New France & British North America
Grade 7 History
BIG IDEAS
The experiences of and challenges facing people in the past helps put our experiences and challenges into context.
Different groups responded in different ways to the shift in power in Canada from France to Britain
The significance of historical events is determined partly by their short and long term impact
Minds On...
Do we experience any of the same challenges people in Canada experiences in earlier times?
In groups of 3 or 4 brainstorm similarities and differences between the challenges that we face today compared to those living in Canada in the 1700s.
Action...
• Cartier, 1534-1536 • Marquette, 1673-1675 • Champlain, 1604-1616 • Jolliet, 1673-1694
• Brûlé, 1615-1621 • Greysolon Dulhut, 1678-1679• Nicollet, 1634 • Hennepin, 1678-1680
• De Quen, 1647 • Lahontan, 1684-1688• Des Groseilliers, 1654-1660
• Chevalier de Troyes, 1686• Radisson, 1659-1660 • Le Moyne d’Iberville, 1686-1702
• Perrot, 1665-1689 • Lamothe Cadillac, 1694-1701• Cavelier de La Salle, 1670-1687
• La Vérendrye, 1732-1739 • Albanel, 1672
Consolidate...
Each pair will prepare a half-page report on each of the explorers selected. This research
will help set the background for understanding the lives of those who inhabited the settlements of New France. Try to explore any commercial transactions and interactions explorers may have had with the native population and with those in their own community. For example, did the explorers
trade commodities for beaver pelts and other furs? If so, what did they trade? Document the early forms of commerce that may have occurred.
Minds On...
Action...
Learning Goal: I will be able to...
With a partner begin to examine the following:
• identify the people who were living in North America in 1713 and why the land was important for different groups
• explain how the land was divided by the Treaty of Utrecht and how this division affected people’s relationships and led to uncertainty in North America
• analyze maps to understand the changes in borders and the movement of people after 1713
Consolidate....
Why did the French and English believe that they had the right to build on First Nations’ land?
How did land use change with the arrival of Europeans in North America?
How did land use stay the same?
Why did Europeans want to own different parts of North America?
How did Europeans try to claim ownership of the land? Would this method work today?
Minds On...
Action...
In the early 1600s, France put in place the seigneurial system for its North American settlements. The seigneurial system was the way that land was divided among settlers in New France. A landlord, called a seigneur, rented out farmland to farmers for a small fee. Most of the farms in New France were located along the St. Lawrence River. Figure 1.12A shows the shape of the farms in New France in the 1600s and 1700s. Figure 1.12B
shows farmland in the province of Québec today, from above. What similarities do you see?
Exit Ticket
What have you learned from looking at this event from different perspectives?
Do you think all the perspectives are equally valid? Why or why not?