In 1812
Canada was not yet a country. It was a British colony and part of British North
America. British North America was divided into three provinces, Upper Canada,
Lower Canada and Ruperts Land. What is now southern Ontario was Upper Canada.
What is now southern Quebec and Labrador was Lower Canada. Ruperts Land was the
rest of what is now eastern Canada.
In July
of 1812 the Americans invaded British North America. Many battles were fought
in both Upper Canada and Lower Canada. Some of the battles were on land. Some
were sea battles (battles between ships) on Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, or on the
St. Lawrence River. There were not many roads so transportation by water was
very important. Both sides invaded each other’s territory but those invasions
were either unsuccessful or temporary. When the war ended in 1814 the border
with the United States remained the same as it was in 1812. The border included
the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River. It is still the border between
Canada and the United States.
Fort
Henry is on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River at Kingston where the St.
Lawrence River widens into Lake Ontario. The original Fort Henry was built by
the British during the War of 1812. A bigger and stronger fort was built
between 1832 and 1837 to protect Lake Ontario from any future attack from the
United States. There were also naval shipyards in Kingston that the British
wanted to protect. Also, the fort helped protect the Rideau Canal which was an
important waterway between Kingston and Ottawa.
There
hasn’t been another war between Canada and the United States and Fort Henry has
never been attacked. Today Fort Henry is a tourist attraction.
Vocabulary help:
§ achieve (verb) - to succeed, usually by working
hard
§ attacked (verb) past tense of to attack -
to use violence to hurt or damage something
§ attraction (noun) - a place people want to visit
§ battles (noun) - a fight between two armies in a
war
§ border (noun) - the line that separates two
countries
§ British (adjective) - relating to Great Britain or
the United Kingdom (U.K)
§ during (preposition) - a period of time, example
- The sun shines during the day.
§ fought (verb) past tense of to fight -
to take part in war, or to use physical force to defeat someone.
§ included (verb) past tense of to include -
to be part of something larger
§ invaded (verb) past tense of to invade -
to enter a country by force in order to take control of it
§ invasion (noun) - when an army enters a country by
force
§ naval (adjective) - of the navy
§ original (adjective) - first, existing since the
beginning
§ shipyard (noun) - a place where ships are built or
repaired
§ shore (noun) - the area of land along the edge of
an ocean, lake or river
§ temporary (adjective) - happening only for a short
time
§ transportation (noun) - buses, trains, cars, etc.
used for getting from one place or another
§ unsuccessful (adjective) - not achieving what was wanted
§ violence (noun) - extreme force, when someone tries
to hurt or kill someone
§ waterway (noun) - a river or canal
§ widens (verb) - to become wider
Comprehension Check:
Did you
understand the story? Are these sentences true?
1. Fort
Henry was attacked by the Americans in the 1830's. Yes or no?
2. Fort
Henry was built by the British. Yes or no?
3. Fort
Henry is on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River. Yes or no?
4. The
War of 1812 ended in 1814. Yes or no?
5. Fort
Henry is now a tourist attraction in Kingston. Yes or no?
Fill in the Blanks:
6. The
__________________ Fort Henry was built during the War of 1812.
7. Fort
Henry is in Ontario. In 1812 it was in ___________________ Canada.
8. The
British had naval __________________ in Kingston.
9. The
St. Lawrence River was an important ______________________ because most
transportation was by ______________________ in 1812.
10.
During the War of 1812 there were sea battles (battles between ships) on both
Lake _____________ and Lake __________________.
11.
Today Fort Henry is a _________________________________________
The
Klondike Goldrush started in August 1896 when gold was found in the Bonanza
Creek near Dawson City. Bonanza Creek is a tributary of the Klondike River.
This area of the Yukon became known as the Klondike Gold Fields.
This
area is also very mountainous and in 1896 there were no roads or railways. It
was very difficult for people to reach the Klondike Gold Fields and many people
risked their lives to search for gold. If you had enough money, you could go by
boat to the western coast of Alaska where the Yukon River flows to the Bering
Sea. Boats could then take you up the Yukon River to Dawson City. The more
popular route to the Klondike was by boat to Skagway Alaska and then north on
foot over the mountains to the Yukon River. The journey was even more difficult
because the Yukon River was frozen most of the year. Boat trips on the river
could only be made from mid-May to mid-October.
