In response, Louis Riel led an armed uprising and seized Fort Garry, the territorial capital. When Canada took over the vast northwest region from the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1869, the 12,000 Métis of the Red River were not consulted. border is partly an outcome of the War of 1812, which ensured that Canada would remain independent of the United States. The British paid for a costly Canadian defence system, including the Citadels at Halifax and Québec City, the naval drydock at Halifax and Fort Henry at Kingston-today popular historic sites. Ross died in battle soon afterwards and was buried in Halifax with full military honours.īy 1814, the American attempt to conquer Canada had failed. In retaliation in 1814, Major-General Robert Ross led an expedition from Nova Scotia that burned down the White House and other public buildings in Washington, D.C. In 1813 the Americans burned Government House and the Parliament Buildings in York (now Toronto).

In 1813, Lieutenant-Colonel Charles de Salaberry and 460 soldiers, mostly French Canadiens, turned back 4,000 American invaders at Châteauguay, south of Montreal. In July, Major-General Sir Isaac Brock captured Detroit but was killed while defending against an American attack at Queenston Heights, near Niagara Falls, a battle the Americans lost. Canadian volunteers and First Nations, including Shawnee led by Chief Tecumseh, supported British soldiers in Canada’s defence.

Believing it would be easy to conquer Canada, the United States launched an invasion in June 1812. This led to American resentment at British interference with their shipping. The British Empire, which included Canada, fought to resist Bonaparte’s bid to dominate Europe. However, Aboriginals and Europeans formed strong economic, religious and military bonds in the first 200 years of coexistence which laid the foundations of Canada.Īfter the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte’s fleet in the Battle of Trafalgar (1805), the Royal Navy ruled the waves. Large numbers of Aboriginals died of European diseases to which they lacked immunity. The arrival of European traders, missionaries, soldiers and colonists changed the native way of life forever. Warfare was common among Aboriginal groups as they competed for land, resources and prestige. West Coast natives preserved fish by drying and smoking. The Sioux were nomadic, following the bison (buffalo) herd. The Cree and Dene of the Northwest were hunter-gatherers. The Huron-Wendat of the Great Lakes region, like the Iroquois, were farmers and hunters. The native people lived off the land, some by hunting and gathering, others by raising crops. When Europeans explored Canada they found all regions occupied by native peoples they called Indians, because the first explorers thought they had reached the East Indies.

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