We are beginning our next unit on British North America: the American Revolution, the Loyalist Migration, and the War of 1812.

Here is the link to the video series that we are watching in class:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8rheibq-nM&t=1057s

Here is the link for the video that we watched about New France in September.  I will review the key concepts of this video in class.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWdOQE459vg

7B will write their history test on Friday, November the 1st.

Test Format

The test based on the notes posted will have four components.

Part A: Vocabulary.  10 marks
Part B: True and false statements are based upon the notes. 10 marks
Part C: Short and complete answers are based on the questions and discussions in class.  10 marks
Part D: Analyze a primary source. You might have to retell, reflect and relate the contents of a letter from the 16th century New France.   10 marks
Total: 40 marks

Episode 1: Worlds Collide (pre-1608 – 1759)

France and England fight over North America.

Jean Talon, Intendant of New France, oversees the marriage many of the Filles du Roi. Elizabeth Aubert marries a farmer named Aubin Lambert.

Samuel de Champlain builds the first European settlement (July to December 1608).

After a failed assassination attempt, Duval is put on trial, decapitated, and his head is put on display.

Only 1/3 of the Champlain’s men survive the winter due to scurvy and they are saved by the Natives and their knowledge of vitamin C.

However, Champlain tips the balance in the war between the Wendat and the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) (Summer 1609).

The Filles du Roi arrive in New France (1660 - 1670). Mostly orphans without a dowry come to New France. Their role: marry the settlers and produce large families.

About 800 women are responsible for 2/3 of Quebec’s ancestry.

Radisson and Groseilliers make a deal with the English (1659-1670) through the Cree; they help establish the Hudson Bay Company.

The Battle of the Plains of Abraham (September 1759) turned the colonies of New France (Louisbourg, the St. Lawrence, the Great Lakes, and the Mississippi) into British control.

Prior to the Battle of the Plains of Abraham, French Canadian farmers -known as Acadians- are uprooted by British forces and sent back to France, the French Caribbean, the British colonies along the Eastern Seaboard, and Louisiana. The impressive fortified city, known as Louisbourg in current-day Cape Breton, was demolished by British forces.

After decimating the French settlements on the Atlantic coast during the Seven Years War, the British, led by General James Wolfe, move inland, looking to take the fortified city of Quebec in 1759. He forces the French, led by Louis-Joseph Montcalm, to fire first and he leads his troops closer with the instructions to fire two musket balls simultaneously.

The British are victorious, but both Wolfe and Montcalm are killed in the battle.

New France falls and is abandoned for two islands known for cod fishing and a sugar producing island in the Caribbean.

Through colonisation, the small pox disease decimates 90% of Indigenous Peoples. The British Empire rules most of North America.

Grade 7A: Madame Bagnariol's class has a test on New France on Tuesday, October the 29th.

Grade 7: Mr. Watt's class will have a test on Friday, October 25th, Day 2.

New France

Grade 7 History: Setting the Stage, Page 4 & 5, New France

New France

Key Ideas:

a)     Jacques Cartier claimed the territory around the St. Lawrence or present-day Quebec.

b)     

c)     The Frist Nations taught Europeans how to hunt, trap, gather food, survive grow new crops such as squash, and to travel across the New World.

d)    The fur trade involved the trade of beaver pelts for finished goods.

e)     The pelts were made into European fur hats which became a status symbol.

f)      The Company of 100 Associates or French investors abandoned plans to finance settlements, so the King of France or his kingdom assumed its finances.

g)     Because of European expansion, rivalry with other colonies and First Nations, and the introduction of pox viruses from Europe, French fur traders established forts.

h)    The Wendats sided with the French and the Iroquois sided with the British.  Warfare and tension were heighted by the competition in the fur trade.

What do I know?

1)        New France or any colony was or is a duplication of France in North America.  Today, the regions would include the Maritimes, the St. Lawrence River, the Great Lakes, parts of the Western Plains and the Mississippi Valley.   It also included parts of the Caribbean.

2)        The British, French, Basques, Spanish, Portuguese and Dutch came for a passage to China and for resources.

What did I learn?

1)        Empires are built through military claims, acquiring, land, spreading religion, trade, and claiming resources.

2)        Champlain begins the colonies along the Maritimes or Acadia and then expands along the St. Lawrence.

3)        The colonies were in a precarious situation.  The British fought with the French over the fur trade. Forts were attacked. Investors, from France, pulled out and the King of France had to take over operations.

There are questions I still have:

How does France lose all of its territories in the New World?

How do they encourage women to settle in New France?

Are there benefits to the government or private investors supplying goods or services?

