Lesson 12: How The British Won Canada*

*or, The Seven Years' War (North American Conflicts)
or, The French and Indian Wars


A. Overview and Outbreak
1) Primary Texts:
MFHC: 10.6
C&C: Lesson 14, pp. 36-37.
F of C: Chapter 3: Military Forts. pp. 24-39
Canadian History for Dummies: p. 117-118, "The Conquest,"
p. 118-121, "The Shooting Starts," to "Early French Victories."
p. 120, "Confused by all these wars? Here's why"

Video: Episode 4: Battle for a Continent (for all units)

2) Map(s):
(a) Locate the following rivers on this map.
The St. Lawrence River
The Ohio River
The Mississippi River

Then, using this map as a reference (Boundaries as claimed in 1754 at Beginning of French and Indian War) roughly sketch in the claims on the land made by the Spanish, British and French.

(b): Using the timetable (below), circle the forts on this map, "The Seven Years' War" (to be uploaded to a reliable file host) won by the French before 1759 in blue. Then take a red pencil and circle the gains made by the British in 1759 and 1760.

Question for Analysis: Who was William Pitt and why was he important to the war?

4) Time-line Figure or image: George Washington. Nice portrait of Washington in uniform as colonel of the Virginia Regiment
placement: 1754

5) Supplemental reading:
Here is a nice table of the various conflicts and when they occurred.

This is an absolutely fabulous teaching module for the Seven Years' War aimed towards Junior or Senior High School kids.

Book(s): (for all units)

Non-Fiction:
(be wary of a pro-US slant in some)
Revolution, War, and the Loyalists (Hardcover) by David Baldwin
The French and Indian War 1660-1763 by Christopher and James Lincoln Collier
Struggle for a Continent: The French an Indian Wars, 1689-1763, by Betsy Maestro and Giulio Maestro

Fiction: (not previewed. Some may be out of print).
Battle For the Rock by Joseph Schull Gr. 5+
Battle in the Wilderness by Konrad Kellen
Calico Captive by Elizabeth George Speare Gr. 5+
The Death of My Country: The Plains of Abraham Diary of Geneviève Aubuchon Québec, New France, 1759 by Maxine Trottier (Part of the Dear Canada series)
Drummer Boy For Montcalm by Wilma Pitchford Hays Gr. 3+
The Gold-Laced Coat by Helen Fuller Orton Gr. 4+
The Last of the Mohicans by James Fennimore Cooper
The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare
With Wolfe in Quebec: The Winning of a Continent by G.A. Henty Gr. 6+



B. The Fall of Louisbourg
1) Primary Texts:
Canadian History for Dummies: p. 121, "The Fall of Louisbourg,"

3) Activities: Take this sheet, "Louisbourg" (to be uploaded to a reliable file host) and record what happened that year. Be sure to state who controlled the Fort!

4) Time-line Figure or image: Capture of Louisbourg, 1745 (a bit early for our time, but it serves to remind us that it was captured before (and then returned to the French by treaty in 1748))
placement: 1758

Books:
Non-Fiction
Fortress of Louisbourg by John Fortier

Fiction:
Streets of Gold, by George Rawlyk. (Northern Lights Series)


C. The Battle of Quebec
1) Primary Texts:
MFHC: 10.6
S of C: pp. 68-75, The War of the Conquest
C&C: continued from above
Canadian History for Dummies: p. 122-128. From "1759: The Battle for Quebec" to "On the Plains of Abraham"


2) Map(s):
After reading the description of what happened here use the map to:

Draw the approach of Wolfe’s troops with a red dotted line.

Indicate (in blue) where most of the French army was.

Draw a star where Montcalm chose to meet the British.

(Print off the page or map or use this worksheet, "The Battle of Quebec" (to be uploaded to a reliable file host).


3) Activities:
Using the Canadian Encyclopedia, youth edition, look up the following:

James Wolfe

Louis Joseph Montcalm

François-Gaston de Lévis

Pierre de Vaudreuil

Jeffrey Amherst

Tell whether they were French or English, what battles they fought and whether they won or lost.

4) Time-line Figure or image: Wolfe and Montcalm, from The Museum of Civilisation and Culture, Canada.
placement: 1759

Supplemental Readings:
CBYR: Wolfe and Montcalm