About
100,000 people tried to make the journey to Dawson City but many people gave up
and turned back. Only about 40,000 people made it to Dawson City.
Vocabulary help:
§ creek (noun) – narrow river
§ flows (verb) - moves, The Yukon River flows to the
Bering Sea means that the water in the Yukon River is moving toward the Bering
Sea.
§ gave up (phrasal verb) past tense of give
up - to stop trying.
§ journey (noun) – a trip that you take
§ mid – in the middle of
§ mountainous (adjective) - has lots of mountains.
§ on foot – walk
§ risked (verb) past tense of to risk -
might lose, if your risk something important, you cause it to be in a dangerous
situation
§ route (noun) – the path that you follow to get from
one place to another
§ search (verb) - to look
§ tributary (noun) - a river that flows into a larger
river. Bonanza Creek is a tributary of the Klondike River. This means that the
water in Bonanza Creek flows into the Klondike River.
§ turned back (phrasal verb) past tense of turn
back - to return in the direction that you came from,
Comprehension Check:
Did you
understand the story? Are these sentences true?
1. About
100,000 people made it to Dawson City during the Gold Rush of 1896. Yes or no?
2. Gold
was first found in the Bonanza Creek. Yes or no?
3. The
Klondike Gold Fields were easy to get to. Yes or no?
4. The
Yukon River flows to the Bering Sea. Yes or no?
5.
People could travel by boat on the Yukon River only in the summer. Yes or no?
6. The
town of Dawson City is in British Columbia. Yes or no?
Fill in the Blanks:
7. In
1896 there were no ____________________ or railways in the Klondike.
8. The
Yukon River flows through __________________________ and the Yukon Territory.
9. The
Bonanza Creek is a ______________________ of the Klondike River.
Map
showing the routes that Henry Hudson took in 1609 and 1610.
To find
the Northwest Passage, a sea route through the Arctic Ocean, was the goal of
many sailors for centuries. European countries wanted to find a route to China
and the Far East. In 1497 the French explorer, John Cabot, was the first to
attempt to find a route. He was not successful.
In 1610
the British sailor, Henry Hudson tried to find the Northwest Passage. He set
sail from England in his boat Discovery in June 1610. When Hudson sailed into
what is now Hudson Bay, he thought that he had found the Pacific Ocean. Even
though winter was coming, Hudson did not want to return to England. Because he
thought that he was in the Pacific Ocean, he headed south to what he thought
would be warmer temperatures. Instead of finding warmth, the sailors on the
Discovery encountered a dead end in what is now James Bay. James Bay froze in
the winter and Hudson and his men were forced to spend the winter there.
The ice
did not break up until June 1611. Henry Hudson wanted to continue westward but
his crew wanted to return to England. There was a mutiny. Henry, his son John,
and some other crew members were put in a small boat and left behind. The rest
of the crew sailed back to England on the Discovery. Henry Hudson was never
heard from again.
In 1906
a Norwegian, Roald Amundsen, was the first sailor to take a boat through the
Northwest Passage. It took him three years to do it. It wasn’t until 1944 that
a ship was able to navigate through the Northwest Passage in one season (one
Arctic summer). Even today few boats travel through the Northwest Passage
because the route is difficult and the Arctic is frozen for many months of the
year.
Vocabulary help:
§ centuries (noun) plural of century –
a period of one hundred years
§ continue (verb) – to keep happening, or to keep
doing
§ crew (noun) – the people who work on a ship,
airplane or train
§ dead end (noun) – a road, or path that is closed at
one end. A route that doesn’t lead anywhere.
§ discovery (noun) – a finding, or when someone
learns something.
§ explorer (noun) – someone who travels to places
where no one has been before in order to find out what is there.
§ froze (verb) past tense of to freeze –
to turn from a liquid to a solid. When water freezes it becomes ice.
