Ohne Titel

Seite 1

Port Royal had been seized by Britain in 1621, given the name Nova Scotia in the name of King James.

The Mi’kmaq lived on their land, it was called the Mi’kma’ki. The Mi’kmaq people had a pretty good relationship with the French. The two groups would trade and the French would farm and that the Mi’kmaq weren’t using, mainly being salt marshes. Though, the French didn’t really consider the Mi’kmaq owners of the land. According to the Mi’kmaq, they didn’t consider themselves as land owners either. The land was a part of Creation, not to be owned. We can already see problems for coexistence, as different groups may have different perspectives of land ownership and culture. (uh oh.. noooo)

When the French labeled a map of Acadia, they called the land “French”. They acted like they had conquered the land without consulting or fighting the Mi’kmaq.

France had settlements in Acadia since 1604. Multiple Francophone generations were born there, and they called themselves Acadians.

(Francophone → a person who speaks French and follows French culture)

(Anglophone → a person who speaks English and follows English culture)

The Mi’kmaq and the French live together quite harmoniously, but then word starts to spread about a war occurring in Europe. It is called the Spanish Succession, where the British and the French are enemies.

The British were finally able to gain control of Acadia in 1713 after winning the War of Spanish Succession. Gaining control meant having a peace agreement called the Treaty of Utrecht. The Treaty stopped the British and the French from fighting over control in Rupert’s Land, Newfoundland, and Acadia.

The division of land in Acadia became confusing and unclear. The French were able to hold on to some areas of land though, they held on to what is today called Cape Breton Island, while Mi’kmaq territory became a mix of British and French people. Also, since the British were allowed to control most of the land, they changed the name from Acadia → Nova Scotia.

The British did not have a good relationship with many First Nations groups, with the exception of their shaky alliance with the Haudenosaunee and their allies. As a result, the Mi’kmaq had every right to be fearful of them, as they had pushed all the First Nations groups off of the land of the Thirteen Colonies. Another problem also occurred with the British takeover; the Mi’kmaq fought against the British colonization of Acadia for almost forty years (1713-1752). This actually became the longest war against colonization in North America.

In 1713, the Treaty of Utrecht granted the land of Acadia to Britain. Acadians did not want to give up their farms though, so they defined themselves as Acadians and stayed put.

In 1730, Britain required Acadians to take an oath called the “oath of neutrality”. This meant Acadians had to stay neutral towards both sides if a war between the British and French broke out.

Over the years, fighting between the British and French seemed certain to happen. In 1755, Governor Charles Lawrence forced everyone to sign an “oath of allegiance”. This meant that Acadians had to stay loyal toward the British and fight for them if a war broke out. This oath went too far, and many Acadians refused to sign it. As a result, Lawrence decided to start a deportation. Some Acadians escaped to New France, while others found protection on Mi’kmaq lands. It was a very hard time.

From 1755-1763, a huge event known as the Great Deportation occurred. This was where Acadians who refused to sign the oath of allegiance were deported to the Thirteen Colonies, England, and France. About 11,000 Acadians were captured and shipped and roughly 5,000 Acadians died due to shipwrecks, disease, and starvation during their transport. The British were aggressive towards Acadians when it came to transporting them. Some people would have their houses burned down and destroyed!

Why did Charles Lawrence deport all the Acadians? Well, he was scared for a number of reasons. First off, Acadians were strong Catholics and Francophones. He was afraid they would turn their backs on him since, well, he was British. Second of all, the British were outnumbered by Acadians two to one. This meant there were twice the number of Acadians than the British (Example: 12,000 to 6,000). Also, the Acadians had Mi’kmaq allies. Nova Scotia would have also been a target of the fight moved north during the war at the time, which guaranteed problems upcoming. About 1,000 Acadians managed to stay in Nova Scotia, or escaped to other places like Mi’kmaq lands and New France.

The Seven Years’ War ended in 1763 and Acadians were all allowed to return back to Acadia. They couldn’t go back to their farms though, as it had been occupied by the British. Now, the most Acadian populated places are New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island (PEI). In 2003, the Queen apologized for the “ethnic cleansing” that the British brought to the Acadians during the Great Deportation.

In 1884, Acadia adopted a flag with France’s colours on it, but there was a star in the top corner, which represented guidance of Virgin Mary.

Even before the oath of neutrality, France built a huge military base called Louisbourg on Cape Breton Island in 1720. This is the remaining French part of Acadia/Nova Scotia. In 1749, Britain also built their own military base: Halifax. This fort is the British part of Acadia.

Britain and France are both extremely powerful at this time. But, they do have their own strengths and weaknesses:

Britain (strengths)

France (strengths)

The most powerful navy in Europe

The most powerful army in Europe

Have a higher population and prosperous colonies in New England, providing much supplies

Have strong fortresses:

Louisbourg → Cape Breton

Qúebec → Qúebec City

Have Haudenosaunee allies

Have many First Nations allies

Here, France looks like it could take the victory in the war. But, these two also have their weaknesses:

Britain (weaknesses)

France (weaknesses)

Their army is not used to forest warfare

It is hard to defend such vast territory with such little population, needing more supplies (not prosperous)

They need to capture two strong well-established French fortresses

The St. Lawrence is a single entry route, so what if it gets blocked?

The thirteen governments of the Thirteen Colonies are difficult to come to consensus

Some military and government officials find it hard to agree on what to do

Now, it seems Britain might have the bigger advantage.

England and France had colonies in Europe, North America, India, the Caribbean, and Africa. During the struggle of Acadia, a huge conflict forms. It is called the Seven Years’ War. In 1754, the British and French fought along the west boundary of the Thirteen Colonies. It is called the Ohio Valley.

