Joseph Howe in Nova Scotia
Which British North American colony was the first to attain full responsible government and when?
Nova Scotia 1847-1848
What ocurred in 1848–49?
The governor of United Canada, Lord Elgin, with encouragement from London, introduced responsible government.
What is the legal system we have today?
If the government loses a confidence vote in the assembly it must resign.
Who became the first leader of a responsible government in the Canadas?
La Fontaine
Which regions worked together to establish a new country and when?
Representatives of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and the Province of Canada, with British support from 1864-1867.
What two levels of government were created by Fathers of the Confederation?
Federal and Provincial
Which two new provinces was the old Province of Canada split into?
Ontario and Quebec, which, together with New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, formed the new country called the Dominion of Canada.
When was the British North America Act passed?
1867
When was The Dominion of Canada officially born?
July 1, 1867
How long was July 1 celebrated as “Dominion Day”?
Till 1982
What does Dominion Day celebrate?
The day that Canada became a self-governing Dominion. Today it is officially known as Canada Day.
Who suggested the term “Dominion of Canada” and when did they suggest it?
Sir Leonard Tilley, an elected official and Father of Confederation in 1864
Where was Sir Leonard Tilley from?
New Brunswick
What inspired Sir Leonard Tilley for the name Dominion of Canada?
Psalm 72 in the Bible
When was the expansion of the Dominion for the various provinces?
1867 — Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick
1870 — Manitoba, Northwest Territories (N.W.T.)
1871 — British Columbia
1873 — Prince Edward Island
1880 — Transfer of the Arctic Islands (to N.W.T.)
1898 — Yukon Territory
1905 — Alberta, Saskatchewan
1949 — Newfoundland and Labrador
1999 — Nunavut
What region did people believe should be part of Canada in the 1920s?
British West Indies (British territories in the Caribbean Sea)
Who was Canada’s first prime minister?
Sir John Alexander Macdonald
When was Sir John Alexander Macdonald elected?
1867
When was Sir John Alexander Macdonald born?
January 11, 1815 in Scotland
Whose portrait is on the 10$ bill?
Sir John Alexander Macdonald
Who was the key architect of Confederation from Quebec?
Sir George-Étienne Cartier
What did Sir George-Étienne Cartier do?
Led Quebec into Confederation and helped negotiate the entry of the Northwest Territories, Manitoba and British Columbia into Canada.
Who is Louis Riel and what did he do?
When Canada took over the vast northwest region from the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1869, the 12,000 Métis of the Red River were not consulted. In response, Louis Riel led an armed uprising and seized Fort Garry, the territorial capital.
When did Ottawa send soldiers to retake Fort Garry?
1870
When did Canada establish Manitoba?
When Riel fled to the United States
Why was Riel executed?
As Métis and Indian rights were again threatened by westward settlement, a second rebellion in 1885 in present-day Saskatchewan led to Riel’s trial and execution for high treason, a decision that was strongly opposed in Quebec.
Why was the North West Mounted Police (NWMP) created?
After the first Métis uprising, Prime Minister Macdonald established the North West Mounted Police (NWMP) in 1873 to pacify the West and assist in negotiations with the Indians.
What are some centres that are now cities and towns which were founded by the NWMP?
Fort Calgary, Fort MacLeod
Where was the NWMP headquarters?
Regina
What is Canada’s national police force today?
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP or “the Mounties”)
When did British Columbia join Canada?
In 1871 after Ottawa promised to build a railway to the West Coast.
When did Donald Smith (Lord Strathcona) drive the last spike?
On November 7, 1885
How was the Railway project financed and built?
By British and American investors and built by both European and Chinese labour.
What was the discriminatory policy?
After the Railway project the Chinese were subject to discrimination, including the Head Tax, a race-based entry fee. The Government of Canada apologized in 2006 for this discriminatory policy.
When did Canada’s economy become more industrialized?
During the economic boom of the 1890s and early 1900s
How many British and Americans immigrated to Canada during the economic boom?
One million British and one million Americans
Who was Sir Wilfrid Laurier?
The first French-Canadian prime minister since Confederation and encouraged immigration to the West
Whose portrait is on the $5 bill?
Sir Wilfrid Laurier
What is special about the railway system?
It made it possible for immigrants, including 170,000 Ukrainians, 115,000 Poles and tens of thousands from Germany, France, Norway and Sweden to settle in the West before 1914 and develop a thriving agricultural sector
How many people volunteered to fight in the Boer war and when was it?
Over 7000 people volunteered to fight in the South African War of 1899–1902?
Which battles did Canada fight in during 1900?
The battles of Paardeberg (“Horse Mountain”) and Lillefontein, victories that strengthened national pride in Canada.
When did Ottawa form the Canadian Expeditionary Force (later the Canadian Corps)?
When Germany attacked Belgium and France in 1914 and Britain declared war. More than 600,000 Canadians served in the war.