§ frozen (adjective) - very cold, Example:
Ice is frozen water. You can buy frozen foods at the grocery store.
§ goal (noun) – aim, or what you want to do
successfully in the future. Example: Our goal is to learn English .
§ mutiny (noun) – when a group of people (usually
sailors or soldiers) refuse to obey orders
§ navigate (verb) - successfully sail (or go by boat)
along a waterway
§ route (noun) – the path that you follow to get from
one place to another
§ temperature (noun) – Temperature is how hot or cold
something is.
§ warmer (adjective) comparative form of warm -
not cold, but not hot. Example: I wear a hat to keep my head warm in the winter
§ westward (adverb) – towards the west
Comprehension Check:
Did you
understand the story? Are these sentences true?
1. John
Cabot was a French explorer. Yes or no?
2. Henry
Hudson died in England. Yes or no?
3. Henry
Hudson thought that Hudson Bay was the Pacific Ocean.
4. The
Northwest Passage is used all year long. Yes or no?
5. In
June 1611, Henry Hudson's crew returned to England. Yes or no?
Fill in the Blanks:
6.
Europeans wanted to find a route to ___________________.
7. Henry
Hudson sailed from____________________ in the year _________________ in the
Discovery.
8. Roald
Amundsen was from __________________________.
9. The
________________________________________ is a difficult sea route through the
Arctic Ocean.
10. In
1944 the first ship navigated the Northwest Passage in
__________________________________
Statue
of John Graves Simcoe, Queens Park, Toronto.
In 1791
John Graves Simcoe became the first Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada. In
1791 Upper Canada was a new province. It was created by the British government
when they divided their colony of Quebec into two provinces, Upper Canada and
Lower Canada, under the Constitutional Act of 1791. Upper Canada was modern-day
southern Ontario. Lower Canada was modern-day southern Quebec and Labrador.
John
Graves Simcoe founded the town of York (now called Toronto) and made it the
capital of Upper Canada. He introduced courts of law and trial by jury. He
abolished slavery in Upper Canada. He also began construction on two main
roads, Yonge Street and Dundas Street. Yonge Street was built north from the
town of York on Lake Ontario. Dundas Street which was built between the towns
of York and London. These roads were to help in the defence of Canada in case
of war against the United States. These roads also helped encourage settlement
and trade. They were the first main roads built in what is now Ontario. Before
there were roads, rivers were the main transportation routes.
Simcoe
was Lieutenant Governor until 1796. He died in England in 1806 at the age of 54
years.
Vocabulary help:
§ abolish (verb) - to do away with; put a stop to;
end.
§ capital (noun) - the city where the central
government of a nation or state is located. Example: The capital of France is
Paris.
§ colony (noun) - a country or area controlled by
another country
§ create (verb) - to bring into being.
§ divide (verb) - to separate into parts or factions.
§ encourage (verb) - to give help or support to.
§ founded (verb) past tense of to found -
to set up or create; establish.
§ introduce (verb) - to bring into being for the
first time.
§ jury (noun) - a body of persons summoned to a court
of law who are sworn to hear evidence and give a true verdict in a case.
§ modern-day (adjective) - relating to current or
recent times, modern
§ route (noun) - the path that you follow to get from
one place to another
§ settlement (noun) - an area newly occupied by
colonists or settlers.
§ transportation (noun) - buses, trains, cars, etc.
used for getting from one place or another
§ trial (noun) - in law, an examination of evidence
presented to a judicial tribunal, usually in order to determine a person's
guilt or innocence
Comprehension Check:
Did you
understand the story? Are these sentences true?
1. John
Graves Simcoe died in Upper Canada. Yes or no?
2. Yonge
Street was one of the roads that John Graves Simcoe began building. Yes or no?
3. Upper
Canada was a British colony. Yes or no?
4. John
Graves Simcoe was the first Lieutenant of Lower Canada. Yes or no?
Fill in the Blanks:
5. In
1791 the colony of _____________ was divided into two provinces.
6.
Toronto used to be called _____________________.
