There are several histories of Canada: British, French and First Nation, and each of these has more than one interpretation. The winds and ocean currents of the North Atlantic largely determined the origin of the earliest European explorers. Viking sagas tell of Vinland, which archaeologists in 1960 identified at L'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland. Breton and Basque fishermen knew this coastline and the riches of the cod fisheries before Henry VII of England commissioned John Cabot in 1497 to search for the fabled North West passage to Cathay. A generation later, Jacques Cartier claimed New France and Quebec along the mighty St Lawrence River in the name of the King of France. The histories of Canada reflect the animosity between these European rivals and the relationships with the Confederacy of First Nations. The lucrative fur trade proved a powerful magnet despite the harsh winters. The eastern seaboard witnessed migrations of communities, be they Scottish Jacobites to Nova Scotia, or the expulsion of French-speaking Acadians. The imperial battle for Canada was decided at Quebec in 1759.
Topics:
• Vikings, Breton fishermen, explorers, First Nations
• Jacques Cartier, the St Lawrence and Quebec
• Samuel de Champlain, Great Lakes and New France
• Fur trade, Canadiens and Jesuit missionaries
• Upper and Lower Canada and Newfoundland
• Louisbourg, Nova Scotia and the Acadians
• Seven Years' War and the Plains of Abraham
Times of teaching sessions will be advertised
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