You don’t have to travel all the way to Europe for a little je ne sais quoí. The beautiful city of Montreal is in the Canadian province of Quebec, just across the northern border of New York state.
Natives who originally settled the area include the Algonquin, Huron and
Iroquois tribes.
Jacques Cartier was the first European to explore the area that would later become Montreal. Samuel de Champlain arrived 70 years later and tried to establish a fur-trading post. Champlain’s efforts were thwarted by the Iroquois, who vehemently defended their territory against settlement.
In 1641, 50 French priests and nuns came to the area in search of Champlain’s New France. They hoped to convert area natives and create a Catholic community. In 1642, the group founded Ville-Marie, a small colony that would later become known as Montreal.
The Iroquois made settlement difficult for these first Montrealers by constantly attacking them.
By 1685, Ville-Marie had 600 residents. The community had a church and marketplace where villagers would meet and trade with the natives.
The settlement was fortified and remained in French possession until 1760, when British forces occupied it from 1775-76 during the American Revolutionary War.
Montreal became a thriving city in 1832 with the opening of the
Lachine Canal, which opened it to trade via the Great Lakes.
Montreal was the capital of United Canada from 1844-49. The Canadian Pacific Railway established its headquarters in the city in 1880. Montreal was established as the economic and cultural center of Canada and was primarily populated by the French.
English-speaking merchants began arriving, and soon, the main language of commerce was English. Then fur trading began in earnest and, by the early 1900s, Montreal became mostly French again.
Montreal had its own “sin city’ reputation during the Prohibition era, as Americans went there for alcohol and gambling. The U.S. stock-market crash of 1929 brought despair to Montreal’s economy, but by the mid 1930s, the city had recovered and, just as in U.S. metropolises, skyscrapers began to spring up.
World War II created a crisis for Canada. Montrealers readily volunteered to serve in the army to defend Canada during World War I, but most opposed conscription or mandatory service. During World War II, however, Montreal’s mayor, Camillien Houde, urged citizens to ignore the government’s registry.
Houde was jailed for treason from 1940-44. This led to the Conscription Crisis of 1944.
When the population of Montreal reached 1 million, Jean Drapeau, mayor for more than 30 years beginning in 1954, unveiled plans to develop the city. These plans included a new subway system – the Metro – the expansion of Montreal’s harbor and the opening of the Saint Lawrence Seaway, museums and several new highways.
If you visit, be prepared for temperatures that are much cooler than those of New York City. The winter mercury dips frequently into the teens. In July, the temperature averages about 70 degrees.
Montreal’s International Jazz Festival is the largest in the world, and is a must if you visit in the summertime. Be sure, too, to walk to the top of Mount Royal (in French, it’s Mont Real, from which Montreal gets its name) right in the heart of the city. It provides a spectacular view.
Famous Montrealers include Scott Abbott, co-inventor of the Trivial Pursuit game, musician Melissa Auf Der Maur, who plays with Smashing Pumpkins, and Rene Angelil, husband and manager of singer Celine Dion.
ACTIVITIES
Use the Internet or other reference source to learn more about Montreal.
Use a globe or map to locate the city. Is it in an ideal location? Why or why not?
LEARN more about the Conscription Crisis. Do you think Mayor Houde was correct in his decision? Discuss the issue with your classmates.
Today’s lesson fulfills the following New York standards: ELA 1c, 3c,
3d, 5a Social Studies