OVERVIEW of canada.docx
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OVERVIEW of canada.docx
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OVERVIEWofcanada
OVERVIEW
Canada,withanareaencompassingjustoversixmillionsquaremiles,isthesecondlargestcountryintheworld.ThisAmericanneighbortothenorthisborderedontheotherthreesidesbyoceans:
thePacifictothewest,theAtlantictotheeast,andtheArctictothenorth.At5,525miles,itsborderwiththeUnitedStatesisthelongestundefendedborderintheworld.
Morethanhalfofthe26.9millionpeopleinCanadaareconcentratedinthecorridorbetweenWindsor,Ontario,andQuébecCity,Québec.Muchoftheremainingpopulationlivesinthesouthernareasofeachofthenation'stenprovincesandtwoterritories.Thecountry'slargestcitiesareToronto,with3.8millionresidents,Montréalwith3.1million,andVancouverwith1.6million.AlthoughthereareFrenchCanadiansineachoftheprovinces,byfarthegreatestnumbercanbefoundintheprovinceofQuébec.In1991,81percentofthepopulationofQuébeccitedFrenchastheir"mothertongue"(thefirstlanguagespokenasachildandstillunderstood),comparedtoaboutninepercentforEnglish.Thenext-highestconcentrationofFrench-speakingCanadiansisinNewBrunswick(33percent).Alloftheremainingprovincesreportedfiguresoflessthanfivepercent,rangingfrom0.4to4.6percent.Overall,6.5millionCanadians,or24percentofthepopulationin1991,reportedFrenchastheir"mothertongue."English-speakingCanadiansnumbered16.5million,oralmost61percentofthetotalpopulation.
ThereisalsoastrongandgrowingtrendofbilingualisminCanada.Accordingtothe1986census,16percentofthepopulationspokebothEnglishandFrench,againwiththeprovinceofQuébecleadingtheway.InQuébecalmost60percentofanglophones,morethan30percentoffrancophones,andclosetohalfofthosewhosemothertongueisneitherEnglishnorFrenchwerebilingual.Forcomparison,outsideQuébeconlyaboutfivepercentofanglophonesand80percentoffrancophoneswerebilingual.
QuébecwasbyfartheleadingpointofdepartureforFrench-CanadianimmigrationtotheUnitedStates,althoughtherewerethosewhotravelledsouthfromNovaScotia,NewBrunswick,Manitoba,andOntario.Québecisthelargestprovince,makingupalmost16percentofCanada'stotalareaandoverone-fourthofitspopulation.TheprovincialmottoisJemesouviens(Iremember),andthefloweristhefleur-de-lis.Bothmottoandflowerarefeaturedprominentlyontheprovincialcoatofarms.
HISTORY
ThemanwhoiscreditedwithdiscoveringtheCanadianmainlandwasFrenchexplorerJacquesCartier(1491-1557).HewasseekinggoldandrichesviathefamedNorthwestPassagetotheEast,butreachedNewfoundlandinsteadinMay1534.HemadeanotherjourneytoCanadain1535and,unlikeearlierexplorers,continuedwestalongtheSt.LawrenceRiverasfarasmodern-dayQuébecCity,andthenpressedonevenfarthertothefuturesiteofMontréal.Thisfirstforayintotheinteriorwasdifficult—particularlybecauseoftheharshwinterconditionsinQuébecCityandtherampantscurvythatkilledmanymen.Theremainderweresaidtobesavedbyanativeteamadefromthebarkofthewhitesprucetree.
Cartier'sthirdvoyagetoCanadawasafailureintermsofestablishingasettlement.Permanentsettlementwouldhavetowaituntilthefurtradegavereasontosendmorethantheoccasionalfishingvessel.SamueldeChamplain(1567-1635)finallyestablishedthefirsttradingpostonthesiteofQuébecCityin1608.Champlain,too,hadsoughttheNorthwestPassage,buthesoonrealizedthatbeaverpeltswouldberesponsibleforthesurvivalofanysettlements.Hesetupasystemofcompanymonopoliestosystematicallyhuntandsellpeltsand,inexchangefor300settlerscomingtothenewlandannually,toserveasthearea'sgovernmentfrom1627until1642.
Unfortunately,Champlain'searlysettlementwasattackedbyEnglishandIroquoisConfederacyrivals.TheCatholicchurch,anintegralpartofFrenchsettlement,alsosufferedduringthemid-seventeenthcenturyatthehandsofthoseopposedtoFrenchcolonization.GroupssuchastheJesuitmissionaries,whoweresenttoconvertthenatives,wereoftenattacked,andmanymissionariesandtheirfollowersweretorturedandkilled.
InadditiontofoundingQuébec,ChamplainventuredintonorthernNewYork(hediscoveredthelakenamedforhimin1609),andexploredtheAtlanticcoastasfarasMassachusetts,includingmanyofthelargerriversinMaine.However,Champlain'seffortstoestablishasuccessfulFrenchcolonywerethwartedbyweather,battleswiththeEnglishandcertainnativegroups,andlimitedsupportfromFrance.HediedinQuébecin1635,attheageof68.