What secured Canada’s reputation as “the shock troops of the British Empire.”?
The Canadian Corps captured Vimy Ridge in April 1917, with 10,000 killed or wounded.
What day is celebrated as Vimy day?
April 9
What did Ottawa do between 1914-1920?
Ottawa interned over 8,000 former Austro-Hungarian subjects, mainly Ukrainian men, as “enemy aliens” in 24 labour camps across Canada.
When did he Canadian Corps advance alongside the French and British Empire troops in the last hundred days?
In 1918, under the command of General Sir Arthur Currie.
What wars did the Canadians fight in 1918?
The victorious Battle of Amiens on August 8, 1918, followed by Arras, Canal du Nord, Cambrai and Mons.
When did Germany and Austria’s surrender?
The war ended in the Armistice on November 11, 1918
What was the effort by women to achieve the right to vote known as?
The women’s suffrage movement.
Who founded the women’s sufferage movement in Canada?
Dr. Emily Stowe, the first Canadian woman to practise medicine in Canada.
Which province became the first to grant voting rights to women?
Manitoba in 1916
When did the federal government of Sir Robert Borden give women the right to vote in federal elections ?
In 1917, thanks to the leadership of women such as Dr. Stowe and other suffragettes
Which women were first allowed to vote?
First to nurses at the battle front, then to women who were related to men in active wartime service.
When were most Canadian female citizens aged 21 and over granted the right to vote in federal elections?
1918
Who is Agnes Macphail?
In 1921 Agnes Macphail, a farmer and teacher, became the first woman MP.
When did Quebec grant women the vote?
Due to the work of Thérèse Casgrain and others, Quebec granted women the vote in 1940.
When is rememberance day?
November 11
What occurs on Rememberance day?
Canadians wear the red poppy and observe a moment of silence at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month to honour the sacrifices of over a million brave men and women who have served, and the 110,000 who have given their lives
What poem is recited on Rememberance day and who wrote it and when?
Canadian medical officer Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae composed the poem “In Flanders Fields” in 1915.
When did the British Empire evolve into the British Commonwealth of Nations?
After the First World War
Who is apart of the Commonwealth to this day?
Canada, India, Australia, New Zealand, and several African and Caribbean countries.
What were the roaring twenties?
The boom times, with prosperity for businesses and low unemployment.
What happened during the stock market crash of 1929?
It led to the Great Depression or the “Dirty Thirties.” Unemployment reached 27% in 1933 and many businesses were wiped out. Farmers in Western Canada were hit hardest by low grain prices and a terrible drought.
Why and when was the Bank of Canada created?
There was growing demand after the Great Depression for the government to create a social safety net with minimum wages, a standard work week and programs such as unemployment insurance. The Bank of Canada, a central bank to manage the money supply and bring stability to the financial system, was created in 1934. Immigration dropped and many refugees were turned away, including Jews trying to flee Nazi Germany in 1939.
When did Canada take part in the liberation of Italy?
1943–44
What is D-Day?
The invasion of Normandy in northern France on June 6, 1944, known as D-Day, 15,000 Canadian troops stormed and captured Juno Beach from the German Army,
When did the Canadian army liberate Netherlands?
1944-1945
When did Canada help force German surrender?
May 8 1945
When did Canada join World War II of 1939?
Canada joined with its democratic allies in the fight to defeat tyranny by force of arms.
How many Canadians fought in WWII and how many died?
More than one million Canadians and Newfoundlanders (Newfoundland was a separate British entity) served in the Second World War, out of a population of 11.5 million. This was a high proportion and of these, 44,000 were killed.
Which wars did Canadian troops lose during WWII?
They suffered losses in the unsuccessful defence of Hong Kong (1941) from attack by Imperial Japan, and in a failed raid on Nazi-controlled Dieppe on the coast of France (1942).
What is special about the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) during WWII?
They took part in the Battle of Britain and provided a high proportion of Commonwealth aircrew in bombers and fighter planes over Europe. Moreover, Canada contributed more to the Allied air effort than any other Commonwealth country, with over 130,000 Allied air crew trained in Canada under the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan.
What did The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) do during WWII?
It saw its finest hour in the Battle of the Atlantic, protecting convoys of merchant ships against German submarines. Canada’s Merchant Navy helped to feed, clothe and resupply Britain. At the end of the Second World War, Canada had the third-largest navy in the world.
What ocurred during the Pacific war?
In the Pacific war, Japan invaded the Aleutian Islands, attacked a lighthouse on Vancouver Island, launched fire balloons over B.C. and the Prairies, and grossly maltreated Canadian prisoners of war captured at Hong Kong.
When did Japan surrender which ended the four years of war in the Pacific?
August 14, 1945
What led to the relocation of Canadians of Japanese origin by the federal government and the sale of their property without compensation?
The state of war and public opinion in B.C
When did the Canadian government apologize for wartime wrongs and compensate the victims?
1988
