Early European Settlement and the Formation of the Modern State

The first European settlers in the territory of present-day Canada were the French, who, after several failed colonization attempts, established a series of forts and trading posts in Newfoundland and Quebec. Jesuit missionaries followed the traders, and sought to gain converts among the Native American tribes. Their activities were often intertwined with exploration; for example, Father Jacques Marquette was among the first to map the northern reaches of the Mississippi. Initially, French Huguenots, Protestants who faced persecution in France, also sought to establish a presence in the territory, but after the 1620s they were forbidden from settling in New France, and many moved south to the British possessions. Between 1754 and 1763, the French colonies in Canada were captured by the British, as part of the broader Seven Years’ War. The British policies towards the French-speaking Catholic population of Quebec were relatively lenient, allowing it to retain its religion and system of law. The emigration of British loyalists from the United States after the American War of Independence led to a significant increase in the Canadian population, and diversified its religious and cultural composition. The old French holdings were divided into Lower Canada, which was primarily inhabited by Catholic French-speakers, and Upper Canada, which was primarily Protestant and English-speaking. Attempts to assimilate the French-speaking population by integrating the two provinces during the 19th century met with limited success. In 1867, the Confederation of the provinces created the Dominion of Canada, transforming Lower and Upper Canada into Quebec and Ontario.