THE CANADIAN CONFEDERATION

THE CANADIAN CONFEDERATION

CULTURA Y CIVILIZACIÓN DE LOS PUEBLOS DE HABLA INGLESA I

The Canadian Confederation was not born out of revolution or a sweeping outburst of nationalism like other nations such as the United States of America or the French Republic. Instead, it was created in a series of conferences and orderly negotiations, culminating in the terms of Confederation on 1 July 1867.

(Adapted from The Canadian Encyclopedia, 2018)

In the following presentation, you will explore the events and developments which led to the establishment of the Confederation of Canada. Consult the compulsory bibliography and follow the links provided in this presentation to get a general understanding of the topic. While you study the material, we invite you to organise the information in a chart. You can download the chart clicking on the interactive element. We will discuss the content of this lesson in the in-person session.

compulsory BIBLIOGRAPHY

The northern half of the North American continent attracted human activity many hundreds -even thousands- of years before anyone dreamt of the possibility of a Canadian nation.

(Metcalfe, 1982, p.84)

Read chapter 2 of Metcalfe's Understanding Canada. Then, watch the following video and analyse the map to learn more about the first invaders of Canada.

Use the information gathered from your analysis to answer the questions in the interactive element.

By the end of the fifteenth century the maritime countries of Western Europe (...) were ready to strike directly across the Atlantic Ocean in an effort to control and to exploit the resources of the Western Ehmisphere. (...) From the start, The English and the French were rivals for the control of North America.

(Metcalfe, 1982, pp. 84- 85)

Based on the information you have read from Metcalfe's chapter, examine the sources below and answer the questions in relation to each of the explorers.

1610-1611 HENRY HUDSON

1497-1498 JOHN CABOT

1608 SAMUEL DE CHAMPLAIN

1535-1536 JACQUES CARTIER

In 1756, Great Britain was at war with a great European power in the American continent. This bellic conflict came to be known as the Seven Years' War and it was a crucial turning point in Canadian history.

Read Gonzalez del Pino’s essay The Independence of the British North American Colonies. Then read the article by History.com to learn more about the Seven Years' War.

NOW TEST YOUR KNOWLEDgE OF THE SEVEN YEARS' WAR

Finally, analyse the map and based on the information read and analysed, answer the question in the interactive element.

By the Paris Treaty of 1763, Quebec oficially became a province of the British Empire, and the British expected the French-Canadians would soon assimilate the English ways. In practice, however, Quebec remained overwhelmingly French in language and customs, which led to the passing of the Quebec Act of 1774.

Read Mectalfe's and Gonzalez del Pino's chapters again and take down notes to complete the chart with the changes introduced by the Quebec Act of 1774. Then analyse the quote from Metcalfe and answer the questions in the interactive element.

THE QUEBEC ACT (1774)

For many years the act was seen by many, perhaps most, French Canadians as a sort of Magna Carta that safeguarded their rights and enabled them to survive as a distinct people in North America.

(Metcalfe, 1982, p. 89)

From 1775 to 1781, Great Britain was at war with its American Colonies, as the colonies had rebelled against the colonial authorities. The conflict ended by the Treaty of Paris of 1783, through which Great Britain formally recognized the independence of the United States.

Analyse the maps below to explore the consequences that the American Revolutionary Wars and Independence of the American colonies had on the British North American colonies. Based on Gonzalez del Pino's essay, on Metcalfe's chapter and on the information gathered from the sources, answer the questions given to explore such consequences.

In 1838, the British politician Lord Durham was sent to British North America by the Crown. The new governor quickly understood the danger that Canada was facing . Upon his return to England, Durham wrote the Report on the Affairs of British North America.

Analyse the following map. Based on Gonzalez del Pino's essay, on Metcalfe's chapter and on your analysis, answer the questions given.

Although one of Lord Durham's reccommendations had already been achieved in the 1840s, self-government was yet to be granted to the Canadian politicians.

Watch the video "The Words That Shaped Canada: The British North America Act" and analyse the map below. Based on Gonzalez del Pino's essay, on Metcalfe's chapter and on the information gathered and analysed answer the questions in the interactive element.

Today, the Confederation of Canada is made up of ten provinces and three territories extending from the Pacific to the Atlantic oceans.

Watch the following video to learn more about the territorial evolution of Canada from the creation of the Dominion with only four provinces in 1867 up to the present.

Mauris euismod quam rutrum, sagittis orci quis

Although the Canadian Confederation enjoyed a certain degree of self-determination, it did not become fully independent until the 20th century. Two important documents played a crucial role in the process towards the independence of the Dominion of Canada. We will study them next year in Culture II.

Statute of Westminster(1931)

Constitution Act (1981)

At the beginning of this presentation, we invited you to complete a chart.

Please, bring it to the in-person session and be ready to discuss its content.

THANK YOU