1 A Country Is Born 1867

North and South America were the last places in the world where people came to live. By the time the Vikings from Norway first saw Canada in the year 985, many First Nations people(see 1999),already called it home.The First Nations had lived in Canada for thousands of years. They chased the Vikings away and would not let them live in Canada.

It was a very long time before another explorer stopped at Canada. John Cabot was exploring the world in a big boat called a ship. He was looking for new land for the British in 1497. He found Canada, but he did not stay to live there.

Next year the Portuguese came. They lived for a time on the East coast of Canada, but they left because they liked South America better.

Finally, in 1534, Jacques Cartier placed a French flag near the Saint Lawrence River (see 1890).He said that the country called Canada today belonged to France.

The French started to trade with the native people of Canada, called First Nations. French people liked to wear fur hats and Canada had many animals with warm fur. First Nations hunters would bring animal skins to the French and trade them for an axe. The axe made it easier and faster to cut wood so it was valued by the First Nations. Animal skins could be sold for a lot of money in France, so they were valued by the French. It was a good trade. The First Nations people let the French stay and live near them. In 1608, the French built Quebec City and some French people made it their new home.

Farther east, in St John's Newfoundland, the British had arrived by ship in 1583. British people started to live in eastern Canada in 1621, but they fought with the French. Both Britain and France wanted all of Canada. They did not want to share it. Britain started sending many people to Canada. Soon Britain could win these fights, called battles because there were more British soldiers than French soldiers. The French and the British fought many battles.

One big battle was called the Seven Years' War. This was the first war ever fought in more than one country at one time. It was like a world war. The British fought the French, the Americans, and the First Nations in Canada from 1756 —1763. They also had battles in many countries in Europe, India, and even on the sea. When the British won this fight, they made the French give North America to them.

Now, Britain owned all of North America. However, many of the people living in North America were angry at Britain. They thought Britain did not care about them, so they started a battle. When these people won the battle, they made the British people go north. The winners stayed south and called themselves Americans. The British land in the north was called British North America. One hundred years later, it would become Canada.

On September 6, 1814, in Quebec, and January 11, 1815, in Scotland something happened that would forever be important to the birth of Canada. On those days, George-Étienne Cartier was born in Canada and John Alexander Macdonald was born in Scotland.

John A. Macdonald's family were English speakers. They moved to Ontario, Canada, when he was a boy. He became a lawyer and later a politician in the government. George-Étienne Cartier was French speaking. He grew up in Quebec, Canada. He also became a lawyer and then a politician. When both boys were in their 40's they met in the government and became good friends.

John and George-Étienne both wanted everyone in Canada to live together happily and have one government. At that time, there were many British colonies. These were places in Canada where the British lived and ruled. Each colony had different governments. Often the French speakers and English speakers in one colony did not agree. For hundreds of years, this had caused many battles between them.

John and George-Étienne worked together to find a way to bring peace. They began to make changes that brought the two cultures together so they did not fight. John and George-Étienne could see that one, united country would be better for the economy. One country could share everything, so everyone would be richer. The people of one country could sell things to each other and to other countries. They didn't need to send everything back to Britain for free. John and George-Étienne also thought that if the French and English worked together, they could keep the Americans in the south from getting their land.

The people living in British North America liked their ideas. Britain did not have enough money to keep control of the country so Britain agreed. The leaders of the provinces of Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick came together to make the country called the Dominion of Canada. On July 1, 1867, they all signed a paper called the British North America Act. This paper made the Canadian government united and free from British rule.July 1st is celebrated as Canada Day every year(see 1958).

Such a great new country needed a great new leader. John A. Macdonald agreed to be that man. In 1867, when Canada became a country, John A. Macdonald became its first Prime Minister.

Like any new birth, Canada took many more years to grow. George-Étienne worked hard to bring other parts of Canada together. He saw Manitoba, Northwest Territories, British Columbia and Prince Edward Island also join Canada before his death. Eventually, by 1999, all 10 provinces in the south of Canada and the three territories in the north had joined to become one country.

Today, Canada is the second largest country in the world. It is almost 10 million square kilometers in size. The country of Canada covers land from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west. From the great lakes in the south to the Arctic Ocean in the north.