THE WHOLE HISTORY OF CANADA
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History of Canada Canada, the land of beavers, hockey and snow but does it really paints the complete picture of the country. The history of Canada is filled with conflicts and struggles. The history of Canada is very vast and interesting, from the arrival of Vikings to the present-day Canada which is home to people of a vast diversity. Long before the foreign armies step their foot on the Canadian land, it was inhabited by the indigenous people of Canada. With start of 15th Century, the French and British expeditions explored, colonized and fought for various parts of North America which later formed The Province of Canada. Different parts of the country were conquered and control by French and British Army. Later the British Armies took control over a vast part of the country after France was defeated in The Seven Year War (called The French and Indian War by Americans). Although the British were the first to claim land on the North American in 1497 when Jon Cabot claimed some North American coasts (modern-day Newfoundland or Nova Scotia) on behalf of King Henry VII. But those claims were not exercised and Britain didn’t make any further attempt to colonize the areas. However as the British didn’t make any further claims at that time, the French started their own expeditions and the first French colony was established in 1534 by the name of Nouvelle France (or New France). After the British won the Seven-year war, they took over all the French colony and signed The Paris Treaty which forced French to completely cease all there businesses and trades except the fishing rights for the Newfoundland. The British controlled Province of Quebec was divided into two different parts, those were Upper and Lower Canada, these remained like this until 1841. In 1894 Upper and Lower Canada unified to form Province of Canada, further down the road in 1867, Province of Canada was further joined by two British colonies to form modern-day Canada. During the American Revolutions, Canadian refused to be a part of the war which led to hatred between Americans and Canadians. Canadians were generally branded as Non-American, which they later decided to be a better suited for them. Over thousands of years of their history, Canada has elements of Indigenous people, French, British and their inner conflicts related to the independence of Quebec. Canada before the Foreign Colonization Indigenous People of Canada Archeological evidence states that North and South America were the last continents to be migrated by the people. During the Wisconsin Glaciation 50,000-17,000 BC, the sea level gradually lowered in this part of the globe which allowed people to migrate into northwest North America. The exact dates of the migrations to American are still debated over by historians and archeologists. First Foreign Contact There are some traces of contact made by The Norse, who had settled the Greenland and Iceland, known as the Vikings. There is evidence of their visit to the North American lands in the 11th Century, in a small settlement built by them at the northernmost tip of Newfoundland. French Colonies in Canada Francis I of France sent the French expedition in hope to expand the French empire overseas. Jacques Cartier planted a cross in the Gaspe Peninsula in 1534 and claimed the name on behalf of Francis I. This led to the establishment of the first French colony in Canada. Further attempts to claim Charlesbourg-Royal, Sable Island and Quebec all failed eventually. In 1608 Champlain founded the Quebec City. This was one of the earliest permanent settlements, which became the capital of New France. This city was further turned into the main center for the New French colony. The Seven Year War After the 17th century, both French and British colonies were looking to expand their empire and trade inside the North American mainland. In 1700’s French colonies were well established along the shores of Saint Lawrence River and Nova Scotia, however with the arrival of the British colonies from the shore. Hudson’s Bay Company was one of the biggest British colonies which laid claim to the Hudson Bay. Rupert’s Land was used to establish new fishing settlements and trade. From 1688 to 1763, 4 French and Indian Wars along with 2 other wars were fought between the Thirteen American colonies of New France and Britain. British army used their unmatchable Navy strength to attack the French colonies through Louisbourg. Canada under the British Rule With the end of The Seven Year War and signing of the Paris Treaty in 1763, France had to agree to cease control of all its colonies in the American land, with an exception of fishing rights in Newfoundland. Some French people who choose to live in the country were made to work small jobs and further, there were various bounds to what they can worship and speak. Later British returned Guadeloupe to France, which was its most important sugar-producing colony, it was considered the most profitable colony in Canada. Canada during World War I The Canadian Army was the part of the WWI to improve their relations with the British and develop good connections with them internally. Canadian Military really achieved a big stature in this war due to the spirit shown by their troops during the battles of Somme, Vimy, and Passchendaele, this period of war was later named as “Canada’s Hundred Days�. This glorious endeavor by the Canadian Military really helped to give a sense of discreet identity to the Canadian Citizens. The reputation earned by the Canadian troops under William George Barker and Billy Bishop really helped to make a mark in the War. The Canadians basically participated in the war due to their relations with the British but by the end of the war, the number of casualties was very high. Around 67,000 soldiers were killed in the war with 173,000 injured and that’s excluding the number of civilians. Canadians realized that the sacrifices made by their own people for the benefit of the British weren’t worth the cost. This led to some political disputes with the British Government. Feminism and Women Suffrage in Canada From 1894 to 1918, Women’s