French Canadian

:"Canadiens" redirects here. For the ice hockey team, see Montreal Canadiens.

History

The French were the first Europeans to colonize Canada. (See French colonization of the Americas.) Their colonies of New France stretched across what today are the Maritime provinces, southern Quebec and Ontario, as well as the entire Mississippi River Valley. The first permanent European settlement in Canada was at Port Royal in 1605. The territories of New France were Canada, Acadia, and Louisiana. The inhabitants of Canada called themselves the Canadiens, the inhabitants of Acadia, the Acadiens, and the inhabitants of Louisiana, the Louisianais. Many French Canadians are the descendants of the King's Daughters of this era.

Related Topics:
French - French colonization of the Americas - New France - Maritime provinces - Ontario - Mississippi River - Port Royal - 1605 - Acadia - Louisiana - King's Daughters

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After the 1760 British conquest of New France in the French and Indian War, the French-Canadian population remained important in the life of the colonies.

Related Topics:
1760 - French and Indian War

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The British, who had gained Acadia by the Treaty of Utrecht (1713), deported 75% of the Acadian population to other British colonies at the beginning of the French and Indian War. The French Canadians escaped this fate in part because of the capitulation act that made them British subjects. It took the 1774 Quebec Act for them to regain the French civil law system, and in 1791 French Canadians in Lower Canada were introduced to the British parliamentary system when an elected Legislative Assembly was created.

Related Topics:
Treaty of Utrecht - 1713 - 1774 - Quebec Act - 1791 - Lower Canada - Parliament - Legislative Assembly

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The Legislative Assembly having no real power, the political situation degenerated into the Lower Canada Rebellion of 1837?1838, after which Lower Canada and Upper Canada were unified. One of the motivations for the union was to limit French Canadian political power. After many decades of British immigration, the Canadiens became a minority in the Province of Canada in the 1850s.

Related Topics:
Lower Canada Rebellion - 1837 - 1838 - Upper Canada - Province of Canada - 1850s

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French-Canadian contributions were essential in securing responsible government for The Canadas and in undertaking Canadian Confederation. However, over the course of the late 19th and 20th centuries, French Canadians' discontent grew with their place in Canada. (See Quebec, History of Canada and Politics of Canada.)

Related Topics:
Responsible government - The Canadas - Canadian Confederation - Quebec - History of Canada - Politics of Canada

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During the latter part of the 19th and early 20th centuries, approximately 1 million French Canadians emigrated from the province of Quebec to settle in New England. The reason for this exodus was mostly economic, though also political.

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Since 1968, French has been one of Canada's two official languages. It is the sole official language of Quebec and one of the official languages of New Brunswick, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut. The dialects of French spoken in Canada are quite distinct from those of France. See Canadian French.

Related Topics:
1968 - New Brunswick - Northwest Territories - Nunavut - Dialect - Canadian French

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