Canadian Imperialism

1078 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: History of canada essay

Canada spans more than any other country in the world except for Russia. It has vast forests from coast to coast with little patches of civilization. Canada is viewed as a well established county, even though it only gained its full independence from Great Britain in 1982. Although this means that Canada is relatively a young country, it took centuries to get to this point. Canada was first inhabited by Native Americans, notably the Inuits. Canada was then discovered by the Vikings, and a few centuries later, by an Italian explorer, John Cabot, who claimed Newfoundland for England in 1497. However, a successful colony was never actually established in Canada until the mid 1500s.
France’s colonization of Canada began in 1534 when French …show more content…

Once in Canada, Champlain undertook his most ambitious project – the founding of Quebec. With thirty-two other colonists, Champlain established a fort in what is now known as Quebec City. Here, a fur-trading center was established, becoming the hub for French fur-trading. Champlain became allies with the Hurons and other tribes in the vicinity, and built trading relationships in order to manufacture more goods, especially beaver-fur, which was very popular in Europe at the time. Because of the shortages of beaver-fur and the diseases that came along with the influx of European settlers, the Iroquoians became even more hostile towards the French Canadians. So, in the summer of 1609, the French fought the first major battle against the hostile Iroquois. This resulted in a bitter relationship that would last for over a century. The disputes would eventually be dwarfed by a war that would involve the French and the British, where Canada shifted hands from the former to the …show more content…

One of the main events that lead up into the war were the battles of the Ohio River valley, a key location that had imperial potential. In the early 1750s, the French expanded into British territory in the Ohio County. Both countries wanted the land for different things, especially for strategic and economic reasons, fur trade, and possibly for a new settlement. The tension was first broken in 1753, when a young George Washington lead troops into the Ohio River valley, with demands the the French withdraw from the territory. The French refused, and a few months in 1754, both sides clashed in multiple battles. However, an official war was never declared until May 1756, when Britain declared war on France, thus marking the beginning of seven years of war. This was later known as the Seven Years War, notably the French and Indian

Show More
Related

  • Comparing King Williams War And Queen Anne's War

    688 Words  | 2 Pages

    Both countries wanted to assert more control over their colonists and maintain it. In 1749 France began building forts from “Lake Erie to the Forks of the Ohio.” In 1744 under the Treaty of Lancaster, Iroquois chiefs had sold right to “trade at the Forks of the Ohio to Virginia land speculators.” Virgina took this to mean that they would have rights to the land for eventual settlement. Both the Ohio Valley Indian and the French objected to this. In May of 1754, Virginia sent out Washington and some of his soldiers to protect Virginia’s interest and the French stuck back and basically started the French and Indian War. Washington and his men won the battle. In July of that same year, France attacked Washington while at Fort Necessity and her had to surrender. The Delaware and Shawnee Indians joined with France in the French and Indian War. In Europe in 1756 it took off as the Seven Years’ War. In the first phase of the war in North America the French had decisive victories through guerilla war fare by the Indians. Both the English and the French started using European style warfare and this proved a poor decision for both, but especially France. Britain backed off the this strategy

    Read More

  • Political Analysis Of The Salem Witch Trials In America

    2717 Words  | 6 Pages

    The French and Indian War was the biggest war of America’s history at the time, and ended a bit over of a decade before the Revolution in 1763, after lasting 9 years. Britain and France’s conflict over the Ohio River Valley and who claimed ownership of it was a big reason for this war, and the formation of allies that The Colonies and the Native Indians made with Britain and France, respectively, added even more of the bitter taste between The Colonies and Natives. The war ended with the British winning and with the Treaty of Paris. America was expanded to the Mississippi River. George Washington, who would later become one of the Country 's most important founding fathers, fought in this war.

    Read More

  • French Fur Trade

    916 Words  | 2 Pages

    Beginning in the mid sixteenth century, French explorers were able to establish a powerful and lasting presence in what is now the Northern United States and Canada. The explorers placed much emphasis on searching and colonizing the area surrounding the St. Lawrence River “which gave access to the Great Lakes and the heart of the continent”(Microsoft p?). They began exploring the area around 1540 and had early interactions with many of the Natives, which made communication easier for both peoples when the French returned nearly fifty years later. The French brought a new European desire for fur with them to America when they returned and began to trade with the Indians for furs in order to supply the European demands. The Natives and the French were required to interact with each other in order to make these trades possible, and, over time, the two groups developed a lasting alliance. However, the French began to face strong competition in the fur trading industry, which caused many problems between different European nations and different native tribes. Therefore, the trading of fur allowed early seven- teenth century French explorers to establish peaceful relations with the Natives, however, com- petitive trading also incited much quarreling between competing colonies and Indian tribes.

    Read More

  • Canada's Autonomy: The Chanak Affair Of 1922

    921 Words  | 2 Pages

    A century ago, Canada was under control by the British Empire. The battles we fought the treaties we signed and the disputes we solved all helped us gain independence from our mother country “Britain”. Canadians fought a long battle protecting others, and from these battles we gained our peaceful reputation and our independence from Britain. Canada became a nation on July, 1st 1867. Although we were an independent country, our affairs and treaties were all still signed by Britain.

    Read More

  • Why Did The French And Indian War Lead To Revolution

    597 Words  | 2 Pages

    The French and Indian war was a conflict between the American colonists and French over the Ohio valley. The American colonists were allied with the British. The French were allied with the Native American tribes in the area. The war lasted for seven years and ended in a victory for the British. However, this caused many problems which ultimately led to the loss of the Thirteen Colonies.

