Wars on Our Soil, earliest times to 1885
The wars of First Peoples, the French, and the British shaped Canada and Canadians.
The first gallery introduces the concept of war and its relevance to Canadians and Canada. Visitors explore the Canadian experience of conflict from aboriginal warfare and post European-contact Canada, to Louis Riel and the Northwest Resistance of 1885.
Photo: Bill Kent, CWM |
Faced by a dramatic image of a first growth forest in summer and the partial reconstruction of an Iroquoian palisade, visitors are invited to examine the sophisticated military organization and equipment of First Peoples in their quest for survival. The mood in the gallery darkens as First Peoples encounter European settlers. During the ensuing post-contact wars First Peoples and the French engaged in both armed conflict and strategic alliances.
The Seven Year's War sets the stage for the next area, where visitors explore conflicts between the French and the British. Empires clashed around the world in a large-scale conflict that culminated in the Battle of the Plains of Abraham at Quebec City in 1759, a defining battle that changed the world forever.
The main highlight of this gallery is an exploration of the Battle of the Plains of Abraham via a large audio-visual presentation and a 3D model, to provide visitors with an in-depth exploration of this 30-minute battle and its impact on Canada and the world today.
The American Revolution of 1776-1783 and the War of 1812 highlight British victories against American invaders at Quebec City, Queenston Heights and Chateauguay.
The gallery ends by presenting how war shaped Canada as a transcontinental country, through the 1837 Rebellions, the Fenian Raids, and Western Resistance.
Gallery 1 - The Seven Years' War (1754-1763)
Montcalm meets Wolfe on the Plains of Abraham; a thirty-minute battle changes Canada and the world.
The Seven Years' War becomes humanity's first world war as the French and British empires wage a titanic struggle for imperial dominance. In North America, the war leads to the British Conquest of Canada, the American Revolution, and the first step towards recognition of Aboriginal Title by the Crown.
Gallery 1 - The American Revolution, 1775-1783
One revolution creates two countries, Canada and the United States.
Most of Britain's American colonies rebel in 1775 and form the United States of America in 1783. Other British colonies remain loyal to the Crown, defeat American invasions in 1775-76, and eventually unite in 1867 to form the Dominion of Canada.
