Terms You Should Know
Explorers
New France (Nouvelle-France)
The Fur Trade
The First Peoples
Primary Source Analysis
100
This 1713 treaty ended the War of the Spanish Succession and resulted in France ceding parts of its North American territories to Britain.
What is the Treaty of Utrecht?
100
This French explorer is credited with making the first European claim to what is now Canada.
Who is Jacques Cartier?
100
These women were given this term, meaning "Daughters of the King," because their travel and dowries were sponsored by the French crown.
What are the Filles du Roi?
100
This company, founded in 1670, controlled much of the fur trade in the Hudson Bay region and was one of the oldest companies in the world.
What is the Hudson’s Bay Company?
100
First Peoples in the Plains region were known for their reliance on this animal, which was central to their way of life.
What is the buffalo (or bison)?
100
Who is being depicted in this image?
filles du roi (or the Kings Daughters)
200
This term describes a decision-making process where a group comes to agreement, with no single person having absolute authority.
What is consensus?
200
This Latin term means "land belonging to no one" and was used to justify European claims to Indigenous land.
What is Terra Nullius?
200
This term refers to the tenants or farmers who worked the land under the seigneurial system.
Who are the censitaires
200
The fur trade heavily depended on this animal's pelt, which was highly valued in Europe for making fashionable hats.
What is the beaver?
200
The First Peoples' worldview included a deep respect for this, often considered the “keepers of knowledge” and central to decision-making in many Indigenous communities.
Who are Elders?
200
Who is depicted in this illustration and what are they doing?
Jacques Cartier claimed Canada for France, staking French Flag (1534).
300
The Hudson’s Bay Company had this kind of control over the fur trade in the region.
What is a monopoly?
300
European explorers sought this water route through North America to provide a shorter path to Asia.
What is the Northwest Passage?
300
The Jesuits wrote detailed reports about their missionary work and interactions with Indigenous peoples, which were later published as these famous documents.
What are the Jesuit Relations?
300
This rival company to the Hudson’s Bay Company was formed in 1779 by Scottish and French traders and operated mainly in the western regions of Canada.
What is the North West Company?
300
This region includes the First Peoples of the Great Lakes area, who engaged in agriculture, fishing, and hunting, and is known for the Haudenosaunee Confederacy.
What is the Eastern Woodlands?
300
Who is depicted in this illustration?
A Jesuit missionary
400
This is a formal agreement between two or more sovereign nations, often used to end conflict or establish trade terms.
What is a treaty?
400
This Italian explorer sailed under the English flag in 1497 and landed in Newfoundland.
Who is John Cabot?
400
This system of land distribution in New France was used to allocate land to seigneurs, who were responsible for overseeing the land and its habitants.
What is the seigneurial system?
400
This waterway was essential to the fur trade, as it connected the interior of Canada with European trading ships.
What is the St. Lawrence River?
400
Indigenous peoples in this region, including the Inuit, are known for their adaptation to the hostile environment and reliance on marine mammals for sustenance.
What is the Arctic (or Inuit region)?
400
Who is this guy?
King Louis XIV. King of France from 1643 to 1715. (The Sun King)
500
This group of French settlers lived in the Maritime provinces and were displaced after the British takeover.
Who are the Acadians?
500
This explorer established the first permanent European settlement in what is now Canada.
Who is Samuel de Champlain?
500
This religious institution controlled a significant amount of land and helped shape the cultural and moral life of New France.
What is the (Roman) Catholic Church?
500
This French term refers to independent fur traders who ventured into the wilderness to trade directly with Indigenous peoples.
Who are the Coureurs de Bois?
500
The coastal Indigenous peoples in this region are known for their complex societies and rich cultural traditions, including totem poles and potlatch ceremonies.
What is the Pacific Northwest?
500
This Treaty, signed in 1713, ceded French North American territory to the British.
The Treaty of Utrecht, 1713