Part 1
A
ctive citizenship means many things. It means learning about what’s going
on in your community, in your country, and in the world. It means working
together with other people for a common goal. It means stepping up to support
your community.
Pierre La Vérendrye—a Canadien—did just that. While farming the land near
Trois-Rivières, in Québec, he began to yearn for adventure. So, in 1732, he set
out for the West, a place virtually unknown to Canadiens or Europeans. Here La
Vérendrye met new people, such as the Assiniboine, and began trading for fur.
One day, a Cree named Auchagah told La Vérendrye about a great “Western
Sea.” La Vérendrye devoted the rest of his life to exploring the West, searching in
vain for a route to the Pacific Ocean. During those years, he built forts, created
maps, and inspired many others to make their way west. In this way, he helped
lay the foundations for the development of Western Canada.
In this unit, you will learn about the history of our country before
Confederation in 1867. You will meet the First Nations, Canada’s indigenous
peoples, who lived throughout this land. You will meet travellers who bravely
went to places that were completely unknown to them. You will see how people
learned to work together. As well, you will learn how the diverse peoples of this
land survived life in a harsh land, war, rebellion, and assimilation to create a
country called Canada.
1634–1640 Wendat Nation
devastated by disease
1497 John Cabot claims
Newfoundland for England
prior to 1100 First
Nations and Inuit live
throughout the land
1100
1100 Vikings
arrive by sea
and settle
temporarily in
Newfoundland
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1541 Jacques Cartier
founds first French
settlement
1500
1608 Samuel
de Champlain
founds Québec
1600
1605 Samuel de
Champlain founds
Port Royal in Acadia
1534 Jacques Cartier
begins explorations
1745 Anthony
Henday begins
his explorations
1701 The Great
Peace of 1701
1759 British defeat
the French at the
Plains of Abraham
1755 British
expel the
Acadians
1700
1690 Henry Kelsey
begins his explorations
1670 English begin the
Hudson’s Bay Company
1739 Pierre La
Vérendrye reaches
Lake Winnipeg
1756 Seven
Years’ War
begins
1749 Halifax
founded by the
British
Canada Before Confederation
Canada Before Confederation
Active Citizenship Project One
Form a small group to research active
citizenship in Canada today.
a) Explore ideas about citizenship. What does
it mean to belong?
b) Brainstorm examples of ways in which
individual people can be active citizens.
Think of ways that individuals can make a
difference. Think of people in business and
politics. Also think of ways people help
others by volunteering in their
communities. Think of people who are
1763 Treaty of Paris gives
North America to the
1779 Formation
British; Pontiac’s War
against the British; Royal of the North
West Company
Proclamation of 1763
1775 Americans attack
Canada during the
American Revolution
leaders. Think of those who make our
country a home for everyone.
c) Find examples of active citizenship in your
community or in Canada. Listen to the
radio, watch television, read the newspaper,
or search the Internet. Take note of people’s
names. How is each making a difference?
d) In your group, compare notes. Create an
oral report to present four examples of
active citizenship in Canada today.
e) In what ways are you an active citizen?
1840 Act of Union
1811 David Thompson
travels down the
Columbia River
1791 Constitutional Act;
George Vancouver begins
to explore the West Coast
1851 Underground
Railroad gets
started
1866 London Conference
creates British North
America Act
1857 Bytown (later
Ottawa) becomes
capital city
1815–1850
The Great
Migration
1800
1774 The
Québec Act
1778 James
Cook explores
the West Coast
1789 Alexander
Mackenzie
travels down the
Mackenzie River
to the Beaufort Sea
1808 Simon
Fraser travels
down the
Fraser River
to the Pacific
1900
1812–1814
War of 1812
1837
Rebellions
in Upper
and Lower
Canada
1861–1865
American
Civil War
1867 Confederation of
Québec, Ontario, New
Brunswick, and Nova Scotia
into the Dominion of Canada
1864 Charlottetown and
Québec Conferences
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