History Timeline

Brown => Impacts everyone

Yellow => Chinese

Orange => Indigenous

Red => Black People

Blue => French/British

Purple => Women

Green => Geographical

Grey => America🦅

1833

The Slavery Abolition Act of 1833
ended slavery in British North America
on August 1, 1834.

1840s

Canada began to industrialize,
and this led to rapid urban growth
and an economic transformation.

1840

Act Of Union:
Upper Canada was Canada West, and
Lower Canada was Canada East.
The French were assimilated as their
language was banned. At the time the
population of Upper Canada
was 374,099, while the population of
Lower Canada was 600,000.

1841

Province of Canada:
Canada East and West
were united into
Province of Canada.

1846

Corn Laws:
-Tariffs and trade restricted on imported food
-Conservative party out of power for 30 years
-Helped the burden of farmers

1848-49

Responsible Government:
Established under Governor General
Lord Elgin, this required the government to resign if it lost a confidence vote in the assembly, ensuring that the executive was accountable to the elected representatives.

Railway Guarantee Act of 1849🛤️:
The act guaranteed bond returns on all railways over 75 miles in length, leading to rapid expansion of railways in Canada

1850

Fugitive Act:
US passes the Fugitive Slave Act, resulting in a number of Black people migrating
to BNA (British North America)

1854

Abolishment of Seigneurial System:
The seigneurial system in Canada ended due to its incompatibility with the evolving economic landscape and British influence.

Reciprocity Treaty🇺🇸:
A free trade agreement between the United States and British North America that reduced import duties and protective tariffs on specific goods such as timber, grain, meats, and fish.

1858

Fraser River Gold Rush:
This began when gold was discovered
on the Thompson River in BC, and it played a crucial role in the settlement of European, Canadian, and
Chinese people in western Canada.

1860s

USA grew in size and power,
and there was talk of annexing
British North America

1861

American Civil War🦅:
This was sparked by disputes over slavery's expansion into western territories, and it had profound influence on the fear of annexation in Canada. Additionally, 4 million Black slaves were freed, and this war was led by Abraham Lincoln.

Trent Affair:
A diplomatic incident during the American Civil War that nearly led to war between the United States and Great Britain. It occurred when the U.S. Navy intercepted the British mail ship RMS Trent and forcibly removed two Confederate envoys.

1863

Chesapeake Affair🇬🇧🇺🇸:
Confederates seized American coastal steamer
"Chesapeake" off Cape Cod and diverted it to Saint John in New Brunswick. This strained relationships between America & Britain and almost led to British involvement in the Civil War.

1864

St. Alban's Raid:
Numerous important key players in Canadian and American history lost their lives in this event. The raid and court decisions increased the already brittle relations between Canada and the United States.

Start of the Great Coalition:
This allowed a stable government for 3 years before Confederation, as well as allowing the 3 conferences to occur.

Charlottetown Conference:
Held in P.E.I, this conference built relationships between delegates around the country, and agreed in principle to a federal union of the colonies.

Quebec Conference:
This conference resulted in the 72 Resolutions that provided the foundation for the British North America Act of 1867. Notable people that attended this conference include: George Brown, John A Mcdonald, and George-Étienne Cartier.

Revokement of the Fugitive Act
The act allowed the federal government to seize and return enslaved Black people who escaped from one state to another.

1865

The Civil War effectively ended in April, and this marked the start of efforts to rebuild and reconcile U.S.A.

1866

The Fenian Raids:
This gave Canada an opportunity to improve its military, and there were 31 dead and 103 wounded or struck by disease. The aim of the Fenians was to conquer Canada and exchange it with Great Britain for Irish independence.

End of Reciprocity Treaty:
Strengthened the argument for a Confederation of the British North American colonies.

London Conference:
Laid the foundation for Canada's constitution and set a precedent for future political negotiations within the country.

1867

Canadian Confederation:
This occurred on July 1, and it united Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and the Province of Canada (which became Ontario and Quebec) to form the Dominion of Canada. This marked the beginning of Canada as an independent country within the British Empire, and it partly happened due to a fear of annexation.

