A2. Inquiry: From New France to British North America
Specific Expectations
A2.1
formulate questions to guide investigations into perspectives of different groups and communities, including First Nations, Métis, and/or Inuit communities, on some significant events, developments, and/or issues related to the shift in power in colonial Canada from France to Britain (e.g., the expulsion of the Acadians; treaties and alliances among First Nations and between First Nations and European nations, including the Treaty of Niagara, 1764; key battles in the North American colonies; legal and territorial changes as a result of the Seven Years’ War; increased settlement by British immigrants; challenges associated with Britain administering a colony with a French majority; the Constitutional Act, 1791; the creation of the North West Company and other fur trade companies; the Jay Treaty)
- What groups were involved in the Battle of the Plains of Abraham? Why would each group have viewed the conflict differently?
- Why was the Quebec Act passed? Who supported it? Who opposed it? Why?
- What questions arise when you examine the image of the Covenant Chain Wampum of 1764? Which questions could you use to guide your investigation into different perspectives on this treaty agreement?
- What questions arise when you examine the Métis sash?
- Why would French colonists, English colonists, and First Nations have had different views about the arrival of the Loyalists?
- How did the shift in power from France to Britain affect First Nations and Métis people involved in the fur trade? How did this shift in power affect First Nations and Métis people not involved in the fur trade?
A2.2
gather and organize information and evidence about perspectives of different groups and communities, including First Nations, Métis, and/or Inuit communities, on some significant events, developments, and/or issues related to the shift in power in colonial Canada from France to Britain, using a variety of primary sources (e.g., diaries, gravestone inscriptions, Indigenous oral histories, archaeological evidence, wampum belts, material from online archives, paintings, petitions, speeches) and secondary sources (e.g., poetry or songs written after this historical period, museum exhibits, documentaries, online videos, historical fiction, monuments, web resources and/or books on Canadian history)
- Why would the diaries and letters of expelled Acadians be a good source on their experiences and perspectives? What sources could you consult to investigate the perspectives of other groups on the expulsion?
- What are petitions? Whose perspectives would they reveal? How might you find out if there are any petitions on the issue you are investigating?
- Where might you find information about the position of First Nations on the Peace and Friendship Treaties?
- Are you finding the perspectives of First Nations, Métis, and/or Inuit in the primary and secondary sources you are consulting? How can you ensure that your sources represent all relevant perspectives, including those of First Nations, Métis, and/or Inuit?
- Do these sources reflect the perspectives of women, including Indigenous women?
A2.3
assess the credibility of sources and information relevant to their investigations (e.g., by considering the perspective, bias, accuracy, authenticity, purpose, and/or context of the source and the values and/or expertise of its author)
- If you were consulting websites for information on the Haldimand Proclamation of 1784, how would you determine which sites are the most reliable and credible? Which perspectives do the websites reflect?
- Why is it important to consult multiple sources when examining a historical event, issue, or development?
A2.4
analyse and construct maps as part of their investigations into significant events, developments, and/or issues related to the shift in power in colonial Canada from France to Britain, with a focus on exploring their spatial boundaries (e.g., construct maps to show the location of various battles in North America during the Seven Years’ War; analyse flow maps to show where groups, including Indigenous communities, were displaced from and where they went; analyse population maps to determine changes in settlement patterns and the groups, including Indigenous communities, that were affected)
- What type of map could you use to show the routes taken by the Acadians after they were expelled from the Maritime colonies?
- When you study maps of Canada before and after the Treaty of Paris, what do you notice about changes in settlement trends? What do you notice about European settlement trends in First Nations territories?
- What information would you need to include on a map to show the various alliances and conflicts in North America during the Seven Years’ War?
- What do you notice when you analyse maps showing Métis migration patterns before and after the establishment of the North West Company or the Hudson’s Bay Company?
A2.5
interpret and analyse information and evidence relevant to their investigations, using a variety of tools (e.g., analyse paintings of key events in the Seven Years’ War to extract information and to determine the perspective that is presented and the perspectives that are missing; analyse documents to determine the response of people in New France, including First Nations and Métis people, to the colony’s being ceded to Great Britain; use a graphic organizer to help them compare the perspectives of French and English colonists and First Nations and Métis people on the division of the colony into Upper and Lower Canada)
- What tools might you use to help you analyse the evidence you have compiled?
- What do these paintings reveal about the subject? About the perspective of the artist? Given the information you have found in your other sources, do you think the depiction in this painting is accurate?
- What does your evidence suggest about the significance of the Battle of the Plains of Abraham for colonists in New France? For First Nations allied to the French? For British colonists and the colonial administration? Is there any group (or groups) whose perspective is missing from this evidence? If so, why might that be?
A2.6
evaluate evidence and draw conclusions about perspectives of different groups and communities, including First Nation, Métis, and/or Inuit communities, on some significant events, developments, or issues related to the shift in power in colonial Canada from France to Britain
- What did you find out about how different individuals and groups in Quebec viewed the shift in power to Britain?
- 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?
A2.7
communicate the results of their inquiries using appropriate vocabulary (e.g., perspective, colony, treaty, expulsion, displacement, values, roles, power, conflict, Acadian, medicines, oral histories, ethnogenesis) and formats appropriate for specific audiences (e.g., a historical narrative in storybook or graphic form about the responses of different people to the expulsion of the Acadians; a debate presenting differing perspectives on the battle of the Plains of Abraham; an information poster on the Constitutional Act, 1791, including the response of different groups to the act; an audiovisual presentation about the ways different groups viewed the Peace and Friendship Treaties)
- Which format is best suited to communicating the results of your inquiry in an engaging and meaningful manner? Why?