A. Heritage and Identity · Communities in Canada, 1780–1850

Changing the Land: Settlement and Colonial Policies

A3.5 A1.2 A3.4About 40 minutes

Learning goals

I can describe how different kinds of settlements changed the natural environment.
I can explain how settlement affected First Nations communities that were already there.
I can explain what a colonial policy is and give examples from this time.
I can describe how First Nations responded and stayed strong.

Words to know

environment
The natural world around us: land, water, air, plants and animals.

impact
A strong effect that something has on something else.

policy
A plan or set of rules made by a government.

colonial policy
A plan or rule made by the government of a colony. Many colonial policies were made about First Nations without their agreement, and were unfair.

reserve
An area of land set aside by the government for a First Nation. Reserves were usually much smaller than a nation's traditional territory.

petition
A written request to a leader or government, asking for something to be fixed or changed.

resilience
The strength to keep going and recover after hard times.

Footprints on the land

Every community leaves footprints on the land: changes to the forests, water, animals and plants.

Some settlements leave light footprints, and some leave very deep ones. Let's compare.

Kind of settlement	Impact on the environment
Seasonal camps of Anishinaabe families, who moved with the seasons	Light. Families took what they needed and moved on, so the land, fish and animals had time to recover. Many followed teachings about taking only what you need and giving thanks.
Haudenosaunee farming villages (before settlers came)	Medium. Fields were cleared for corn, beans and squash. After many years, when the soil and firewood ran low, a village moved, and the forest grew back.
Trading posts	Small buildings, but a big impact on animals. The fur trade led to so much trapping that beavers disappeared from many areas.
Settler farms, mills and towns	Deep. Huge forests were cut down and burned to make fields. Mill dams blocked rivers, so fish like salmon could not swim upstream to lay eggs. Towns kept growing and never moved.

Different kinds of settlements had different impacts on the environment.

Big changes to the land

As settlement grew, the land of southern Upper Canada changed fast:

Forests: by the late 1800s, much of the forest in southern Ontario had been cut down.
Animals: deer, beaver, bear and other animals became hard to find near settlements.
Fish: Lake Ontario once had Atlantic salmon. Dams, cut forests and overfishing helped make them disappear from the lake by the end of the 1800s.
Wetlands and meadows were turned into farm fields.

Tree stumps stand in a cleared field beside a wooden rail fence, with a forest behind it. — Settlers cut down forests to make farm fields. The stumps show where trees once stood, and the forest behind shows what the land looked like before. AI-generated image

A cause and effect chain. One change can lead to another.

Impact on First Nations communities

The land settlers took was the home of First Nations. Settlement changed their lives in many ways:

Their hunting grounds, fishing places, sugar bushes and gardens became settlers' farms. Fences went up, and First Nations families were told to stay off.
With fewer animals and fish, it became harder to feed their families.
Diseases brought by Europeans, like smallpox, killed many people.
Many nations were moved onto reserves, much smaller than their traditional territories.

Colonial policies

A policy is a plan or set of rules made by a government. In this time, the British government and the leaders of the colonies made policies about First Nations, usually without asking them fairly. Many of these policies were unfair.

Taking land: the government made treaties and land purchases so that settlers could have the land. Many were unfair, and promises were often broken (you'll learn more in the next lesson).
Trying to make First Nations live like settlers: in the 1830s, the government decided First Nations should live in one place, farm like settlers, go to church and learn English. For example, around 1830, Anishinaabe families at Coldwater (near today's Orillia) were encouraged to settle there and farm. They built homes and cleared fields. But in 1836, the government pressured them to give up that land too.
Moving people away: in 1836, the leader of Upper Canada tried to get First Nations to move to Manitoulin Island, so settlers could have more of their land.
Schools away from home: in 1831, the Mohawk Institute in Brantford began keeping First Nations children there to live and learn, away from their families. In the 1840s, a government report said more First Nations children should be sent to schools far from their families. These were the beginnings of the residential school system you learned about in Grade 2.

The idea behind these policies was wrong

Many leaders at that time believed settlers' ways of life were better than First Nations' ways. That belief was wrong. First Nations had their own strong governments, laws, languages, knowledge and ways of caring for the land.

First Nations stood up for their communities

First Nations did not just accept these changes. They showed great resilience:

Leaders sent petitions (written requests) to the government, asking for their land to be protected.
Peter Jones (Kahkewaquonaby), a Mississauga leader, travelled all the way to England and met Queen Victoria in 1838 to ask her to protect his people's land.
When the Mississaugas of the Credit lost their land, the Six Nations shared land with them in 1847, and they built a new community at New Credit.
Families kept their languages, stories and ceremonies alive, even when it was hard.

