Category: Grade 10

 

 

Reporting from Charlotte town conference: September 1st 1864

New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, And prince Edward Island are contemplating today over whether the Maritimes should unite. Delegates have been appointed, but no further plans are to be made until the province of Canada has heard, about the final proposal of this conference today. People from this mixed legislate have asked, permission to sit at the meetings, for their colonies in order to bring up the subject of British North American union. Something they see as a solution to their difficulties. New found land was unfortunately not able to discuss at this conference today due to disorganization.  Robert Dickey and Charles Tupper arrived on the same day. Yesterday august thirty first.  John a McDonald presented his argument in favor of the union. George brown talked about what the united government might take to prospect. There was a lunch and sea-side excursions.

Reporting at the Quebec conference: October tenth 1864

This is the second conference after the charlotte town. This time new found land will be at this conference. If this conference goes well a constitutional proposal will be brought forth. This conference takes place in an amazing building. There were many beautiful views and plains in front of the building. The weather is said to be horrible. Cloudy and very rainy.

Reporting from the London conference: December 41866

New Brunswick and Nova Scotia have passed union resolutions, as well as Quebec and Toronto. The British North America act was to begin. This conference took place in the New Westminster palace. The London conference resolutions was sent to the colonial office. The delegates went with British officials in order to finalize the text of the BNA act. Choosing Canada as the new country name. There was a large discussion as to whether they should name Canada kingdom or dominion but they overall went with dominion as they felt it was less powerful. The completed text was done in 1867. It was submitted to the queen in February.

 

 

 

 

Guiding Questions for Aboriginal Fur Trade:

• How were Aboriginal people depicted in early accounts of the fur trade?

They were often portrayed as to have minor roles and becoming obsessed with European hunting technology and becoming useless without it. Also said that would have starved without the help of the travellers and begged for their help.

• What does newer evidence show to be more accurate about Aboriginals in the fur trade?

That in contrast to the early depictions it was the complete reverse, the aboriginals were keeping the Europeans alive. Keeping them alive by hunting, fishing for them.

• In what ways did Europeans adapt to Aboriginal economic traditions?

They had to learn of their culture, language, and lifeways. The Europeans had to work and understand the aboriginals as they had been there hunting long before the Europeans came along.

• Why did Europeans have to adapt to Aboriginal commerce?

They had to adapt and learn of the aboriginal barter system because they knew more of it than the Europeans themselves. The aboriginals cared about beaver skin amount not standards and so the Europeans had to learn.

• How would you characterize Cree and Assiniboine economic ability and methods?

Both were very flexible with change whether it be with technology or their habitat. This made it easier for them to be able to accept HBC and their trading ways.

• After 1670, how did the Cree and Assiniboine show their economic flexibility?

They both took the position of middle men in HBC. They expanded their fur trade with the help of Europeans into the northwest.

• How would you describe the Cree and Assiniboine inland trade strategies?

They were smart and took positions near the York factory. They held the “upper hand” in the trade and controlled most of the trading rules. They traded with independent groups inland also. They also traded a lot with the French.

• How and why did the Aboriginal middlemen’s role change in the late 18th century?

HBC started to make more posts to trade inland making it harder for the aboriginals to hold a higher rank than them in the trading business. So they began to focus on the plain resources and buffalo. They switched their trade to dried meat.

• How did the Cree and Assiniboine retain independence from European technologies?

Hunting buffalo kept them separate from the Europeans. They didn’t use guns to kill the buffalo nor any other western arms.

 

Final Proposal

Conditions Carried Over from Preliminary Proposal (Must Haves)	Justification for Continued Insistence
Intercolonial Railway	-Create jobs for everyone who is in need, farmers, ex-military, benefit for travel.
Raising Tariffs	-Raising tariffs within our own country is going to benefit us in terms of money and that we also don’t have Britain as our distributor.
Military	-Will defend each colony when needed or if necessary. They will be trained by our own ex-soldiers.
Better Boats	-Cut through ice and using our own winter seaport. Will be used for trade overseas to widen our economy since train can’t go over the sea. Also will be used by people for overseas business. Military use.

 

Modified, Deleted or New Conditions	Justification for Change
Corn Laws	Changed it to raising tariffs

 

Preliminary Proposal

Conditions for joining Confederation (What do you want?)	Justification (explain why you should get this & how might others benefit from it)
Intercolonial Railway-essly	+Create Jobs +More traffic through Canada + improve the financial economy. “Build the road and Halifax will become one of the great emporiums of the world” -John A. MacDonald.
The Hudson’s Bay Company land-brendan	+More farm land +Don’t have to travel down to america “Throw down the barriers of trade and give us the control of market” -George Brown
Back with the Corn laws-jo	Rasing a higher tarrif in canda for our own grain against the other countrys to be able to benefit us. Fair trade to protect our own product
Better Boats-kiana	+cut through ice +not have to use the united states railways ” A great country such as nature has destined this to be would not be justified in refusing to acquire a winter sea port” – Toronto Leader
Better Army	Trained army for better defense. “threat of Fenian raids along the Canada-United States border”

 

The american civil war was mainly a fight between the northern free states and the southern slave states (a war over slavery) about who would unionized and thus freeing or not freeing the slaves.

The Trent affair was when a american ship stopped a British ship with two agent on board wanting to talk to the British to see if they would join in the confederate cause. The Americans held them as prisoners but they were eventually released as to not cause a war.

The st. Albanis raid was soldiers from the British colony/ies raiding a town called st.albanis and then running back across the american border to not be captured by the Americas. America took this raid as Britain provoking them.

Manifest destiny was this strong belief in america which personally i think is a american excuse to attack Canada, that america under the very rule of god that they should be the ones to govern the entirety of North America.

Fenian’s: Group of Irish men to force the freedom of Ireland from British control. There plan was to hold British colonies and ransom them in return for Ireland’s freedom.

In 1854 The reciprocity treaty was signed by both BNA and United states to allow free trade of goods. But then in 1866, twelve years later the Americans cancelled the treaty.  Because the British no longer had this sharing peace with the Americans they encouraged confederation and continued to try to unite the colonies.

 

Explain how the economic situation in the 1860s would encourage the BNA Colonies to unite…

According to the article about the Canadian railways there was a need for transport and trade to be able to survive as people needed food and supplies from other places and so the railways needed to be built. This connected many towns and specifically the BNA colonies because the train traveled from one place to another and hence there was bound to be interaction between the colonies. Also Britain had tariffs on Canadian grain (corn law) about taxing the grain import from Canada lower than america to be able to level out the price.  So the colonies united in an effort to lower/ completely take away the tax so that food wasn’t so expensive almost to the degree that people were going into starvation.  It did bring economic depression though.  The Reciprocity treaty was brought forth in an effort to bring Canada out of it economic strain and bringing america as a partner with it.  Eventually they did sign it because they needed to sell the products from the British colonies and that brought confederation.