    Read More

  • American Imperialism Dbq

    1241 Words  | 3 Pages

    Like previous American expansion, American imperialism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries was motivated by desire for new economic gains and improvements. However, the social justification, diplomatic and military approach and geographical aspect of imperialist expansionism varied greatly from previous American growth. Therefore, American expansionism underwent more change in this period than continuity.

    Read More

  • French And Indian War Essay

    791 Words  | 2 Pages

    The French and Indian war, also better known as the seven year war, was in 1754. It all began in the early spring of 1754 through 1763, when George Washington and some 160 Virginians and hand full of Mingo Indians started to move when they were concerned about the French military presence in their county. The battle first started when a Mingo chief, the Indian leader that was with George Washington in his campaign, led a unit of soldiers into a small French encampment in the woods. It was a very small battle but, the fight ended up with 14 French men wounded. While Washington was trying to get all the available information from their French dying commander to help their plans in the war, the Indians killed and scalped the remaining survivors including the commander.

    Read More

  • The Relations Between Britain And Its American Colonies

    921 Words  | 2 Pages

    From 1754 to 1763, the French and Indian War took place. This war altered the political, economic, and ideological relations between Britain and its American colonies. It was the last of four North American wars waged from 1689 to 1763 between the British and the French. In these struggles, each country fought for control of the continent with the assistance of Native American and colonial allies. The French and Indian War occurred to end the land dispute between the British and French. Whoever won, in reality, gained an empire. It was a determined and eventually successful attempt by the British to get a dominant position in North America, the West Indies, and the subcontinent of India. Although Britain had won all this land, political, economic, and ideological relations between Britain and its American colonies were totally annihilated.

    Read More

  • French and Indian War

    2663 Words  | 6 Pages

    The Seven Years War, or sometimes referred to as the French and Indian war, took place in the year 1754 and finally came to a conclusion in 1763, just prior to the American Revolution. The French and Indian war is often a war that’s importance is overlooked throughout the history of America. The French and Indian war set the stage for the George Washington to become the most important American figure in history. The events and battles of the Seven Years War would lead the colonist to helping the British defeat the French and their counterparts, the Native Americans. What took place during the Seven Years War would affect the colonist forever. The war would ultimately change the focus and mindset of the colonist. The colonist would begin to develop a mindset of power and independence, and finally break free from British rule, and into an American Revolution.

    Read More

  • Effects Of The French And Indian War

    719 Words  | 2 Pages

    The French and Indian war, also known as the Seven Years’ War, began 1756 and ended in 1763. It was the largest, the most expensive, and the most destructive war in Europe between the Thirty Years’ War, which ended in 1648, and the Napoleonic War of the early nineteenth century. This war involved all the great empires of Europe, plus the Indian population in the New World.

    Read More

  • Imperialism in America

    1186 Words  | 3 Pages

    Imperialism in America At the turn of the century, America and the views of its people changed. Many different ideas were surfacing about issues that affected the country as a whole. The Republican Party, led by William McKinley, was concentrating on the expansion of the United States and looking to excel in power and commerce. The Democratic Party at this time was led by William Jennings Bryan, who was absorbed in a sponge of morality and was concerned with the rights of man.

    Read More

  • The Boston Tea Party

    1265 Words  | 3 Pages

    The French and Indian War, otherwise known as the Seven Years’ War was an imperial war conflict between Great Britain and the French. “The French

    Read More

  • The French And Indian War

    1491 Words  | 3 Pages

    The French and Indian War or the Seven Years War was one of the major events that led to the American Revolution. The French and Indian War started in 1754 when George Washington and General Edward Braddock tried to defend the British land that they felt the French were taking with their expansion into the Ohio River valley. In 1755 Governor William Shirley of Massachusetts had many French settlers in the Nova Scotia region moved from that region to avoid any confrontation if these settlers sided with their home country. These people were exiled from their home and moved into British colonies in a very cruel and violent fashion. This is one of the first examples of Britain’s oppressive nature towards people they consider a threat to what they feel is the best solution. The British military effort, at this time, was not as impassioned or successful. Both George Washington and General Braddock suffered major defeats at the hands of the French and their allies, General Braddock was even killed in one of the early battles before this war was officially started. It was not until later in the war that the British were able to successfully defeat the French. The war officially began in 1756 and ended in 1763 but this war is far less important than the major event it caused. More than anything this war was the first step to the American Revolution.

    Read More

  • The American Imperialism

    556 Words  | 2 Pages

    After the civil war, United States took a turn that led them to solidify as the world power. From the late 1800s, as the US began to collect power through Cuba, Hawaii, and the Philippines, debate arose among historians about American imperialism and its behavior. Historians such as William A. Williams, Arthur Schlesinger, and Stephen Kinzer provides their own vision and how America ought to be through ideas centered around economics, power, and racial superiority.

    Read More

  • Canadian Nationalism

    1878 Words  | 4 Pages

    Many people across the globe argue that nationalism within Canada is simply not feasible. It is said that we as a people, differ so greatly with our diverse cultures, religions, and backgrounds that we cannot come together and exist together as a strong, united nation. In his book, Lament for a Nation, George Grant tells the reader that “…as Canadians we attempted a ridiculous task in trying to build a conservative nation in the age of progress, on a continent we share with the most dynamic nation on earth. The current history is against us.” (1965) Originally directed towards the Bomarc Missile Crisis, the book argues that whatever nationalism Canada had was destroyed by globalization as well as the powerful American sphere of influence. Although it is true that the book was initially written as a response to the events that took place in the late 1950s, many of the points are still valid today.

    Read More

More about Canadian Imperialism

Open Document