7. John
Graves Simcoe began construction on ___________ main roads, Yonge Street and
_______________ Street.
8.
Simcoe abolished __________________ in Upper Canada.
9. He
set up courts of _____________ in Upper Canada.
10. John
Graves Simcoe died in ______________
Casa
Loma, Toronto.
Casa
Loma sits on a hill overlooking downtown Toronto. Construction on Casa Loma
began in 1911. Three hundred men worked for three years to build Casa Loma.
Casa Loma cost three and a half million dollars to build ($3,500,00). When it
was finished, Casa Loma had 98 rooms, 25 fireplaces and two secret passageways.
Behind Casa Loma, and across the street, there is second building with the
Hunting Lodge, stables and a garage. The two buildings are connected by an
underground tunnel.
The
house was built for Sir Henry Pellatt and his wife Mary. They did not live in
it for very long because they ran out of money and could not afford to live
there. They moved out in 1923 and in 1933 Casa Loma was seized by the city of
Toronto because of the property taxes on Casa Loma had not been paid. Casa Loma
is now a museum and you can tour the buildings and gardens.
Vocabulary help:
§ afford (verb) - have enough money to pay for
something. It can also mean to have enough time to do something.
§ connected (verb) past tense of to connect -
to join two things or two places together.
Example: A cable connects my printer to my computer.
§ construction (noun) - the work of building a house,
offices, bridge, etc
§ half - one half = ½
§ lodge (noun) - a small house in the country
§ passageway (noun) - a long narrow space that
connects one place to another.
§ overlooking (verb) - to have a view of something
from above.
§ secret (adjective) - If something is secret then
people don't know about it.
§ seized (verb) past tense of to seize -
to take something away (sometimes by force)
§ stables (noun) - building where horses were kept
§ tour (verb) - to walk around, or to travel around a
place
Comprehension Check:
Did you
understand the story? Are these sentences true?
1. It
took one year to build Casa Loma. Yes or no?
2. Sir
Henry Pellatt and his wife lived in Casa Loma for a long time. Yes or no?
3. Casa
Loma was seized by the city of Toronto in 1933. Yes or no?
4. Casa
Loma is now a museum. Yes or no?
5. It
took three thousand men to build Casa Loma. Yes or no?
Fill in the Blanks:
6. Sir
Henry Pellatt's wife's name was _________________.
7. Casa
Loma has two _________________ passageways.
8. Casa
Loma was built on a ________________ overlooking downtown ____________________.
9. The
Pellatts had to leave Casa Loma because they ran out of _______________
Postcard,
Halifax Explosion.
On
December 6th 1917, a French ship with a cargo of explosives collided with
another ship in Halifax Harbour. The French ship, the SS Mont Blanc,started
to burn and then it exploded. The ship was totally destroyed. The explosion
started many fires in the city. Many buildings in Halifax were destroyed. Trees
were bent and broken. Two thousand people died in the explosion or in the
fires. About 9000 people were injured.
Halifax
is a city in Nova Scotia. During World War 1 Halifax was an important harbour
and port town. It is large enough for big ships. It doesn’t freeze in the
winter. War supplies such as food, weapons, explosives and soldiers were sent
from Canada and the United States to Europe. Many of these supplies were sent
by ship from Halifax. The SS Mont Blanc was one of these
ships. The explosives that she was carrying were being shipped to Europe for
the war
Vocabulary help:
§ cargo (noun) - the goods carried by a ship,
airplane, or other vehicle.
§ collided (verb) past tense of to collide -
to strike or bump into one another with force.
§ during (preposition) - all through a certain period
of time.
§ explosion (noun) - the act or noise of breaking
open with great force; burst. Bombs cause explosions.
§ explosive (noun) - a substance that is able to
cause an explosion.
§ freeze (verb) - to make into ice because of cold
temperatures.
§ harbour (noun) - a safe area of water where people
can leave their boats.
§ injure (verb) - to harm or damage.
§ port (noun) - a place where ships load, or the town
near this place.
§ weapon (noun) - an object used to attack or defend.
