Program of Studies
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7.1.1 Appreciate the influence of diverse Aboriginal, French and British peoples on events
leading to Confederation
7.1.2 - appreciate the challenges of co-existence among peoples
7.1.5 - assess, critically, the political competition between the French and the British in
attempting to control North America by exploring and reflecting upon the following
questions and issues:
In what ways did conflicts between the French and the British in Europe impact North
America?
To what extent was the Battle of the Plains of Abraham the key event in achieving British control
over North America?
How was British North America impacted by rebellion in the 13 colonies and by the subsequent
Loyalist migration?
7.1.6 - assess, critically, how political, economic and military events contributed to the
foundations of Canada by exploring and reflecting upon the following questions and issues:
What was the role and intent of Chief Pontiac in controlling British forts?
How did the War of 1812 contribute to British identity in Canada?
What was the role of Chief Tecumseh in the War of 1812?
How did the War of 1812 contribute to defining Canada's political boundaries?
How was the Great Migration of 1815-1850 in Upper Canada and Lower Canada an attempt to
confirm British identity in the Province of Canada?
Treaty of Utrecht
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The Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 ended the European and
North American conflicts. The British received Acadia
(renamed Nova Scotia), Newfoundland and fur trading
posts in the Hudson Bay area. France managed to retain
several islands in the Saint Lawrence River and Cape
Breton Island at the north-eastern end of Nova Scotia.
This north-eastern piece of land would be the place of a
French super fort, this fort would protect the entrance
to the St. Lawrence and the capital of New France.
The treaty would only cool the fighting, war would again
break out in 1744.
Struggle for Control of North
America
Struggle to Control the Atlantic
Struggle to Control North America
Important Leaders
Struggle to Control the Atlantic
 Struggle
to Control the Atlantic
◦ In order to control the fur trade, the countries had to control
the Atlantic Ocean
◦ In 1713, when England and France signed the Treaty of
Utrecht, France lost Acadia, Britain controlled Acadia and
the Colony of NFLD, which controlled the important fishing
area of the Grand Banks.
◦ All that was left for France after the treaty was the Ile of St.
Jean (Now Price Edward Island) and two small Islands.
 They decided that they needed a much bigger fishing base,
so they decided to build Louisbourg in 1720. This base
would be more than just a fishing station, the French
needed a military and naval base in which they could
control the Gulf of the St. Lawrence and the approach to
New France
◦ To counteract this threat the British built Fort Halifax in
1749
Acadia
Acadia, or L’Acadie, the ancient name of
NOVA SCOTIA and adjacent regions.
 First attempt to plant a settlement there was by
De Monts, in 1604, who obtained a charter
from the King of France for making settlements
and carrying on trade
 After repeated struggles between the English
and French for the possession of Acadia, it was
ceded to Great Britain by the Treaty of Utrecht
in 1713.
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Acadia Becomes British
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France and England were at war often over the
centuries, North America was not spared from these
wars.
In 1710, the British captured Port Royal and changed its
name to Annapolis for the last time, the fighting between
England and France in Europe came to an end with the
signing of the Treaty of Utrecht, it gave the British
ownership over Rupert's Land, NFLD and Acadia
(which is now Nova Scotia), what was left would remain
in French hands.
French Citizens of Acadia
After the Treaty of Utrecht was signed and
French citizens (Acadians) had one year to leave
the area or they would become British subjects
and have to swear an Oath of Allegiance to the
crown.
 Time went on and the Acadians in the area
remained neutral and did not swear an Oath of
Allegiance to the crown. Things were about to
change for the worse.
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The Battle For North America
The Seven Years War
War in North America
Once war officially declared, William Pitt, the
English secretary for war, sends two generals ,
Amherst and Wolfe, to capture Louisbourg and
Quebec City.
 In 1758, the British capture Louisbourg
 The next year, in May and June 1759, Wolfe
returns to the New World, sailing up the StLawrence River toward Quebec City with an
armada of two hundred and fifty ships, fortynine of which are men-of-war. He has with him
nearly thirty thousand men, a third of them from
the regular army, the rest are marines and
sailors.
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Fort Louisburg
Map of Louisburg
Siege of Louisbourg
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The Siege of Louisbourg was one of the pivotal battles of the
French and Indian Wars and Seven Years War in 1758 which
ended the French colonial era in Atlantic Canada and led
directly to the loss of Quebec and the remainder of French
North America the following year.
Pitt assigned the duty of capturing the fortress to Major General
Jeffery Amherst and James Wolfe
On July 26, 1758,The French guns fell silent at Louisbourg for
the last time
In the following year, 1759, Louisbourg was used as the launch
point for Wolfe's expedition to capture Quebec. Following the
surrender of Quebec, British forces and engineers set about
methodically destroying the fortress of Louisbourg with explosives,
ensuring the fortress could not return to French possession a
second time in the eventual peace treaty. By 1760, the entire
fortress was left as mounds of rubble
Importance of the Fort
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The British government realized that with
the Fortress of Louisbourg under
French control, there was no way that
the Royal Navy could sail down the St.
Lawrence River for an attack on
Quebec unmolested.
Battle for the Ohio Valley
With the capture of Louisbourg in July of
1758, the French defence of the Ohio Valley
became useless, with the fall of the two
most important French forts, Frontenac and
Duquesne, the French had to fall back to
Quebec, the British captured the Ohio Valley
region.
