History

In this unit you will investigate 1713 to 1800, the years when New France became part of British North America. You will learn to think like a historian using evidence and the four historical thinking concepts. You will explore daily life in New France; the power and perspectives of First Nations, the growth of Métis communities, and Inuit life; the truth about slavery in New France, including the story of Marie-Joseph Angélique; the Expulsion of the Acadians; the Seven Years' War and the Conquest; Pontiac's resistance, the Royal Proclamation of 1763 and the Treaty of Niagara; the Quebec Act; the American Revolution; the arrival of the Loyalists, including Haudenosaunee allies and Black Loyalists; and the Constitutional Act of 1791, which created Upper Canada (today's Ontario). You will meet the contributions of Black individuals and communities, such as the founders of Birchtown, Thomas Peters, Chloe Cooley and Richard Pierpoint, and the barriers they faced. Throughout, you will compare life then and now (A1), carry out historical inquiries (A2), and explain the impact of significant events, people and developments (A3).

In this unit you will investigate fifty dramatic years in the history of what is now Canada. You will study the War of 1812 and how it looked to First Nations allies like Tecumseh, to Black soldiers like Richard Pierpoint and the Coloured Corps, to Canadiens and to settlers. You will explore the fur trade rivalry, the Red River Settlement, the Battle of Seven Oaks and the life of the Métis Nation. You will follow the Great Migration from Britain and Ireland, the building of the Rideau Canal, and the treaties made between First Nations and the Crown, including the Robinson Treaties of 1850. You will compare daily life for different groups, including Inuit. You will learn how slavery ended in the British Empire in 1834, how freedom seekers came by the Underground Railroad, and how Black community builders founded places like Wilberforce, Dawn and the Elgin Settlement at Buxton, in spite of real obstacles. Finally you will study the Rebellions of 1837–38, the Durham Report, the Act of Union and the arrival of responsible government in 1848, and carry out your own historical inquiry.

Remember from earlier: in Grade 3 you learned about daily life in Upper Canada communities, in Grade 6 about push and pull factors and many communities' contributions, and Strand A of Grade 7 History covers New France and British North America from 1713 to 1800. This unit builds on all of it and asks harder questions about significance, cause and consequence, continuity and change, and perspective.

Some lessons deal with war, slavery and the loss of First Nations lands; each has a note for grown-ups. Every lesson has a hands-on activity, lots of practice and a short quiz.

Curriculum expectations covered: B1 (application), B2 (inquiry) and B3 (understanding historical context), Grade 7 History, Strand B: Canada, 1800–1850: Conflict and Challenges (The Ontario Curriculum: Social Studies, Grades 1 to 6; History and Geography, Grades 7 and 8, 2026 edition). Overall expectation codes are used because the 2026 specific-expectation codes could not be confirmed. In line with the 2026 revision, this unit gives particular attention to the contributions of Black individuals and communities and the obstacles they faced.