Early Contact Review

Socials 10 starts in 1815, and there is some prior context that students should know in order to understand what was going in Canada by 1815. After reviewing some European history, I then review early contact in North America. My outline looks like this:


Early Contact in North America
(discussion of stereotypes)


A. The French
     -meeting Algonquian and Iroquois
     -traders and missionaries
     -pre-existing conflict (ex. the Huron)
     -New France


B. The English
     -Hudson's Bay
     -Jamestown


C. Alliances and Conflict



Here is a copy of my powerpoint lesson. Feel free to modify and use:
Early Contact Review

Jacques Cartier

Continuing my series on Canadian postage stamps, the next image that Canada recognized (after the Beaver, Prince Albert, and Queen Victoria) was Jacques Cartier. Probably a good choice, since he was the one that named this region "Canada". This particular stamp pictured above has a catalogue value of $332.35.

The word "kanata" was the Iroquois word for "village", but Cartier believed it referred to the entire region and thus the name of our country was born. Of course, for awhile it was dubbed "New France" as Samuel de Champlain and others brought settlers from France. But the name "Canada" stuck once Britain gained sovereignty.

I find that most high school students know all about New France, but don't really understand why they learned about it or what it means. They have a paradigm of "Canada as an English country with a French problem in Quebec"that is not easily challenged.

However, from Jacques Cartier to the Plains of Abraham the region now called "Canada" was French. French-Canadiens are the original Canadians who named and defined the region.