 The British now had total control, they were
now committed to attack the capital of New
France
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Battle for Quebec
The culmination of a three-month siege by the British, the
battle lasted less than an hour. British troops commanded by
General James Wolfe successfully resisted the column
advance of French troops and Canadian militia under LouisJoseph, Marquis de Montcalm
 Commanding generals Wolfe (British), Montcalm (French)
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The Battle of the Plains of Abraham, also known as the Battle
of Quebec, was a pivotal battle in the French and Indian War,
the North American theatre of the Seven Years' War. The
confrontation, which began on 12 September 1759, was
fought between the British Army and Navy, and the French
Army, on a plateau just outside the walls of Quebec City.
The battle involved fewer than 10,000 troops between both
sides. This battle proved to be a deciding moment in the
conflict between France and Britain over the fate of New
France, influencing the later creation of Canada.
The Battle
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Both generals were mortally wounded
during the battle; Wolfe died on the field
and Montcalm passed away the next
morning. In the wake of the battle,
France's remaining military force in
Canada and the rest of North America
came under increasing pressure from
British forces. Within four years, nearly all
of France's possessions in eastern North
America would be ceded to Great Britain
The Plan
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Wolfe's plan of attack depended on secrecy and
surprise. His plan required that a small party of men
should land by night on the north shore, climb the
tall cliff, seize a small road, and overpower the garrison
that protected it, allowing the bulk of his army (5,000
men) to ascend the cliff and then deploy for battle on
the plateau, called the Plains of Abraham.
Even if the first landing party succeeded in their mission
and the army was able to follow, such a deployment
would still leave his forces inside the French line of
defence with no immediate retreat but the river.
Landing at
L’Anse au Foulon
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This was the place. It was a hazardous
gambit to attempt; ascending a narrow
trail leading up the cliffs, from the river to
the Plains of Abraham, just southwest of
the city. It was so rough that the French
thought it impassable and left it lightly
guarded.
British Landing at L'Anse-au-Foulon
Drawing by a soldier of Wolfe's army depicting the easy climbing of Wolfe's soldiers
The Climb
Views
Of the Plains of Abraham
General Wolfe and his troops climb up the hill to the Heights of Abraham
The Leaders
Montcalm and Wolfe
French and British Leaders in the
Battle for North America
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The Marquis de
Montcalm, France
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Major-General James
Wolfe, England
The Attack
Ships Battle In The St Lawrence
The Attack
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On the night of September 4th, 1759, the troops
encamped on the Montmorency were disembarked. On
the 12th of September, Wolfe was informed that French
supply ships were expected to venture down the St
Lawrence that night.
That night, Wolfe’s flotilla rowed from the West down
the river to the Anse du Foulon, the point Wolfe had
chosen for the landing on the north bank. A French
sentry challenged the boats, but was answered by a
highland officer in French. The force landed and scaled
the cliff. By dawn 4,500 British and American troops
were assembled on the cliff top.
Battle on the Plains of Abraham
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Finally, in September, Wolfe is made aware
of a path that leads from the River to an
area behind the city heights at l'Anseau-Foulon. Quietly, during the night of
September 12-13, Wolfe and two
thousand men climb the path to the
Plains of Abraham behind the fortress
at Qubec
The Battle
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The ensuing battle on the morning of September 13 lasts
less than thirty minutes, over 2000 soldiers from both
sides are killed. It is the greatest loss of life on any
battle fought on Canadian soil. Both generals are
mortally wounded, Wolfe dies on the field of battle,
Montcalm a few hours later. Quebec City formally
surrenders on September 18, 1759.
The siege and capture of Quebec by Major-General
James Wolfe was a victory which determined the
matter of French rule in Canada - it changed the
destiny of a continent
While the battle of Quebec in 1759 was not much more
than a clash from the viewpoint of warfare, it resulted in
permanent peace for Canada under British governance.
Video Battle on the Plains of Abraham:
A People’s History
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v
=hS6wzuL-NWM
 http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v
=HFNX8vZFfPg
 To view open hyperlinks
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Death of Montcalm and Wolfe
The surrender of New France to the English,
Montreal, 1760
Fall of Montreal
After the fall of Quebec, the French army fell
back to Montreal.
 In the Spring of 1760, the French army
attacked Quebec in order to drive the English
out, the attack failed.
 The outcome of the whole war depended on
which country’s ships were the first to arrive
with reinforcements, it was the British. The
French retreat to Montreal for the last time. The
surrender of Montreal happened on Sept. 8,
1760. The British finally controlled North
America.
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The Surrender of Quebec
Canada becomes a English Possession Forever
Military Rule
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In North America, the war between France and
England was over, with the capture on Montreal on
Sept. 8, 1760. However the Seven years war
continued in various part of the world until 1763.
Between the years 1760 and 1763 the British Army
was given control over New France and they set up
a temporary government.This time period was
called the Years of Military Rule
Each of the three major towns in New France was
under the control of a military governor.
Occupation of the colony was not harsh at all, the
military rulers did not want to add any more hardships
or disruptions to the colony.
The war in North America between the
French and British stopped in 1760 with
the surrender of Montreal.
 Between the years of 1760 and 1763 the
British Army governed New France.
 British officers were appointed as
governors of major French towns and
cities.
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This was not a harsh occupation, the British army
treated the French with compassion and helpfulness.
It was a time of great uncertainty in the colony, French
soldiers were allowed to go back to their farms, without
loss of property. Many of the farms were destroyed
French language and religion were allowed to continue.
The British saw this time as a period of co-operation.
This time period led to the Royal Proclamation, where
the British attempted to assimilate the French into
British culture. This attempt failed.