1800
Spain cedes Louisiana back to France
1804
1,400 American ships are fishing off Labrador and in the Gulf of St. Lawrence
1809
Napoleon’s continental blockade cuts British access to Scandinavian timber
1812
War of 1812 declared, allowing Maritime colonies to profit from illegal trade
1812
Red River settlement founded by Hudson’s Bay Company
1813
Amerindian chief Tecumseh is killed at the Battle of Moraviantown
1814
Treaty of Ghent ends War of 1812; no territorial gains on either side
1817
Famine in Newfoundland due to poor postwar economy
1817
Nova Scotia population estimated at 78,345
1818
49th parallel becomes British North America/U.S. border from Lake of the Woods to Rocky Mountains
1821
Hudson’s Bay Company merges with arch rivals, the Montréal-based North West Company
1825
Opening of Erie Canal gives New York competitive edge over Montréal
1829
Opening of Lachine Canal restores level playing field for Montréal
1833
Royal William, formerly operating between Québec & Halifax, becomes first steamship to cross Atlantic
1837
Two separate rebellions, one in Upper and one in Lower Canada, fail to dislodge entrenched elites
1839
Lord Durham’s Report recommends union of Upper and Lower Canada, and responsible government
1841
Act of Union unites Upper and Lower Canada
1842
New Brunswick/Maine boundary settled by Webster-Ashburton Treaty
1843
Fort Victoria built by British to strengthen their claim to Vancouver Island
1845
Halifax native Samuel Cunard chooses Boston as the western terminus for his steamships
1846
British Prime Minister Robert Peel announces Free Trade, ending old Colonial mercantile trade system
1848
Responsible government established in Nova Scotia and Canada
1849
The boundary at the 49th parallel is extended to the Pacific Ocean (bisecting Point Roberts!)
1854
Reciprocity (free trade) begins between British North America and the United States
1857
Queen Victoria names Ottawa as Canada’s capital
1861
American Civil War begins
1864
Québec Conference sets out the terms of union for British North American colonies
1866
Fenians launch first raids into British territory (June 2)
1867
Confederation of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Québec and Ontario forms the Dominion of Canada
1867
Sir John A. Macdonald becomes Canada’s first prime minister
1869
Hudson’s Bay Company surrenders territorial rights to Rupert’s Land to the Crown
1869
Newfoundlanders reject Confederation in general election
1870
Louis Riel leads Metis resistance to Canadian authority; province of Manitoba created
1871
Treaty of Washington grants fishing rights on Grand Banks to United States
1871
British Columbia joins Confederation
1873
Global economic depression begins
1876
Intercolonial Railway linking central Canada and the Maritime provinces is completed
1879
National Policy imposes tariff on manufactured goods being imported into Canada
1885
Transcontinental railway is completed in Eagle Pass, B.C.; 9 days later, Louis Riel is hanged in Regina
1890
Manitoba stops public funding of Catholic schools; causes uproar in Québec
1891
Nearly one-quarter of Nova Scotian women are working for wages outside the home
1897
Klondike gold rush begins
1898
Canada issues Christmas postage stamp showing British Empire in “flaming red”
1899
Boer War begins; the first Canadian troops to serve overseas are sent to South Africa