Prior to European first contact in 1534 in the St. Lawrence River Valley, First Nations lived in the St. Lawrence River region using a bow and arrow for hunting and protection. This book explores early Indigenous beginnings, following receding glaciers to settle in the valley during the Woodland Period, 2,500 years before Jacques Cartier arrived in 1534. This book chronicles Cartier’s three voyages and Champlain’s eight to the region starting in 1603. Each trip increased the French footprint and impact on First Nation territories, especially with Champlain’s introduction of guns in 1609 that initiated a “furs for guns” trading industry. Also highlighted are the histories of Chateauguay, Longueuil and Lacolle seigneuries east of Montreal, followed by the causes and battles of the Seven Years’ War between New France and Britain, including the “Battle of the Plains of Abraham” in Quebec and a story about the Lost Dauphin of France. READ MORE & ORDER

The Seven Years’ War ended in 1763 with the Royal Proclamation by George III to protect First Nations in British North America as the Thirteen Colonies looked for their own government. This book explores the causes of the American Revolutionary War of 1775-83, including the 1775 premature Quebec incursion by Benedict Arnold (1741). With the Treaty of Paris, the U.S. gained significant land east and west of the Appalachians, impacting First Nations who were soon confined to live on reservations. Also highlighted is the rise and fall of American Benedict Arnold’s career after his naval defeat on Lake Champlain, his victory at Saratoga, his British defection and future traitor humiliation. The War of 1812 between U.S. and Britain causes are explored with Canada having a tenth of the population and seen as a “stroll in the park” to defeat Britain, but the two U.S. armies failed to capture Montreal and the war ended in stalemate in 2014.  READ MORE & ORDER