British North America

Quick Facts: Who was British North America?

Subject:

British North America

Known for:

British colonial territories in North America from 1783 to 1907, forming modern Canada.

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2Day Chrono-Wiki & Primary Historical Archives

Origins & Early Life

British North America comprised the colonial territories of Great Britain and later the United Kingdom in North America from 1783 onwards. English colonisation of North America began in the 16th century in Newfoundland, then further south at Roanoke and Jamestown, Virginia, and more substantially with the founding of the Thirteen Colonies along the Atlantic coast of North America. Britain's colonial territories in North America were greatly expanded by the Treaty of Paris (1763), which formally concluded the Seven Years' War, referred to by the English colonies in North America as the French and Indian War, and by the French colonies as la Guerre de la Conquête. With the ultimate acquisition of most of New France (Nouvelle-France), British territory in North America was more than doubled in size, and the exclusion of France also dramatically altered the political landscape of the continent. The term British America was used to refer to the British Empire's colonial territories in North America prior to the United States Declaration of Independence, most famously in the 1774 address of Thomas Jefferson to the First Continental Congress entitled: A Summary View of the Rights of British America.

Career & Major Achievements

The term British North America was initially used following the subsequent 1783 Treaty of Paris, which concluded the American Revolutionary War and confirmed the independence of Great Britain's Thirteen Colonies that formed the United States of America. The terms British America and British North America continued to be used for Britain's remaining territories in North America, but the term British North America came to be used more consistently in connection with the provinces that would eventually form Canada, following the Report on the Affairs of British North America (1839), called the Durham Report. The Dominion of Canada was formed under the British North America Act, 1867 ("BNA Act", "Constitution Act, 1867"). Following royal assent of the BNA Act, three of the provinces of British North America (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and the Province of Canada (which would become the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec)) joined to form "One Dominion under the Crown of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, with a Constitution similar in Principle to that of the United Kingdom," on July 1, 1867, the date of Canadian Confederation. The Atlantic archipelago of Bermuda (originally administered by the Virginia Company and, with the Bahamas, considered with North America prior to 1783), was grouped with the Maritime provinces from 1783, but after the formation of the Dominion of Canada in 1867 and the achievement of dominion status by the colony of Newfoundland in 1907, Bermuda was thereafter administered generally with the colonies in the British West Indies (although the Church of England continued to place Bermuda under the Bishop of Newfoundland until 1919).

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Over its duration, British North America comprised the British Empire's colonial territories in North America from 1783 to 1907, not including the Caribbean. These territories include those forming modern-day Canada and Bermuda, having also ceded what became all or large parts of six Midwestern U.S. states (Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and the northeastern part of Minnesota), which were formed out of the Northwest Territory, large parts of Maine, which had originally been within the French territory of Acadia, and very briefly, East Florida, West Florida, and the Bahamas. When the Kingdom of England began its efforts to cross the Atlantic Ocean and settle in eastern North America in the late 16th century, it ignored the Kingdom of Spain's long-asserted claim of sovereignty over the entire continent as part of its world-wide Spanish Empire. Spain's similar claim to all of South America had been refuted when the Pope Alexander VI had divided the twin continents of the Americas between Spain and the Kingdom of Portugal in the 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas. Spain's area of settlement was limited to only the very southern and southwestern parts and coastal edges of the continent of North America, however, and it had little ability to enforce its sovereignty.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1494: 1494 Milestone — Spain's similar claim to all of South America had been refuted when the Pope Alexander VI had divided the twin continents of the Americas between Spain and the Kingdom of Portugal in the 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas.
2. 1763: 1763 Milestone — Britain's colonial territories in North America were greatly expanded by the Treaty of Paris (1763), which formally concluded the Seven Years' War, referred to by the English colonies in North America as the French and Indian War, and by the French colonies as la Guerre de la Conquête.
3. 1774: 1774 Milestone — The term British America was used to refer to the British Empire's colonial territories in North America prior to the United States Declaration of Independence, most famously in the 1774 address of Thomas Jefferson to the First Continental Congress entitled: A Summary View of the Rights of British America.
4. 1783: 1783 Milestone — British North America comprised the colonial territories of Great Britain and later the United Kingdom in North America from 1783 onwards.
5. 1839: 1839 Milestone — The terms British America and British North America continued to be used for Britain's remaining territories in North America, but the term British North America came to be used more consistently in connection with the provinces that would eventually form Canada, following the Report on the Affairs of British North America (1839), called the Durham Report.
6. 1867: 1867 Milestone — The Dominion of Canada was formed under the British North America Act, 1867 ("BNA Act", "Constitution Act, 1867").

Notable Quotes by British North America

“A Summary View of the Rights of British America” (1774)

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: British North America

True or False: “The term 'British North America' was used consistently before the establishment of the Dominion of Canada in 1867.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): While initially used after 1783, the term became more consistent and specifically associated with the provinces that would form Canada following the Durham Report.

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Frequently Asked Questions about British North America