Today we discussed the roots of colonialism in Canada. Below you will find a summary of that material which could be part of a pop quiz.
French Colonialism
The conventionally agreed upon beginnings of a French presence in what becomes Canada, and indeed the name Canada itself begins with Jacques Cartier. The explorer claimed part of present day Canada for France in 1534. Cartier's voyages and his reports were critical in terms of convincing France to move forward and make New France, as it was eventually called a colonial priority.
Below is a story detailing a recent archaeological find documenting one of Cartier's settlements.
http://www.canada.com/story_print.html?id=edd7eac6-f566-4011-87d7-82becfc883a2&sponsor=
Settlement in New France was encouraged through the seigneurial system. As discussed, the system used the basic values of France's class society to create minor nobility (the seigneurs) who were responsible for getting tenants (habitants)to work their land. The habitants then paid the seigneurs a feudal homage. Although the fur trade and life in the centers drew a number of people, the large majority of colonists were farmers and the seigneurial system was the French government's way of promoting New France's growth.
http://thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/seigneurial-system
http://www.civilization.ca/virtual-museum-of-new-france/population/social-groups/
What could motivate European powers like France, Britain and Spain to pursue colonial property around the world?
To understand this, we need to examine the colonial paradigm...
The mother country (i.e. one of the three European powers) would find some useful good (i.e. the beaver in New France, spices in the Far East) that was otherwise unavailable or could be manufactured into a finished good that was in demand back home.
In this arrangement, the colony was a storehouse of sorts or supply line. The focus was entirely on the needs of the mother country, which created the demand and dictated the terms of all development. In this way, the mother country served as the center and the colony as the hinterland. We refer to this as metropolitanism.
The Metropolitan Thesis, also known as the Laurentian thesis, is one of the dominant schools in Canadian historical thought. The basic argument of the school states that the driving force in Canadian History has been the nation's metropolitan areas. These originally included Paris, London (after 1763), and finally Montreal and Toronto in the modern era. These metropolitan centers determined how Canada would be developed, how it would be governed, and how it would be settled.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_Thesis
In metropolitanism, cities cast huge shadows of influence over other areas. We see concrete examples of this in many aspects of Canadian society. The means by which representation by population is exclusively used to fill the federal parliament centralizes power by giving the most populated areas the greatest influence.
See the chart in the link below. A careful examination of the chart shows that out of 308 seats in the House of Commons, Ontario gets 106 members and Quebec gets 75. In other words, 58% of the seats available in the federal parliament come from these two powerful provinces. This gives Ontario and Quebec what amounts to perpetual control of the national agenda.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Commons_of_Canada
The railway is also a symbol of metropolitan control, creating an east-west trade axis instead of a north-south one. In part, this occurs as a result of the split between the Thirteen Colonies and Britain. However, the net effect of the railway is to act as the backbone of metropolitan control of the west, as finished goods are produced in Ontario and shipped out to the frontier.
Cultural exchanges between peoples are also a part of colonization and native peoples soon found the "Black Robes" or Jesuits amongst them. These were representatives of the Catholic Church whose aim was to spread the word of God and compel religious conversion throughout the world. The Jesuits were extremely well educated and made relations with native peoples a priority based on their mission. However, other French influences made such relations a priority for other purposes.
Background of the Society of Jesus
http://www.jesuits.ca/about/our-founder
The Jesuit Order today in English Canada
http://www.jesuits.ca/about/mission-goals
Intermarriage between French and natives led to the Metis. This led to a blending of native culture with the addition of the French language and the Catholic faith. The reason that French Canadians identified with Louis Riel was because they saw Riel as a defender of French language rights and French education, which invariably took place in the Catholic church. Also, the French found themselves conquered by the English after 1760, and as such could identify with the Metis who felt conquered as well. By and large, the frustration French and native peoples felt was based on a changing economy and the move away from the fur trade and the staple culture.
http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?Params=A1ARTA0005259&PgNm=TCE
British Colonialism
The 1759 Conquest, which culminates in the Battle of the Plains of Abraham results in the fall of New France and the first of many transformational changes in North America.
See the link below and read about the Plains of Abraham and the context of this struggle during the French and Indian War.
http://bataille.ccbn-nbc.gc.ca/en/
To understand why things were changing so much in North America, we need to consider several factors:
- Britain's complete dominance of North America after 1760
- The decline of the fur trade as a viable economic activity
- The changing nature of European settlement after 1760
