Canadian history pre-confederation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Canadian history pre-confederation - Essay Example The treaties sought to create peace between the British and the Aboriginal people in the country thus making the country easy to exploit for the British colonial masters and conducive for the habitation of the aboriginals as the discussion below portrays. Between 1700 and 1867, Canada survived on a series of treaties that earned segmented peace to the country and its inhabitants thus enhancing the existence of the various people who occupied the land1. Key among the treaties in pre confederation Canada was the Niagara treaty signed in 1764, the Selkirk treaty in 1817 and bind head treaties of 1836 among many others. A treaty refers to an agreement between two parties involved in a conflict. The agreement provides effective structures for the resolution of a conflict by safeguarding the interests of all the conflicting parties. This explains the numerous treaties signed in pre confederation Canada. The country had numerous inhabitants al of who felt entitled to the land and its resources. This often led to wars and conflicts such as the 1812 war. Such sectarian wars were obvious portrayal of the conflicts in the country as the various inhabitants fought for the resources. The creation of the numerous treaties within such short periods was a portrayal of the weaknesses of the treaties. Treaties are always contemporary and seek to provide short-term resolutions to the prevailing conflicts. As such, the treaties provided short-term ways of sharing the resources among two or more conflicting societies but the parties often rescinded the treaties in case their interests faltered. Signed in 1817, Selkirk treaty was one of the treaties that lasted the shortest in pre confederation Canada. Thomas Selkirk, a British aristocrat wanted to create a colony by purchasing a vast land previously owned by the Hudson Bay Company. The land extended into areas occupied by the Cree and Chippewa nations.