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Treaty of Utrecht
A formal agreement signed between the French and British which ended the War of the Spanish Succession. -
Treaty of Portsmouth
A treaty signed with the intention of ending territorial disagreements between the British and Wabanaki. -
Father Rale's War
A series of conflicts and battles fought between the British and the Wabanaki Confederacy as a result of the breaking of the Treaty of Portsmouth a few years prior. -
Acadian Expulsion/Great Upheaval
A historical event in which thousands of Acadians were violently removed from their homes and forced to leave their homeland in Acadia by the British. -
Beginning of the Seven Years War
A war caused by rising tensions and smaller conflicts fought for territorial gain mainly between the French and the British, but involved many other countries fighting for many different reasons as well. -
Treaty of Paris/End of the Seven Years War
A treaty signed between European countries which formally ended the 7 Years War. -
Attack On Fort Michilimackinac
A surprise attack launched by Chief Pontaic and the First Nations against the fort, resulting in victory, and later, attempts at peace between the two sides. -
Creation of Royal Proclamation
An official declaration that the British were taking over the government of Quebec, as well as supposedly establishing peace with the First Nations by reserving land and hunting/fishing grounds for them. -
Start of the American Revolution
Tensions following the Seven Years War, and a high cost that came with the colonies, the British Government started to tax the colonists, causing the colonists to begin demanding representation in the British Government. On April 27, 1773, a group of colonists protested this by disguising themselves as First Nations people, and dumping the tea from British ships into the water. This became known as the Boston Tea Party, starting the chain of events leading to the beginning of the war in 1775. -
Loyalist Migration Starts
Loyalists, who were settlers in North America who supported British rule, faced increased harassment from local patriots after the American Revolution started, and chose or were forced to leave the Thirteen Colonies and settle elsewhere. -
The Quebec Act is Passed
An act of the British Parliament which reversed many of the laws set in place by the Royal Proclamation and granted the people rights they had previously lost such as religious freedoms, restoration of the french civil law system, and an expansion of french territory. The last part cut into the First Nations land previously reserved for hunting/fishing. -
The French Revolution
An overthrow of the French monarchy by the french people in retaliation for economic struggles and unequal treatment that may have been influenced by the American Revolution a decade prior. -
Constitutional Act of 1791
An act that reformed the province of Quebec, dividing it in two in order to accommodate the loyalists displaced following the American Revolution. The province was split into upper and lower Canada, and were named by their location relative to the St.Lawrence River. The Eastern half became Lower Canada, and is modern day Southern Quebec, and the Western half became Upper Canada, which is now Southern Ontario. -
Napoleonic wars
A series of major conflicts between Britain and France, they are named after Napoleon Bonaparte, a military leader, and the ruler of France, who pitted the French Empire against other European powers, and were in a position to overtake Britain. -
Start of the War of 1812
Tension between the Americans and the British had been rising for a while, and both sides desperately wanted to expand their territories, some politicians even supported the idea of war, so on June 18, 1812, the United States of America officially declared war on Britain. -
Siege of Detroit
The Americans saw Detroit as a key location that would allow them to invade Upper Canada, and they hoped to interrupt communications between the British and their allies. The Americans had a strategy to scare the colonists into surrendering to them, which failed, and the Americans surrendered after heave fire from British ships. This battle helped the British solidify alliances with First Nations, as it was early in the war. -
Battle of Queenston
A battle that took place in the town of Queenston, Niagara, where American troops advanced, and killed general Sir Isaac Brock as he was leading his troops up the hill. More British troops arrived a few hours later accompanied by First Nations warriors, and reduced the American army to American militia, who refused to fight on the Canadian side of the border. The British came out victorious, which gave them a significant victory. -
Battle of York
York was a strategic location where weapons and gunpowder were stored, it also housed a massive ship which was under construction. The Americans were under the assumption that control of the ship would equal control of the great lakes. On April 17, 1813, 1700 American troops attacked York, where they proceeded to defeat the British and a group of First Nations warriors. However, as the British retreated, they set off an explosion which blew up most of the fort and caused many deaths. -
Battle of Châteauguay
An American attack where they planned to hinder British war efforts in Upper Canada and cut off British supply ties between Montréal and Kingston by invading Montréal. They were fooled however, by British soldiers blowing horns to trick the Americans into thinking they were outnumbered, and poor leadership and communication led to American retreat. -
Battle of Lundy’s Lane
A battle that took place near Niagara Falls with an extreme lack of light, which led to confusion on the battlefield, resulting in both sides accidentally killing some of their own men. Eventually, the Americans withdrew to build their defences at Fort Erie. The British claimed victory from this battle even though there was no clear winner. -
Siege of Fort Erie
A siege laid on For Eried to force the Americans out of their stronghold. The British fought alongside many First Nations groups, but were unable to defeat the Americans and finally withdrew on September 21. Later, the Americans abandoned the fort due to a shortage of supplies, retreating to American territory in Buffalo, blowing up the fort to render it useless to the British before leaving. The Americans claimed victory from this battle even though there was no clear winner. -
The Burning of Washington
A British attack on Washington, which was the capital of the United States, as retaliation for the loss at the battle of York, setting fire to the White House, which held the Library of Congress, the treasury building, and the navy yard, the next day when the fire was put out, only one building was standing. -
Treaty of Ghent
A treaty signed in Belgium which officially ended the War of 1812, this treaty returned the country to the way it was before the war, returning any territory won by either side. -
Cholera Epidemic
An illness carried to Quebec through the Carrick, a ship that came from Ireland through a few infected immigrants. This quickly spread through many poor neighborhoods, boosted by the contamination of these locations, and took over 7,500 lives by the end of the year. -
First Lower Canada Rebellion
A rebellion staged by French-Canadian Patriotes from lower Canada, who were stopped two days later due to the lack of equipment and leadership on the part of the Patriotes. -
Upper Canada Rebellion
A less violent affair, this time led in Upper Canada, staged in demand for democratic reform. -
Second Lower Canada Rebellion
Another rebellion set by the Patriotes with help from American sympathizers took place in early November, with fights lasting a week before it was put down by local volunteers. -
The Act of the Union
An act in response to the rebellions which created the province of Canada by uniting the colonies of Upper and Lower Canada. -
Responsible government in Canada
A government that takes the voices of the people in the form of a cabinet relying on the support of an elected assembly as opposed to a monarch or their representatives, this took act in the province of Canada in 1849.