Guns are weapons
Comprehension Check:
Did you
understand the story? Are these sentences true?
1. About
9000 people died in the Halifax Explosion. Yes or no?
2. The SS
Mont Blanc was carrying explosives. Yes or no?
3. The SS
Mont Blanc had just arrived from Europe. Yes or no?
4. The
city of Halifax has a large harbour. Yes or no?
5.
Halifax Harbour freezes in the winter. Yes or no?
Fill in the Blanks:
6. The
city of Halifax is in __________________________
7. The SS
Mont Blanc was a ship from _____________________. It was a
_________________ ship.
8. War
supplies are things like food, _______________________, _____________________
and soldiers.
9. The SS
Mont Blanc ______________ with another ship in Halifax Harbour.
10. Many
buildings and trees were __________________ by the explosion.
11.
About 9000 people were __________________ by the explosion.
Statue of Sir John A. Macdonald, Queens Park,
Toronto
Sir John
A. Macdonald was the first Prime Minister of Canada. He was born in Scotland in
1815. When he was a boy his family moved to Upper Canada. He grew up in
Kingston Ontario. He became a lawyer and a politician.
As a
politician, he helped bring the provinces of Upper Canada, Lower Canada, Nova
Scotia and New Brunswick together to form the Dominion of Canada. He was one of
the 36 Fathers of Confederation. These were men who met at conferences in
Charlottetown (PEI) and Quebec City in 1864 to make plans to unite the
provinces. They made decisions about what system of government they would have.
They also made decisions about laws and the legal system.
When
Canada became a country on 1 July 1867, Sir John A. Macdonald was appointed as
the first Prime Minister. Sir John A. Macdonald was Prime Minister of Canada
from 1867 to 1873 and then again between 1878 and 1891. He died on 6 June 1891
while he was still Prime Minister, and just a few months after winning an
election.
Vocabulary help:
§ appoint (verb) - to name someone to a particular
office or duty.
§ between (preposition) - during a set time period.
§ Confederation (noun) - Canadian Confederation was
the formation of the Dominion of Canada on 1 July 1867. This is the day that
Canada became an independent country.
§ conference (noun) - a meeting of people who have
the same job or similar interests. The purpose of the meeting is to share
information and opinions.
§ discuss (verb) - to talk together about something
§ Dominion (noun) - a name formerly applied to
self-governing divisions of the British Empire
§ election (noun) - the process of choosing a person
to serve in government by voting.
§ government (noun) - the official group of people
who run the country
§ grew up (phrasal verb) past tense of grow up - to
become an adult
§ lawyer (noun) - a person whose job is to give legal
advice and to speak for people in court.
§ legal (adjective) - relating to the law
§ met (verb) - past tense of to meet -
to come together by plan or by chance. If a group of people meet, they come to
a place in order to do something.
§ PEI = Prince Edward Island, one of the Canadian
provinces
§ politician (noun) - a person who holds political
office.
§ Prime Minister (noun) - The head of a parliamentary
government.
§ system (noun) - a particular way or method of doing
something
§ unite (verb) - to join together as a group, or to
make people join together as a group
Comprehension Check:
Did you
understand the story? Are these sentences true?
1. Sir
John A. Macdonald was born in Scotland. Yes or no?
2. The
Dominion of Canada was formed in 1867. Yes or no?
3. Sir
John A. Macdonald was the Prime Minister of Canada from 1867 to 1891. Yes or
no?
4. Upper
Canada, Lower Canada, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick joined together to form the
Dominion of Canada. Yes or no?
5. There
were twenty six Fathers of Confederation. Yes or no?
Fill in the Blanks:
6. Sir
John A. Macdonald grew up in Kingston which was in ___________ Canada.
7. There
were two ________________ in 1864, one in Charlottetown and one in Quebec City.
8. Sir
John A. Macdonald died just after the _____________ in 1891.
9. Sir
John A. Macdonald was __________________ as the first Prime Minister.
10. The
Fathers of Confederation helped to decide what system of ______________ Canada
would have.
11. The
laws of a country are part of the ______________ system of that count
