The History of British Columbia - Essay Example

BC Studies and the history of British Columbia The history of British Columbia s back to the late 16th century when Spanish and other European sailors who were competing for the Spanish crown reached the present day British Columbia. In the late 16th century, a Greek born sailor explored the West Coast of North America. However it was the 18th century that saw the metamorphosis of British Columbia. British Columbia was predominantly visited by sailors in the 18th century. In 1778, a British Royal Navy Captain James Cook arrived in the Island in his search for the Northwest Passage. Upon his arrival, Captain Cook traded with the people of the island. Captain Cook was eager to trade with the people of Nuu-chah-nulth. Word went out of his trade with the people of Nuu-chah-nulth and the profits that he made from the trade. As a result many European settlers moved to the Island bringing with them smallpox and other diseases that killed the Aboriginals; the indigenous people of the Island (Carty, 381). After the infestation and the effects of smallpox, the Island was not as busy in the beginning of the 19th century. However, there were still activities that shaped the present day British Columbia. Before the turn of the century, many Europeans settled in the Island. The Spanish considered the Island to be under its territory because of its explorations in the region in the 16th century. When the Spanish heard of the arrival of the British into the Island, they took their ships creating the Nootka crisis; a crisis that almost led to war between Spain and Britain. After the crisis, the Spanish left Nootka Sound settlement. The influence of the Spanish in the Island came to an end in 1795 after the Nootka Convention. After the Spanish, left British Columbia European explorer merchants begun to get interested in the Island. Most of these merchants were British explorers and traders. Some of the notable people during this period were Simon Fraser, David Thompson and Sir Alexander Mackenzie (Recksten, 280). The three Britons were employees of Northwest Company and were looking for a river route to the pacific. If found, this route was supposed to help their company expand its fur trade. The first to arrive was Mackenzie followed by Fraser; they were both unable to find routes that were fit for trade. It was David Thomson who finally found a route to the Pacific that would be appropriate for trade. During this period, explorers used to lay claim to trade routes that they had discovered. Despite having worked hard to find the route, David Thompson could not lay claim to the route because it had been discovered six years earlier by American explorers Clark and Lewis. In 1843, while, in search for Hudson’s Bay company’s new headquarters in the Pacific coast, James Douglas ended up in the Island. He was received by the people of Lekwammen, who lived along the shores of what is now known as Greater Victoria. In 1821, Northwest Company and Hudson’s Bay Company merged. British Columbia was essentially controlled by the companies that had merged though it was considered the territory of British North America. The influx of European explorers and traders led to the transformation of the Island from a trade hub to colonies. Sections of the Island were controlled by different people. Hudson’s Bay Company controlled most of the trading operations in the Pacific Northwest. At this time, the region was under joint jurisdiction of Britain and America. The shared jurisdiction was reachedin 1818 in the Anglo American Convention to avert conflict in the region. In 1844, the US Democrats claimed that their country had a legitimate claim to Columbia District. The British also wanted to claim Columbia District. After role, they were in a joint jurisdiction with the United States of America. Negotiations took place but mostly failed as both sides wanted a piece of Colombia District. However, in 1846, the boundary dispute was settled under the Treaty of Washington. The treaty clearly stated the jurisdiction of both parties. The United States of America was given jurisdiction that ran from the Rocky Mountains to the sea while the British retained Vancouver Island. The situation distorted the influence of the Hudson’s Bay Company’s operations in Columbia District. The company moved its operations to Fort Victoria when the United States decided to put its portion of the District in order. James Douglas was named the Governor of the Crown Colony of Vancouver Island after it was created in 1849. James instituted many changes in the Island and expanded its economic base. He faced resistance from the natives, but he managed to institute the principles of British. He is known as the father of British Columbia because of the changes he brought to the Island. During his tenure as governor, James Douglas also doubled up as the regional chief executive of Hudson’s Bay Company. Settlement was discouraged for fear that it would interfere with the fur trade. The discovery of gold in 1858 in Fraser River changed everything in British Columbia. There was an increased influx of land agents, prospectors and speculators from all over the world. Majority of the people who came in were Americans (Ormsby: British Columbia: A History). The governor had fears that Britain was going to lose the territory to the Americans who were the majority of the people who came in the gold rush. He came up with a license fee that was imposed on those who wanted to prospect gold. The British eventually lost the territory to the Americans after some time. But since the