Early Canada: 1534-1867

After laying eyes upon the eastern coast of Canada in May, 1534, the French explorer, Jacques Cartier, remarked that it resembled the “land that God gave to Cain."  Despite Cartier’s initial misgivings, Canada presented numerous opportunities to Europeans, as it had for the First Nations. For three centuries, the northern half of North America was an imperial domain of the French, and then of the British. In 1867, the Dominion of Canada was created, and the first steps toward the Canada that we know today were taken. This course explores the political, economic, social, and cultural life of Early Canada, from the age of European contact to Confederation. Also offered through Canadian Studies.