Today, the former Mohawk Institute building in Brantford is part of the Woodland Cultural Centre, where people learn the truth about residential schools and celebrate Haudenosaunee culture.

Worked example

Let's follow a cause and effect chain

A mill dam is built across a river in 1820. What might happen next?

Cause: the dam blocks the river.
Effect 1: fish like salmon can't swim upstream to lay their eggs.
Effect 2: there are fewer fish in the river each year.
Effect 3: First Nations families who fished there for generations have less food, and some must move to find fish elsewhere.
But the mill also helped settlers: they could grind flour and saw boards. One change can help some people and harm others.

The dam helped settlers but harmed the river and the First Nations families who depended on its fish.

A mill dam blocks salmon from swimming upstream to lay their eggs. Follow the boxes to see the cause and effect chain.

Worked example

Let's look at a policy from two points of view

In the 1830s, the government told First Nations families to stay in one village and farm like settlers. How might the government and an Anishinaabe family each see this policy?

Government's view at the time: they thought farming like settlers would be "better", and it would free up more land for settlers.
Anishinaabe family's view: their way of life followed the seasons: sugar bush, fishing, wild rice, hunting. Staying in one place meant giving up their ways, their teachings and much of their land.
Who made the decision? The government, without asking the family fairly.
Was it fair? No. People should have a say in decisions about their own lives and land.

The government saw it as "helping", but for the Anishinaabe family it meant losing their way of life and land, and they were not asked fairly. The policy was unfair.

Hands-on activity

Footprints on the land: then and now

You need: paper, crayons and a walk outside with a grown-up.

Fold your paper in half. On the left, draw what you think your area looked like before settlers came: forest, rivers, animals, a First Nations camp or village.
Go for a walk. Notice roads, houses, lawns, parks, trees and any water.
On the right, draw what your area looks like today.
Circle one change that you think was a big impact on animals or plants.
Talk about it: Is there anything people are doing today to help the land recover? (Examples: planting trees, protecting wetlands, cleaning up rivers.) Many First Nations are leading this work.

Your turn

Which kind of settlement left the lightest footprint on the land: seasonal camps, trading posts or settler towns?

How did mill dams harm fish like salmon?

What is a policy?

Name one colonial policy from this time.

What is a reserve?

Who travelled to England to meet Queen Victoria in 1838 to protect Mississauga land?

What school in Brantford began keeping First Nations children away from their families in 1831?

More practice: warm-up

What happened to the forests of southern Ontario as settlement grew?

Which animal was trapped so much in the fur trade that it disappeared from many areas?

What is a petition?

Which nation shared land with the Mississaugas of the Credit in 1847?

What does resilience mean?

More practice: on your own

Why did Haudenosaunee farming villages have less impact on the land than settler towns?

How did settlers clearing forests affect First Nations families?

Why were colonial policies about First Nations unfair?

What happened to the Anishinaabe families who settled and farmed at Coldwater?

Give two ways First Nations showed resilience in this time.

Challenge

Leaders at that time thought settlers' way of life was better. Why was this idea wrong?

Make a cause and effect chain about the fur trade and beavers. Include at least three steps.

The schools that began in this time later became the residential school system. Why do you think it matters that we learn where it started?

Check your understanding

Quiz

Which kind of settlement had the deepest footprint on the land?

What is a policy?

Which was a colonial policy of this time?

How did mill dams affect salmon?

Peter Jones travelled to England in 1838 to...

The Mohawk Institute was...

For parents and teachers

Big idea: Different kinds of settlements had different impacts on the environment (seasonal camps lightest; settler farms, mills and towns deepest). Settlement and colonial policies (unfair land treaties, pressure to adopt settler ways, removal schemes like the 1836 Manitoulin proposal, and early boarding schools such as the Mohawk Institute from 1831) seriously affected First Nations, who responded with petitions, diplomacy, mutual support and cultural continuity.

Talking about this at home: keep it truthful and calm. Name policies as unfair without making your child feel personally guilty; the goal is understanding and respect. Link back to Grade 2: the residential school system grew from these early schools. If your family has a personal connection to residential schools, your own family's comfort and teachings come first.

How to help at home:

Look at a tree-planting, wetland or river clean-up project in your area, especially any led by First Nations.
The Woodland Cultural Centre in Brantford offers public learning about the Mohawk Institute.
Use cause → effect sentences in daily life to practise the thinking skill.

Common difficulties:

Thinking First Nations were passive victims: highlight the petitions, Peter Jones's journey and the Six Nations' help.
Seeing only one side: the two-viewpoint example models perspective-taking while still judging fairness.