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Control Over New France
After the United Kingdom gained control of New France, hundreds of British merchants settled in Montreal and soon took over the French fur trade. Like the French, they obtained most of their furs from Indians in the Ohio and Mississipi river valleys. -
Carleton
Guy Carleton persuaded the British Parliament to pass the Quebec Act. This act recognized French civil and religious rights. -
Revolutionary War
The Revolutionary War began in America. Ther Americans asked the French Canadians to join their rebellion against the United Kingdom. But the French regarded war mainly as conflict between the United Kingdom and British colonies and chose to remain neutral. -
New Brunswick
After the Revolutionary war began, there were colonists who got known as United Empire Loyalists. The British government created the colony of New Brunswick out of western Nova Scotia for these Loyalists. -
Constitutional Act
The Constitutional Act divided Quebec into two colonies, Lower Canada and Upper Canada. Lower Canada occupied the area along the lower St. Lawrence River. Upper Canada covered the area near the Great Lakes and the upper St. Lawrence. Each colony had its own elected assembly. -
Selkirk
Lord Selkirk, a Scottish colonizer, sent a group of Scottish and Irish immigrants to establish a settlement on the Red River in what is now Manitoba. The settlement became known as the Red River Colony. -
War of 1812
During the war of 1812, American troops tried to capture Upper and Lower Canada. But, British and Canadian troops defeated two major invasion attempts. -
War of 1812 Ends
The Canadian and British forces claimed victory because they had held off much larger American forces. Neither side actually won, but the war promoted a sense of unity and patriotism in Canada. -
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company took over the North West Company and gained control of nearly all Canadian territory west of the Great Lakes. -
Papineau
A revolt broke out in Lower Canada. It was headed by Louis Joseph Papineau, a fiery French Canadian who was a leader in the assembly. British troops and colonial militia quickly crushed the revolt, and the rebel leaders fled to the United States. -
Mackenzie
News of the fighting in Lower Canada triggered a rebellion in Upper Canada. William Lyon Mackenzie, a member of the Reform Party in the assembly, led the revolt. The colonial militia defeated the rebels in a brief battle, and Mackenzie escaped to the United States. -
Durham
Queen Victoia sent Lord Durham, a British diplomat, to investigate the causes of the uprisings. Durham finished his report in 1939. He recommended that Upper and Lower Canada be united. He also recommended that the Canadian colonies be allowed to handle their local affairs. -
Act of Union
The British Parliament passed the Act of Union and this law united the two Canadas into one colony, the Province of Canada. -
Responsible Government
During the 1840's, several colonial leaders fought for responsible government. Many officials in the United Kingdom had come to regard the colonies more as a burden than as a benefit, and they supported the self-government movement. The Province of Canada and Nova Scotia gained responsible government in 1848. Nearly all of the other Canadian colonies received it soon afterward. -
Dominion of Canada
During the mid 1860's, some colonial leaders argued that Canada needed a strong central government to deal with domestic matters. They started a movement for a confederation of the Canadian colonies. This movement led to the formation of the Dominion of Canada. -
British North America Act
The new Dominion had four provinces - New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, and Quebec. Quebec had formerly been Lower Canada, and Ontario had been Upper Canada. The British North America Act provided that other provinces could join the Dominion. John A. Macdoald, leader of the Liberal-Conservative Party, became the country's first prime minister.