Immigration and New France,   page 7

Key Concepts:

a)     The filles du roi (King’s daughters) were women who agreed to go to New France providing a dowry or sum of money was given by the government.

b)    The promise of land attracted new settlers since the first male normally inherited the land.

c)     The coureurs de bois (runners of the woods) paddled canoes and traded European goods with First Nations.

d)    The Roman Catholic Church sent the Recollet priests and then the Jesuit priests to spread Christianity, despite the fact that the First Nations had established religious and spiritual beliefs.

1.        A) People went to New France for the following reasons: the fur trade, to receive a dowry and begin a family, to acquire land; to serve in the military; Jesuits and Ursuline nuns were spreading the Roman Catholic faith.

B) People immigrate because of pull factors: job opportunities, safety, health care, peace, a lack of crime, the opportunity to grow or raise food sources, the opportunity for land ownership, cultural reasons, new beginnings, family ties, and other factors.

2.) Cause: The French wanted the fur trade to make them rich.  Effects: The First Nations lost resources, traditional ways of life, tensions were heightened between groups, and France became more powerful.

Cause: Europeans brought new diseases. 

Effects:  A large segment of the Native population -which lacked immunities against pox viruses - died. 

Check Your Understanding, Page 8

New France referred to all the lands colonized in North America by France in Europe.  This consisted of what we call today the following regions: the Maritimes, the St. Lawrence Valley, the Great Lakes, the Prairies, and the Mississippi Valley. 

The fur trade involved the traders from France exchanging finished products such as knives, pots, and pans for beaver or fur pelts.   The furs were made into hats which later became a status symbol or fashion statement.

First Nations are the original inhabitants of North, Central and South America who crossed the Bering Strait and established civilizations in the New World.

An empire is built through the colonization of new lands through trade, religion, culture, military might, and diplomatic connections.  The wealth -in terms of raw resources- flows to the colonizing country.

Immigration leave their country due to push factors and are drawn to another country because of pull factors: safety, employment, opportunities, and other   factors.

Government in New France, Page 10.

a)     King Louis XIV (the 14^th) was an absolute ruler.  He power was not controlled by a constitution or set of legal rules.

b)    The King chose a Sovereign Council to rule New France made up of the Governor General to control the military, the Intendant to oversee the laws of the colony, and the Bishop to regulate the priests and nuns.

c)     Other than these three men. Nobody in New France truly had political power.

d)    The government wanted the colony to increase in population and to be able support itself rather than rely heavily on imports from France.

 Page 11.

1. King-the ruler chooses people to govern; his title is inherited

Advisors- they assist the king and his court in making decisions

Sovereign Council- a group of who are appointed to govern New France on behalf of the king

Intendant- he was responsible for maintaining laws

the Bishop – he maintained the religious life and duties regarding health, education, charity, and legal wills; however, he mainly oversaw the priests, nuns, and their missionary work, too

the Governor-General- he was responsible for military planning

1.        Over time, because of this top-down model, people would likely become discontent if they were not given the opportunity to voice their opinions are to participate in higher levels government.

2.        It easier to understand the government of New France as a pyramid since power was concentrated at the top and the whole system relied on the support of many people working for the king.

The Economy of New France, page 12.

Key Ideas

a)     Jean Talon was the first Intendant and he had to improve New France’s economy.

b)    In addition to the fur trade, Talon had to diversify the economy since the St. Lawrence was frozen in the winter, so winter supplies would dwindle and France was up to 40 days away for oceanic or Atlantic voyages.

c)     New France could export the following: seal, salmon, cod, lumber, and farm products.

d)    Ideally, farmers or habitant could grow crops or raise livestock so they could store their food supplies and over the winter to survive and simply feed themselves.

Page 13

1.      By diversifying a nation’s economy, it would be able to trade more with other nations and it would also be less dependent on imports.   Even today, if Canada specializes too much on its natural resources -such as petroleum – when the price of oil decreases, so will economic activity in Canada.  However, if we also have service sector jobs such as tourism and high-tech jobs such as manufacturing computers, only one segment of the economy will be harmed.   One should never put all of one’s eggs in one basket. Diversification is key.

2.     If we didn’t trade with other countries, there would be far less selection for us.  Likewise, things could be very expensive.  Finally, less jobs would be created.  Bananas could be grown in greenhouses, but they would be very expensive.  This would create jobs, but bananas can be more easily grown in other countries.

3.     I had one question, “Would Talon fear that the colony of New France would become too independent and possibly revolt or separate from the French Empire?”

