Royal New France and Early Canadian History

Thirty question-and-answer flashcards covering key events, people, and policies from the lecture on Royal New France and the early history of Canada.

Who founded the first European settlement north of Florida in 1604, and where was it located?

French explorers Pierre de Monts and Samuel de Champlain on St. Croix Island (present-day Maine).

What was the name of the French settlement established after St. Croix Island, and in which present-day province is it found?

Port-Royal, located in present-day Nova Scotia (Acadia).

Which fortress did Samuel de Champlain build in 1608?

A fortress at the site of present-day Québec City.

With which First Nations peoples did Champlain ally the French colony?

The Algonquin, Montagnais, and Huron peoples.

Which Indigenous confederation fought French settlements for roughly a century?

The Iroquois Confederation (originally five, later six nations).

In what year did the French and the Iroquois finally make peace?

1701.

What economic activity closely linked the French and many Aboriginal peoples in New France?

The fur trade driven largely by European demand for beaver pelts.

Name three prominent leaders who helped build France’s North American empire.

Jean Talon, Bishop Laval, and Count Frontenac.

At its height, how far did the French empire in North America stretch?

From Hudson Bay in the north to the Gulf of Mexico in the south.

Which company was granted exclusive trading rights over the Hudson Bay watershed in 1670, and by whom?

The Hudson’s Bay Company, granted by King Charles II of England.

What were the skilled canoe-travelling fur traders of New France commonly called?

Voyageurs and coureurs des bois.

For approximately how many years did the Hudson’s Bay Company compete with Montréal-based traders?

About 100 years.

By the early 1700s, what two key advantages did the English Atlantic colonies hold over New France?

They were richer and more populous.

Which 1759 battle marked the decisive end of France’s empire in North America?

The Battle of the Plains of Abraham at Québec City.

Which commanders died leading their troops at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham?

British Brigadier James Wolfe and French Marquis de Montcalm.

What new name did Britain give New France after the Seven Years’ War?

The Province of Quebec.

What term referred to the French-speaking Catholic inhabitants under early British rule?

Habitants, also known as Canadiens.

Why did the British Parliament enact the Quebec Act of 1774?

To better govern the French Roman Catholic majority in the province.

What two major freedoms did the Quebec Act grant to Catholics in Quebec?

Religious freedom and eligibility to hold public office.

Which legal systems were maintained and restored under the Quebec Act?

British criminal law was maintained; French civil law was restored.

How is the Quebec Act regarded in Canadian constitutional history?

As one of Canada’s constitutional foundations.

What major 1776 event reshaped North America south of Quebec?

The thirteen British colonies declared independence, forming the United States.

Approximately how many Loyalists fled to British North America during the American Revolution?

More than 40,000.

Which Mohawk leader guided thousands of his people into Canada as Loyalists?

Joseph Brant.

Name at least three ethnic origins represented among the Loyalists who reached Canada.

Dutch, German, British, Scandinavian, Aboriginal (and others).

List at least three religious backgrounds found among the Loyalists in Canada.

Presbyterian, Anglican, Baptist, Methodist, Jewish, Quaker, Catholic.

Roughly how many Black Loyalists migrated to Canada seeking a better life?

About 3,000.

To which African colony did some Black Nova Scotians relocate in 1792?

Freetown, Sierra Leone.

What commodity was at the heart of the fur-trade economy in New France?

Beaver pelts.

How many nations originally formed the Iroquois Confederation, and to how many did it later expand?

Originally five nations; it later expanded to six.