political status was promoted without the vote by National Council of Women of Canada. This suffrage movement proved a really important point in the history of the Canadian women right. While this movement improved the political status of the White women, it was achieved using race-based arguments which later made the situation a little grey. Women did vote in some smaller provinces, where women who own a piece of land were allowed to vote in school trustees. Later in 1916 Manitoba took the lead by providing full Women suffrage. The Military Voters Act of 1917 gave the votes to the war widows and to the women who lost their sons in the aftermath of the war. Prime Minister Borden supported women suffrage in his campaign and he introduced the bill supporting equal women suffrage, which was passed for all the provinces except for Quebec in 1918. Women in Quebec, however, had to wait until 1940 to gain full suffrage. The very first women elected to Parliament was Agnes Macphail, Ontario in 1921. Canadian impact on the World stage after WWI With the great impact of the Canadian troops in the Allied forces, Canadian Prime Minister started to be more assertive, convinced with the fact that Canada has proven itself in the war front, he for a separate seat in the Paris Peace Conference of 1919. After being opposed by the British and the United States, Canada was given a seat in the Conference along with India, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Newfoundland on the basis that these countries lost a large number of soldiers in the war and deserves a place in the Peace Conference. Canada didn’t really alter the proceedings of the Conference by participating in a really modest manner. For them finally having a sit at the table was a matter of great pride. Domestic Conditions of Canada after the war and during The Great Depression After the war was over the Liberal Government take it upon itself to improve the domestic conditions of the country. Liberal Government policies focused on lowering wartime taxes, cooling the wartime tension and defusing postwar conflicts of the labor classes. In 1930s whole America was hit hard by the Great Depression and Canada was no exception. The Great Depression began in 1929 and by 1933 at the depth of the Depression, Unemployment reached 27% and Gross national product dropped by 40%. Many large businesses were forced to close and the exports are dropped by 50% from 1929 to 1933. 30% of the labor force was out of work and nearly one-fifth of the population was completely dependent on the Government for their survival. The sectors which were hit worst by the Depression were the areas depending on the primary industries like farming, mining etc. In 1930, Prime Minister Mackenzie King blew away the effects of the Depression in the country as a temporary swing in the business cycle and refused to give any relief or shelter to the unemployed. He believed that the economy will improve without any Government intervention. Later, the opposition party overthrew the Liberal Party using this blunt wisecrack of the Prime Minister in 1930’s Election. The Conservatives were the winner of 1930’s election and appointed Richard Bedford Bennett. He promisedto resolve the situation by making deal with the Federal Government, but with the Depression getting worse with time. He later attempted to sign a New Deal with United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt but that didn’t really help him to turn around the situation. This led to Mackenzie King getting back to power in the 1935 elections. The worst of Depression was over by 1935 and the things were starting to get better until the WWII broke out in 1939. The end of British Rule in Canada The British Parliament passed the Stature of Westminster in 1931 which put Canada coequal with the United Kingdom. It was a really crucial moment in the Canadian complete independence from the British. Canada in WWII Canada’s involvement in the Second world-war helped to restore its economic status and really boosted its self-confidence, as it played a really crucial role in the Atlantic and Europe. Even after playing a really crucial role in the war by supplying food, and raw materials, Mackenzie King, and Canadians were ignored by Winston Churchill. After the war, the Depression ended and Canada’s economic stature started to extend significantly. Postwar period and relations with the United States After the WWII, prosperity returned to Canada and continued to grow from there. In 1948, the British Government presented three choices in Newfoundland Referendum: First one was to remain a crown colony. The second one was to return to the Dominion status or to join Canada. After a year facing political pressure, finally, Newfoundland voted to join Canada in 1949. Canada was the founding member of NATO and in 1950 Canada sent combat troops to Korea during the Korean War to fight alongside the United States Army. The Quiet Revolution Quebec was one of the most important and debated part of the Canadian Province. In the 1960s, a revolution took place to overthrow the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Quebec and further modernization of the economy and society. This revolution was later called as The Quiet Revolution. Quebec was controlled by the high-class British officials with the French generally working low-level jobs to basically serve the British. The motives of the nationalists to secure French linguistic rights in the province and sovereignty for Quebec led to the electing of Parti Quebecois in Quebec. In 1980, Referendum in Quebec was turned down with 59 % voting against it. In this scenario, Quebec would have been considered independent and will have its own tax and law structure, they will maintain the trades and business with the Canadian Province and also share the same currency. Recent History (Post 1982) By 1982, British Government’s last remaining powers over the Canadian Constitution were ceased by passing a resolution requesting that the British enact a package of constitutional amendments and would create an entirely Canadian process for constitutional amendments we will see you again in the next Article God bless you.