NEWFRANCE
Forallofthehardships,theKingofFrance,LouisXIV,didnotgiveup.In1665hesenttwoshipstoQuébeccontainingthefirstregulartroopstobesenttoCanada,inadditiontoAlexandredeProuville,theMarquisdeTracy(1596-1670),whowasmadelieutenant-generalforallFrenchpossessionsinNorthAmerica.ThegovernmentchangedfromChamplain'scompanymonopoliestoaSovereignCouncilcomposedofthegovernorofNewFrance,abishop,andanintendant—thelatterbeingthechiefrepresentativeofroyalpowerinaFrenchcolony.Franceshippedboatloadsofdemoisellesbienchoisies(womenofgoodhealthandupbringing),orfillesduroi(king'sgirls),toraisethenumbersandhelpsettleNewFrance.JeanTalon(1626-1694),thefirstintendantofNewFrance,wasinstrumentalindoublingthepopulationbetween1666and1678,to7,605settlers.Hewasjoinedinhiseffortsbythefirstbishop,FrançoisdeMontmorency-Laval(1623-1708),whoestablishedaseminarythatwouldbecometheUniversityofLaval,andthegovernorofNewFrance,LouisdeBuade,ComtedeFrontenac(1622-1698).
Talonalsosuccessfullyimplementedtheseignorialsystem,inwhichfeudallandtenuresweregrantedtosettlersfreeofchargeinexchangeforclearingthelandandpledgingloyaltytotheKingofFrance.Theseigneurwould,inturn,subdividehisacreagetotenantswhopaidanominalrent,cleared,andfarmedtheland.ThesehabitantswerethefirstFrenchCanadians.Soonthesettlementshad,attheircenter,aparishchurchandanestablishedcuré(priest)tomeettheirreligiousneeds.Inadditiontothehabitants,therewerethecoureursdebois,traderswhonegotiatedforfurswiththeIndiansintheupperreachesoftheOttawaRiverandintheGreatLakes.
SETTLEMENTSOUTSIDEQUÉBEC
TheFrenchsettledinotherpartsofNorthAmericaaswell.BytheTreatyofUtrecht(1713),FrancecededHudsonBay,Newfoundland,andAcadiatoEngland.TheFrench,however,retainedcontrolofpresent-dayCapeBretonIslandontheeastcoastofNovaScotiawheretheybuiltthefortressofLouisburg(1720-1740)todefenditsremainingterritory.InadditiontoAcadia,ortheMaritimeprovincesofCanada,theFrenchcouldbefoundinthecoastalregionofnorthernMaine.ThefirstAcadiansettlementwasestablishedin1604byPierreduGua,SieurdeMontsatSt.CroixIslandintheBayofFundy.In1755,6,500AcadiansweredeportedtotheAmericancoloniesoftheAtlanticSeaboardforhavingrefusedtotakeanoathtothekingofEngland.ManyofthemwouldlaterfindtheirwaytoLouisianawheretheybecameknownasCajuns,aderivationofthewordAcadian.OtherearlyFrenchtownsintheUnitedStatesincludedDetroit,Michigan,foundedbyAntoinedeLamotheCadillac(1658-1730)in1701.CadillacalsoservedascolonialgovernoroftheLouisianaterritory.
Finally,outsideofQuébec,themajorconcentrationofFrenchsettlerswasinwhatarenowLouisiana,Mississippi,Missouri,andIllinois.TheLouisianaTerritorywasclaimedforFrancein1682andnamedbyexplorerRobertCavelier,SieurdelaSalle(1643-1687),afterKingLouisXIV.FrenchfortsalongtheMississippiRiverspreadnorthwardfromNewOrleans.ApairofFrenchCanadiansfoundedandhelpedtocolonizethissouthernFrenchterritory.PierreleMoyned'Iberville(1661-1706)establishedthecityofBiloxi,Mississippi,in1699,andJean-BaptisteleMoynedeBienville,establishedNewOrleansin1718.In1803theUnitedStatesboughttheland,whichspreadfromtheMississippiRivertotheRockyMountains,fromFrancefor$15millionintheLouisianaPurchase.
TherearemanyotherplacenamesintheUnitedStatesthattellthetaleofFrenchinfluenceandsettlement.ThestateofMaineissaidtohavebeennamedfortheprovinceofMayneinFrance,andVermontcomesfromtheFrenchwordsvertmont,whichmean"greenmountain."Duluth,Minnesota,isnamedforDanielGreysolon,SieurDuLhut(1636-1710),whowontheLakeSuperiorandupperMississippiregionforFrance.Likewise,Dubuque,Iowa,isnamedforJulienDubuque(1762-1810),apioneersettlerofIowa.VestigesoftheFrenchconnectionremaininMinnesota'smotto,L'ÉtoileduNord(Thestarofthenorth).
WARWITHTHEENGLISH
TheEnglish,French,andSpanishallwantedtoclaimNorthAmericafortheirown.Afteraseriesofsmallerskirmishes,theFrenchandIndianWarsof1689-1763(betweentheFrenchandtheEnglish)finallyledtothefalloftheFrenchcolonies.Thesebattles,offshootsofvariousEuropeanwars,culminatingintheSevenYears'War,sawtheFrenchandnativepeoplesalignedagainsttheBritishandtheirAmericancolonists.In1745EnglishforcescapturedthefortatLouisburg.(ItwasreturnedtoFrancein1748.)Themostrenownedbattle,however,tookplaceonthePlainsofAbrahaminmodern-dayQuébecCityin1759.Bythetimetheassaultwasover,boththeFrenchGeneral,Louis-JosephdeMontcalm(1712-1759),andtheBritishcommander,BrigadierGeneralJamesWolfe(1727-1759),laydeadonthebattlefield.TheTreatyofPariswassignedin1763andFrancecededherCanadiana
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