Purchase of Alaska:
Also known as Seward's Folly, The US purchased Alaska from Russia for the price of $7.2 million.

1869-70

The Red River Resistance:
-Louis Riel formed a provisional government, Manitoba, and the Protection of Rights
-The Canadian government purchased Rupert's Land without the Métis and Indigenous peoples
-The execution of Thomas Scott intensified English-French divisions in Canada.

Enfranchisement Act:
-Had to ask Indian Agent to live on the reservation
-Banned all alcohol for First Nations
-Completely changed their governments into a band and council system

Manitoba and Northwest Territories joined Confederation:
Manitoba joined in 1870 after the Red River Rebellion and negotiations between the Métis and the Canadian government. The Northwest Territories joined after Canada acquired Rupert's Land and the North-Western Territory from the Hudson's Bay Company.

1871

British Columbia joined Confederation
due to the Fraser Gold Rush, and they merged with
Vancouver Island and made a confederation league to form a responsible government.

1873-74

P.E.I. joined Confederation as they were in
crippling railway debt.

The North-West Mounted Police was founded to maintain order in the Canadian North-West Territories.

The Canadian Pacific Scandal:
- Prime Minister John A. Macdonald's Conservative government was accused of accepting large campaign contributions in exchange for awarding his company the contract to build the Canadian Pacific Railway
-This scandal led to Macdonald's resignation as prime minister

Canada's Great Depression began, and
unemployment rose in Canada significantly, leading to more control in the hands of industrialists.

1876

The Indian Act:
This was created to assimilate the Indigenous culture, and it forced kids into residential schools.

1880s

The Knights Of Labour
This was one of the first major labor
organizations in Canada, and they fought for an eight-hour workday, equal pay for both men and women, and the abolition of child labor.

1881

The Canadian Pacific Railway
began construction to connect Canada
from coast to coast.

1881-1884

Chinese Immigration:
Over 17 thousand Chinese immigrated to Canada to build the Canadian Pacific Railroad. They did the most dangerous jobs and 600-800 lost their lives.

1884

Married Women’s Property Act
This was initated in Manitoba, and it gave
married women the same rights as men,
allowing them to to enter into legal
agreements and buy property.

1885

The Canadian Pacific Railway finished
construction and it became Canada's first transcontinental railway.

Chinese Immigration Act:
The Canadian government induced a head tax of 50$, and it marked the beginning of legislated
anti-Chinese racism in Canada.

Pass Act:
This was a system implemented to prevent more Native gatherings that could escalate. It led to a restriction of movement, even if it goes directly against the terms (free hunting & travel) in the Numbered Treaties.

1891

Toronto's population increased from 56,000
in 1871 to 181,000 by 1891. Canada's growth in its urban landscape tranformed the country.

1896

Klondike Gold Rush:
Transformed the gold creeks as the miners stripped vegetation, rerouted streams, altered stream valleys, and tore apart the ecosystem.

Canada's Long Depression ended

1898

Yukon Joins Confederation:
Yukon joined due to hundreds of thousands of Americans going to Yukon; this made Canadians worried that the US would take control of this area. The Yukon Act was passed, stating Yukon as a separate Canadian territory.

1900

Married Women's Property Act was initiated in Ontario

Only 40% of children attended school,
the rest were working

1901

Women constitued only 13.4% of
of the total paid labour force

1901-11

Rapid Urban Growth:
There was a vast amount of immigration into Canada from Europe. This resulted in harsh living conditions, for example, tuberculosis and cholera was widespread

1914-16

WWI began, which rescued the Canadian economy from recession. In total, there were 650 000 Canadians that fought, with 66 000 having lost their lives.

1918

Right to Vote:
Black and White women were given
the right to vote in federal elections.

1929

The Persons Case:
Due to Emily Murphy, Nellie McClung,
Louise Mckinney, Irene Parlby, and
Henrietta Muir Edwards (The Famous Five),
women became legally recognized as "persons" under British law.