District was still under the jurisdiction of the British, they reclaimed it by naming it a Colony of British Columbia in 1858. A colony government was quickly formed to take care of the affairs of the colony. The discovery of gold transformed British Columbia immensely over a short period. The development in the region was further hastened by a second gold discovery on Cariboo. New roads were constructed to care of the increased activities. Railways and steamships were also constructed. One of the notable infrastructural developments at the time was the Cariboo Wagon Road that connected the region of Lower Mainland to the Barkerville gold fields. The infrastructural development were expensive and weighed down on the financial stock of the colony. In the mid 1860’s British Columbia was deep in debt. The colony had options of either getting annexation from the United States, being part of Canada or going on as a British colony. Since it was drowning in debt, the British expected that British Columbia would want to secede and go it alone. Most Britons saw it as a burden because it was not only laden with debt but also because it was far off as compared to other British colonies. Others felt that it should be part of the United States since it was economically linked with San Francisco. All letters that were sent to and from British Columbia went through San Francisco. The colony used the American currency, as opposed to the British pound. There were also roads that linked the colony to America (Francis, 806). It, therefore, made sense to for the colony to be part of the United Stated of America. However the residents of British Columbia did want annexation and feared that with all the gold revenue gone and most miners had left the colony had to look for a promising and fast growing economy to join. They also feared that I would not be easy to negotiate with the United States of America. The people of the British Columbia colony opted to join Canada because it was on the way to negotiate a reciprocity treaty. Annexation was a more reasonable choice for both the British and the Americans. However negotiations failed, and it took four years for the protagonists to agree on the way forward. The British concluded that it would be safe for the colony to join Canada. In the move, Canada was to take up the debt of the British Columbia colony and build a new railway that would enable the colony minimize its dependence on the US railroad. The British Columbia colony eventually joined Canada in 1871 as the states sixth province. Canada promised to build a railroad and clear the colony’s debts in ten years. The promise of a railroad was the major reason that convinced the colony to become part of Canada. The British also saw this railroad as a means of connecting it with its territories. The colony almost seceded from Canada when the Liberal Party opposed the construction of the railroad. The construction of the railroad made it easy for the people to trade with Canada. It was not until the Trans Canada Highway was completed that the people of British Columbia really felt relieved. Until then, they had to travel to eastern Canada through America. Improved infrastructure between British Columbia and Canada expanded the economy and trade improved. Other activities like fishing, forestry and farming, began to thrive. Towns came up, and Vancouver became the biggest city in the province. Vancouver is currently ranked as Canada’s third largest city after Toronto and Montreal. In the 20th century, British Columbia was known for mining, fishing and logging. Its industrialization attracted many people of diverse backgrounds and culture. The presence of diverse people in British Columbia has made Vancouver the second most ethnically diverse city in Canada. The government became concerned about the influx of Chinese immigrants that came to British Columbia and introduced head tax of $500 on Chinese (McGillivray, 235). This did not deter Chinese from coming to British Columbia. The Chinese Immigration Act was instituted in 1923. The act prohibited Chinese from coming into British Columbia until 1947. The present day British Columbia is composed of diverse ethnic communities. The indigenous people known as Aboriginals are still in the province. The presence of Asians in the province particularly Indians and Chinese has made Punjabi and Chinese the most spoken languages in the province after English. The diversity of British Columbia is also evidenced by the presence of Japanese, Italians, Germans and Russians. In the late 20th century when British Columbia marked one hundred years, an Aboriginal group in the province gained municipal style self governance. Another notable change in British Columbia was in 2000 when the area of Nass was granted self governance. The self governance was permitted in accordance with the Nisga’a Treaty. British Columbia has gone full circle; from turmoil to calm and prosperity and has managed to be victorious hosting the 2010 Paralympics in Vancouver. Works Cited Carty, Kimberly.  Politics, Policy, and Government in British Columbia. 1996. Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press. Print. Francis, Daniel. Encyclopedia of British Columbia. 2000. Madeira Park, British Columbia.: Harbour. McGillivray, Brett. Geography of the British Columbia: People and Landscapes in Transition. 2000. Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press. Print. Ormsby, Margaret. British Columbia: A History. 1958. Web. March 11, 2014. Recksten, Terry. The Illustrated History of British Columbia. 2001. Vancouver: Douglas and McIntyre. Read More