Canada and America 1713-1871: From Sea to Sea

• Week 1: Quebec and Acadia—British conquest (1713-1763)
  Britain had a growing colonial enterprise and two million settlers on the Atlantic seaboard; France a more modest presence farther inland. But Europe’s wars spilled over into North America, and by 1763 France had ceded its Canadian possessions to Britain.  
• Week 2:  After the conquest of French Canada—what now?
  Conflict arose between the British and their new French Catholic subjects over the French legal system and Catholicism (severely restricted in Britain). After the cruel expulsion of the Acadians, Britain adopted a more thoughtful approach—the Quebec Act. But it annoyed the Americans.   
• Week 3: The American Revolution and Treaty of Paris (1783)
  Ironically, the cost of the war that defended Britain’s American colonies from attacks by the French now led those colonies to revolt. With French support, the rebellious colonists won their independence in 1783, but the border, as defined in the Treaty of Paris, proved problematic.    
• Week 4: The Coming of the Loyalists
  Tens of thousands of Loyalists and 3,000 slaves freed by the British during the War of American Independence streamed to Nova Scotia and Quebec. This led to the creation of three new colonies: in Canada, New Brunswick and Upper Canada; in Africa, Sierra Leone.   
• Week 5: Completing Canada’s border and Confederation (1795-1867)
  The Treaty of Paris defined the border up to Lake of the Woods, but inaccurate maps, disputes and how to extend the border to the Pacific delayed having an agreed border in place until 1846 (Oregon Treaty). 
• Week 6: America’s southern border (1803-48)
  Purchasing Louisiana from Napoleon, a treaty with Spain, rebellion in Texas and war with Mexico shaped America’s southern border. The South’s need to balance slave and non-slave states and “manifest destiny” were key factors pushing the U.S. to the Pacific.   

By the end of the course, you should be able to:

• Identify the key provisions of the main peace treaties 
• Understand events such as the Royal Proclamation of 1763, the Quebec Act of 1774, the Loyalists settling in Canada and the American political objective of “manifest destiny”
• Recognize the role of slavery in events such as the Northwest Ordinance (1787), the Missouri Compromise (1820), the annexation of Texas and the war with Mexico (1846-48)
• Appreciate the impact on Canada and the U.S. of the world’s three largest property sales ever: the sales of Louisiana, Alaska and Rupert’s Land

• Lectures
• Participation in discussions
  
• Supplementary resources accessed through Canvas
  
• Reflective essay (applicable only to certificate students)

No textbook is required. We will provide all course materials online.