History of Quebec

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History of Quebec

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 ~ 1533
 1534 to 1607
 1608 to 1662
 1663 to 1759
 1760 to 1790
 1791 to 1840
 1841 to 1866
 1867 to 1899
 1900 to 1930
 1931 to 1959
 1960 to 1981
 1982 to present

Territory of Quebec
 First Nations
 Era of Exploration (1508–1613)

o Giovanni da Verrazzano
o Jacques Cartier
o Samuel de Champlain
  Colony of Canada (1534–1763)
 Colony of Quebec (1763–1791)
 Lower Canada (1791–1841)
 Canada East (1841–1867)
 Province of Quebec (1867–present)

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View of Montreal from Mount Royal, 1902.

Plaque honoring the first settlers of Québec City

Quebec was first called Canada between 1534 and 1763. It was the most developed
colony of New France as well as New France's centre, responsible for a variety of
dependencies (ex. Acadia, Plaisance, Louisiana, and the Pays d'en Haut). Common
themes in Quebec's early history as Canada include the fur trade -because it was
the main industry- as well as the exploration of North America, war against the
English, and alliances or war with Native American groups.
Following the Seven Years' War, Quebec became a British colony in the British
Empire. It was first known as the Province of Quebec (1763–1791), then as Lower
Canada (1791–1841), and then as Canada East (1841–1867) as a result of
the Lower Canada Rebellion. During this period, the inferior socio-economic status
of francophones (because anglophones dominated the natural resources and
industries of Quebec), the catholic church, resistance against cultural assimilation,
and isolation from non English-speaking populations were important themes.
Quebec was confederated with Ontario, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick in 1867,
beginning the Confederation of Canada. Important events that mark this period are
the World Wars, the Grande Noirceur, the Quiet Revolution (which improved the
socio-economic standing of French Canadians and secularized Quebec), and the
emergence of the contemporary Quebec sovereignty movement.
These three large periods of Quebec's history are represented on its coat of
arms with three fleur-de-lis, followed by a lion, and then three maple leaves.

Contents

 1History
o
1.1Indigenous societies
 1.1.1Paleo-Indian Era (11,000–8000 BC)
 1.1.2Archaic era (8000–1500 BC)
 1.1.3Woodland era (3000 BC–1500 AD)
o 1.2European explorations
 1.2.1Jacques Cartier's voyages
 2New France (1534–1763)
 o 2.1Colony of Canada (1608–1759)
 2.1.1Early years (1608–1663)
 2.1.2Royal province (1663–1760)
 2.1.3Catholic nuns
o 2.2British conquest of New France (1754–1763)
 3British North America (1760–1867)
o 3.1Royal Proclamation (1763–1774)
o 3.2Quebec Act (1774)
o 3.3American Revolutionary War
o 3.4Constitutional Act (1791–1840)
o 3.5Martial law and Special Council (1838–1840)
o 3.6Union Act
o 3.7Grande Hémorragie
 4Canada (1867-present)
o 4.1Growth of Montreal
o 4.2Influence of the Catholic institutions
o 4.3Politics
o 4.4Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier
o 4.5Boundaries
o 4.6First World War
o 4.7Great Depression
o 4.8Second World War
o 4.9Maurice Duplessis
o 4.10Quiet Revolution (1960–1980)
o 4.11Religion and culture
o 4.12Separatism
o 4.13Politics
o 4.141970–1980
o 4.151980 referendum
o 4.16Constitution Act, 1982
 4.16.1Meech Lake Accord and Charlottetown Accord
o 4.171995 referendum
o 4.182000–present
 5Summary of Quebec's political transformations
 6See also
 7References
o 7.1Primary sources
o 7.2Journals
 8Further reading

History[edit]
Main article: Prehistory of Quebec
Indigenous societies[edit]
Aboriginal settlements were located across the area of present-day Quebec before
the arrival of Europeans. In the northernmost areas of the
province, Inuit communities can be found. Other aboriginal communities belong to
the following First Nations:

 Abenakis
  Algonquins
 Atikamekw
 Crees
 Innu
 Malecite
 Mi'kmaq
 Mohawks
 Naskapi
 Wendats
The aboriginal cultures of present-day Quebec are diverse, with their own
languages, way of life, economies, and religious beliefs. Before contact with
Europeans, they did not have a written language, and passed their history and other
cultural knowledge along to each generation through oral tradition.[1]
Today around three-quarters of Quebec's aboriginal populations lives in small
communities scattered throughout the rural areas of the province, with some living
on reserves.
Jacques Cartier sailed into the St. Lawrence River in 1534 and established an ill-
fated colony near present-day Quebec City at the site of Stadacona, a village of the
St. Lawrence Iroquoians. Linguists and archaeologists have determined these
people were distinct from the Iroquoian nations encountered by later French and
Europeans, such as the five nations of the Haudenosaunee. Their language
was Laurentian, one of the Iroquoian family. By the late 16th century, they had
disappeared from the St. Lawrence Valley.
Paleo-Indian Era (11,000–8000 BC)[edit]
Existing archaeological evidence attests to a human presence on the current territory
of Quebec sometime around 10,000 BC.[2]
Archaic era (8000–1500 BC)[edit]
The Paleoindian period was followed by the Archaic, a time when major changes
occurred in the landscape and the settlement of the territory of Quebec. With the end
of glaciation, the inhabitable territory increased in size and the environment (such as
climate, vegetation, lakes and rivers) became increasingly stable. Migrations became
rarer and moving around became a seasonal activity necessary for hunting, fishing
or gathering.[3]
The nomadic populations of the Archaic period were better established and were
very familiar with the resources of their territories. They adapted to their
surroundings and experienced a degree of population growth. Their diet and tools
diversified. Aboriginal peoples used a greater variety of local material, developed
new techniques, such as polishing stone, and devised increasingly specialized tools,
such as knives, awls, fish hooks, and nets.[4]
Woodland era (3000 BC–1500 AD)[edit]
Agriculture appeared experimentally toward the 8th century. It was only in the 14th
century that it was fully mastered in the Saint Lawrence River valley. The Iroquoians
cultivated corn, marrow, sunflowers, and beans.[5]