CNH - Canada's History Module Overview

Most early groups were mobile hunter-gatherers. The first civilization to arise in Canada was the Woodland. The Woodland culture dates back to around 2000 BCE and ended around 100BCE in present day Ontario and Quebec. The Woodland culture is distinguished by the pottery and tools they used during this time period. These tools included stone and bone tools, leather crafting, textiles, and shelter construction.

The next to flourish was the Hopewell culture. The Hopewell culture lived along rivers and lakes in the northeastern and mid-western parts of the United States and Canada. The culture came into existence around 200 BCE and ended around the year 500. The Hopewell culture consisted of many different groups and cultures. They were interconnected by a system called the Hopewell exchange that ran from the Southeastern United States into Southeastern Canada. The Hopewell exchange used waterways for transporting and receiving materials from all over the United States and Canada. Most of the items traded were exotic materials and were received by people living in the major trading and manufacturing areas.

The Eastern Woodland areas of what became Canada were home to the Algonquian and Iroquoian peoples. The Algonquian language is believed to have originated in the western plateau of Idaho or the plains of Montana and moved eastward eventually ending up in the Hudson Bay and Nova Scotia area. The Iroquois culture developed around northern New York around the year 1000. The Iroquois influence extended into parts of southern Ontario and the Montreal area of Quebec.

Other groups including the Haida, Kwakwaka'wakw, and Nuu-chah-nuth settled the interior region of British Columbia. Their society thrived because of the abundance of salmon and shellfish in the region. These societies eventually developed complex cultures that depended heavily on whaling and lumber for survival.

In the Arctic regions of Canada, the Paleo-Eskimos arrived in Canada around 500 BCE. Their culture stretched through Northern Canada into Greenland. The Eskimos were replaced by today's Inuit in 1500.

Questions to consider as you study this module:

• How has the French and English culture influenced the development of language and religion in Canada?
• Who were the indigenous peoples who settled the area of present-day Canada thousands of years ago? What were their cultures like and how were they affected when the Europeans arrived?
• Who were the explorers and colonists who settled in present-day Canada—from the French to the British and others? What were their motivations for colonization?
• What happened in the Seven Years’ War/French and Indian War as well as in the American Revolution as it related to Canada?
• When did Canada gain its independence?