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Seven Year War
The Seven Year War or in North America the French Indian War was a worldwide war between the British and French and each of their Allies. In North America, it was a fight over the land and colonies. It ended in the Paris Treaty where the French ceded almost all their North American land to the British. This event set the groundwork for all future events that led toward Canadian Confederation. Had this battle been lost, Canada would likely not be what it is today. -
Invasion of Quebec
During the American Revolutionary War, American forces under Richard Montgomery and Benedict Arnold attempted to invade Montreal and Quebec in the hope of convincing the French to support the American cause in Canada. They successfully sieged Montreal but were halted by the fortification and strategic defence of Quebec's governor Guy Carleton. This led to a fear of future American invasion. This fear became a major motivator for many provinces to join the Confederation. -
First Loyalists Arrive
During the American Revolution, American colonists who supported the British (called Loyalists) migrated to Canada. Tens of thousands settled in the Maritime Provinces and along the Saint Lawrence River. This increase in population led to the creation of Upper Canada and New Brunswick. Both New Brunswick and Ontario (which was Upper Canada) both heavily supported Confederation. -
War of 1812
Upon Americans being stopped from trading in Europe by the British, the Americans finally declared war on Britain after trying so hard to stay neutral during the great European War. British colonies became America's easiest way to attack Britain. For Canadians, the war was a series of invasions and defences against a greater power. BNA colonies held defence almost wholly by themselves. In turn, this contributed to Canada's growing sense of national identity. -
Rebellions in Upper and Lower Canada
In 1838 and 1837 rebels in Upper and Lower Canada led attacks against their Crown, government and political state. They were motivated by frustration with political reform and fought in hopes of changing the balance of political power towards the people's needs. The incidents' aftermath led to the Durham Report, which led to both the Act of Union and a responsible government. This event led to the creation of the Province of Canada, a big supporter of Confederation. -
Charlottetown Conference
The Charlottetown Conference was a conference held in Charlottetown, PEI. Originally, it was a planned meeting to discuss Canadian Confederation among Novia Scotia, New Brunswick and PEI. Later, however, it included the Province of Canada and Newfoundland as they had requested to be a part of the discussion. This was the seed of Canadian Union. This event became the grounds for many similar discussions that quickly led to the union of the BNA colonies. -
Reciprocity Treaty Ends
After 12 years of free trade between the BNA colonies and America, the Reciprocity Treaty ended for various political and economic reasons. In the BNA colonies, there was a rising fear of being absorbed by America. While in America, they feared they were granting British colonies too much power and influence. It ended on March 17, 1866. The end of this trade treaty became the main impulse for places like PEI and Newfoundland to join the confederation. -
BNA Act
On July 1st, 1867, the British North America Act was passed. It created the Dominion of Canada linking together Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick setting out Canada's constitution and declaring it a country. This BNA Act marked the beginning of the country we know today. Although future events continued to assimilate other BNA colonies into the Dominion of Canada, this event was the very beginning of Canadian Confederation! -
The Purchasing of Rupert's Land
Three years after the Confederation, the Government under John A. Macdonald purchased Rupert's land from the Hudson Bay Company for $1.5 million. The purchase was made in response to America buying Alaska from Russia, as they were scared they wanted to buy Rupert's land as well. The HBC sold because they were unable to fund the new settlements on their land. Settlements on Rupert's land became key parts of Canada, such as Manitoba, Alberta, Saskatchewan etc.. -
PEI Railway Construction
1871 marked the beginning of the building of the Prince Edward Island Railway. It was built under the supervision of Chief Engineer John Edward. It eventually spanned the whole island from east to west. Due to poor governmental planning, the project quickly went over budget. This project left the island with a crippling $3.25 million dollar debt, which eventually forced them into confederation.