The Thirteen Colonies also had advantages, as they had multiple entry points and it was efficient to get supplies. But, they could not expand inland, since they were sandwiched by the French. General George Washington had enough of this, and attacked the French in the Ohio Valley in 1754. The first attack fails, and even after trying again the next year, the British fail once again. The Seven Years’ War considerably started in May of 1756. In the spring of 1758, the British attacked Louisbourg with their huge force of warships and troops. The British launched a steady line of cannonballs and the French fire back. This results in seven weeks until the French finally surrender. Major General-James Wolfe is now in control of the British forces.

He decides to wait out winter and then try to attack again. On June 23, 1759, he led a fleet of ships down the St. Lawrence River up to Qúebec! There were about 200 ships carrying about 11,000 soldiers. They lined up to 150km!

The French’s general was General Louis-Joseph de Montcalm. He had 16,000 troops and a strong fortress that could not be knocked down so easily. For three months, they had a stalemate in which they both had their strengths and weaknesses. Montcalm decided to wait out the winter so that Wolfe and his men would be forced to retreat.

Finally, on September 13, 1759, Wolfe brought his fleet of ships up the St. Lawrence River (3km) and troops to climb a large cliff (53m) up to Qúebec. During the morning, Montcalm is informed about Wolfe and his men and forced to bring them in for attack. The English brought about 4,500 men, while the French brought about 6,000 men, mostly volunteers, as the French army was mainly fighting overseas.

This famous battle took place on the Plains of Abraham, so it was called the Battle of the Plains of Abraham. Such a huge battle in Canadian history only took less than thirty minutes! The French had started shooting towards the British, but the British stood in place, and most of the bullets missed them anyways. As the French were reloading, the British loaded their guns, which could hold two musketballs. They started advancing and shooting at the French, which was quite successful for them. Both Montcalm and Wolfe were shot in the short time though, as Wolfe died on the battlefield and Montcalm died the next day from his injuries.

Qúebec was later in ruins, and French/British soldiers would have to scramble for food to find during the winter, as they were both almost out of supplies. They had both sent messages for food and supplies.

Five days after the French are defeated from the Battle of the Plains of Abraham, the French gather in Montreal to regroup for a few months. Many First Nations groups refuse to fight as well. The British officially captured Qúebec! But, now they have to deal with problems like starvation, disease, and the winter cold. How can they survive?

After winter had passed, in April 1760, the French had actually returned to Qúebec and defeated the British in the Battle of Sainte-Foy! The British then retreated further into Qúebec City, with the French fully surrounding them. What an Uno Reverse!

Now, the two groups both relied on supplies. Who would get it first? If the French got the supplies first, the British would die and France would win the battle, and if Britain got supplies, it would be the other way around. Eventually, in May of 1760, multiple ships drew up the St. Lawrence River. They carefully unravel the flag and it’s…Britain! YAYAYAYAYAYAYA!

The last governor of New France was Pierre de Rigaud de Vaudreuil de Cavagnial. His name is too long, so we will just call him Vaudreil. He decided to surrender to the British after the ships appeared and gave the British supplies. He recognized fighting the British was pointless and his people had suffered, fought, and died in the last months. Vaudreil took the steps to protect Canadiens and the allies of France during the surrender.

Some of his terms were included in “the Treaty of Paris”. He requested that the British let the remaining French be able to practice their religion: Catholicism. Then, he returned to France in a British ship, and the French King was furious, even imprisoning him for several weeks.

The Seven Years’ War ended with the signing of an important document: The Treaty of Paris.

Minweweh was an Anishinabe leader. He was silver tongued, and a French ally. Obwandiyag was a leader of the Odawa nation. He and his tribes had been allies of the French. The British called him Pontiac. Pontiac is credited with the First Nations’ rebellion towards the British. Even some Haudenosaunee had joined this rebellion!

For his first attack (1763), Pontiac captured Fort Detroit, and Minweweh captured Fort Michilimackinac. In total, First Nations groups captured a total of nine forts. This shocked the British, and they had to negotiate.

The Royal Proclamation of 1763 was declared by the British, and it responded to two groups. No British settlements could occur in “Indian Territory” unless First Nations agreed. It was not considerate of French Canadiens though. English tried to assimilate Canadiens (make the same) by establishing the province of Qúebec with a British-style government. They also disallowed Catholics to hold positions in government. They would abolish French civil laws too and encourage British settlers from the Thirteen Colonies to move to Qúebec. They also demanded English be spoken in church.

Neither the British nor the French are happy about this move. Pontiac’s rebellion also continued years after the Royal Proclamation. This is due to the fact that First Nations groups started fighting each other, and Pontiac’s leadership was less respected. He was killed at an Illinois trading post by a British assassin in 1769. He signed a peace treaty in 1766. (King George III was responsible for the Royal Proclamation). The Royal Proclamation assumed that the French would be okay to just“become British”. They obviously were not okay with this, and so few British people moved to Qúebec, that the French population was 70,000. They were highly outnumbered.

So, King George III made the Quebec Act of 1774. It was the origin of Canada’s bilingualism. It recognized Canadien’s rights to maintain language and culture, which could potentially act as a foundation of peace for the British and the French.

The Quebec Act allowed Catholic people to practice religion freely, let them hold government positions (once they took an oath of loyalty), French civil law could be reinstated, and the proclamation line no longer mattered for citizens of Qúebec. They could now extend to the colony of the “Indian Territory”, allowing them to gain access to furs and resources. This had negative effects on First Nations groups, as they did not agree to this at all.