Life on the Seigneury, page 14

Key Ideas:

a)     The King owned or ruled all the land in New France. The divided lots or communities were called seigneuries just like Medieval Times or feudal times.

b)    These lots of land were given to seigneurs or lords.

c)     The seigneurs rented out lands to the peasant farmers or habitants.

d)    The habitants or French Canadian peasant farmers cleared and farmed the land.

e)     The habitant used the timber and rocks to build their own homes and even the local flour mill

f)      The habitant could pay their rent and support the Roman Catholic Church with their crops.

g)     The habitant had to pay rent to the seigneur and volunteer his labour and time for the seigneur every year.

h)    The farms were long skinny strips of land so all habitant had access to the St. Lawrence so they could irrigate crops, catch fish, and travel.

Page 15

1.     Duties of the Seigneur: supervise the building of his own home, the flour mill and the local church; report to the Intendant; collect rent; provide records; maintain order

Duties: clear the land; farm the land; pay his rent; provide free labour; obey the seigneur

2.     This systems works well since there is a clear chain-of-command.  It is an efficient method of allocating land, money, and time.

3.     Unfortunately, the top-down model creates discontent since there is no democracy.   The systems collapse when crops fail.  Most importantly, there is the opportunity for the seigneur to exploit or abuse his power.

The Church in New France, Page 16

a)     Initially, the Roman Catholic Church focused on missionary work with the First Nations in areas such as present-day Georgian Bay, Ontario,  or Saint-Marie-Among the Hurons

b)    The Bishop Laval was a member of the Sovereign Council and he was in charge of not only all the priests, nuns, and missionary work but also he was in charge of all the schools and hospitals.

c)     Bishop Laval helped found the first seminary which has become the oldest university in Canada, today.

d)    The church affected all people from cradle to grave: baptisms, communions, confirmations, church services, confessions, marriages, legal wills, and funerals.

e)     Jesuit priests taught boys and Ursuline nuns taught girls.

Page 17

1.      Most services that are provided by the government today were provided by the church in New France.  I believe there is a clear separation between government and religion today.  Although there is freedom of religion, you do not have be trained in a seminary or be a priest or nun to be a school teacher in schools.

2.     The Church in New France built missionaries or religious centres to convert First Nations, performed religious duties, wrote up wills, educated children and operated hospitals.

Check Your Understanding, Page 18

the Sovereign Council- the Intendant, the Bishop and the Governor General

the Intendant- enforced laws in New France

the Governor General – oversaw military issues

the Bishop – controlled the church, missionaries, priests, nuns, schools and hospitals in New France

export – what goods are sold to other countries

import – what goods are purchased from other countries

seigneury- a Medieval method of dividing land with lords and peasants

habitant- a French Canadian farmer or peasant who worked the seigneur’s or lord’s land and land for himself

The French and the First Nations, page 20

What was the relationship between the people of New France and the First Nations?

The French allied themselves with the Wendat and traded with other groups such as the Innu and the Algonquin Natives.  Disease was spread  through contact with small pox.  The Iroquois, enemies of the Wendat, were sold weapons by the British and Dutch. This intensified conflict.  A peace treaty was eventually signed in 1701.

What type of conflict existed between the French and English?

The British controlled Hudson Bay or Rupert’s Land.  In 1713, the British won a victory in Europe and the British and French signed the Treaty of Utrecht, the French had to give all their forts near Hudson Bay.  The French built more forts deep in the interior of North America to trade directly with the Natives.

Control of Acadia

Acadia was given to England after the Treaty of Utrecht was signed.  Some Acadians moved to Cape Breton near the French fort of Louisbourg.  Although Acadians were neutral, the British in Halifax and Boston saw them as a threat since they supplied food to the French fort Louisbourg.

The Expulsion of the Acadians

Despite swearing an Oath of Allegiance to the King of Britain, the Acadians were still perceived as a threat.  Governor Charles Lawrence expelled them to France, the 13 Colonies, the Caribbean or Louisiana.  All of their livestock was taken and their homes were burnt to the ground. Some escaped and formed a resistance in the woods.

The Fall of New France

The first true global war was in fact the Seven Years’ War in 1755.  Prior to that the French controlled more of North America, the British controlled more strategic areas.  New France consisted with Acadia, the St. Lawrence region, the Great Lakes, the Mississippi Valley, Louisiana, and Caribbean Islands.  The British controlled Halifax and the 13 Colonies.  There were also Caribbean Islands such as Jamaica. New France had a smaller population and the 13 Colonies had a larger population.

During the Seven Years’ War  the French and British met on the Plains of Abraham outside of Quebec City.  Britain had concentrated all of its military might in a three prong attack.   After taking Louisbourg, they went to take Quebec City.   The battle after 12 minutes allowed General James Wolfe to defeat General Montcalm and his forces.