ipl-logo

Hudson Bay Company Essay

874 Words4 Pages

The Hudson Bay Company (HBC), Canada’s oldest company, has an incredible history ranging from the mid 1600’s to recent times. It changed the fur trading industry in Canada dramatically. Many events which are significant to Canadian history are directly related, or can be traced back to the Hudson Bay Company. The company also changed the lives of many people living in Canada, in both good and bad ways. This paper will cover the major impact and rich history of the Hudson Bay Company in Canada. It all started with the company’s founders, Radisson and Groseillier. The company’s founders, Pierre-Esprit Radisson, and his brother-in-law Médard Chouart des Groseilliers were the first to propose an idea of a fur trading company. They were French …show more content…

At first, the Hudson Bay Company’s “... main competition in the 1700s were French fur traders. Then, in 1713, the French recognized the right of the HBC to trade in Hudson Bay exclusively. After this, the main competition the HBC faced was with the North West Company” (Ray, n.d). Many conflicts in Canadian history such as the Pemmican Wars and the Battle of Seven Oaks are associated with the HBC and NWC. “The North West Company (NWC) was the main rival in the fur trade. The competition led to the small Pemmican War in 1816. The Battle of Seven Oaks on 19 June 1816 was the climax of the long dispute” (Dyre, 2001). The Pemmican War began when Governor Miles Macdonnell issued what became known as the Pemmican Proclamation. The proclamation was created to stop the exports of pemmican to NWC forts, and was seen as an attack in the eyes of the NWC. The following battle was the Battle of Seven Oaks, which was a “culmination of the Pemmican Wars and the escalating fur trade disputes between the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) and the North West Company (NWC)” (Barkwell, 2006). Although the rivalry between the two trading companies was at its peak, it all came to an end when they were forced to …show more content…

One reason why they united was because violence and legal fees alarmed the two companies, another being that the feud drained all the money of the NWC ultimately allowing the HBC to buy them out. They proceeded to use the name HBC. The merger of the two trading companies gained the approval of the British Parliament, due to them wanting to end the conflict. “After 1821, a group of independent free traders among the Métis population at the Red River Colony opposed the company’s monopoly rights…” (Ray, 2009). This would build up to the Sayer Trial in 1849, in which a Metis man, Pierre-Guillaume Sayer, “...was tried and convicted of trading with Indigenous groups in violation of the company’s legal privileges” (Ray, 2009). Fearing a revolution from the Metis people, the court never passed the

Show More
Related
1604 Words | 7 Pages

On October 9, 1806, Joseph Bird Joquips, a 70 year old Native Indian from the Mohegan Tribe, petitioned the State of Connecticut General Assembly for a portion of the land in Connecticut that was divided among Natives in the Mohegan tribe. He emphasized his devout military career that began in 1758 during the Seven Years’ War to convince members of the General Assembly to allot him a portion of land that belonged to the Mohegan Indians. While Joquips had already rightfully possessed a piece of the land because he had lived on it prior to European presence, the Europeans did not recognize his authority to the land; and thus, forcibly seized control of Native lands so that they could distribute it as they saw fit. It was not important for Joquips to possess a piece of land, but to have the Europeans recognize that the land belong to him. Thus, this petition represented Joquips manipulation of the European system to secure a piece of his tribe’s land with hopes to collect the land for the Mohegan tribe piece by piece.

Read More
1419 Words | 6 Pages

In the early 1800s as the United States of America began to expand west, fur trapping became a career choice for many men. One of the most iconic fur traders is Peter Skene Ogden, a Canadian was one of the most widely traveled in the Far West region. Due to his exceptional leadership, traveling, mapping, and fur trading skills; he was cause for the development of many civilizations that would later develop into cities. Although his main focus was trapping, Peter Ogden through diligent work, was paving a way for settlers to know what they were going to encounter out west. Through all the experiences that he encountered and the skill set that he demonstrated, shows why he was such a successful fur trader.

Read More
1513 Words | 7 Pages

The expiration date of the joint occupation agreement was also approaching. The Hudson Bay Company decided to apply to the Foreign Office for guidance in the Oregon Country. Communications were conducted with George Canning who was the secretary for Foreign Affairs. Canning suggested for a new round of negotiations that would be based on the consent of the company regarding its commercial activity in the Oregon Country. The revenue reported from trade fur on the Columbia was an estimated £30-40,000.

Read More
162 Words | 1 Pages

Throughout Canada's history, many iconic companies have developed and prospered in Canada but arguably the Hudson's Bay Company has put Canada on the map as a valuable country to trade with due to our rich source of natural resources. This being said, I do not consider HBC as a Canadian icon today. HBC used to be the pride and patriot of Canada because they made the fur trade possible and gave the indigenous people access to weapons, blankets and medicine. Due to the sale of HBC to an American businessman, HBC has lost most of its credibility of being a standard for Canadian pride and patriotism. HBC also sells more American products then Canadian.

Read More
849 Words | 4 Pages

Exploring Henry Hudson Henry Hudson was an English born baby, he had been believed to have been born approximately in the year of c. 1565, on the 12th of September. He was the child of Henry Hudson II, and Katherine Hudson. He was born in Tamworth, Staffordshire England, The United Kingdom. Unfortunately there is only little known about his early life as a child. Yet in his later years during his 20’s he became a skilled sailor, and he had a talent for navigation.

Read More
519 Words | 3 Pages

Most trading posts were lead by European traders, because there was not much of tree land left in Europe, so there was less fur in the area and that lead to trading in Canada. Beaver fur was the most valuable, because it was the best fur for making felt. To trade, groups such as the First Nations and the Inuits, would bring there furs to the trading posts, and trade for there goods. Later a group of men at the trading posts, decided to go look for there own furs, and they were called the coureur de bois. The coureur de bois were french-Canadian’s that traveled through New France and North America.

Read More
755 Words | 4 Pages

The Reciprocity treaty was a deal Canada had with the United States where they could trade with each other without facing taxes. The United States got rid of this deal which worsened Canada's depression and increasing the need to find someone to trade with. Again pushing confederation so they could trade with other BNA colonies without taxes. One of the largest forces pushing confederation were the Americans. America was having a Civil war and British Arms dealers decided to supply the south.

Read More
215 Words | 1 Pages

The fur trade first established the Pacific Northwest as a hinterland by encouraging settlers and traders from The competition vigorously grew between Europe, the United States, Spanish cultures, and other participants beyond the coastal region. However, throughout the progression of the Pacific Northwest as a hinterland ships and agricultural merchandise become about, so there was more than farming to offer. Thus, resulting in the everyday reliance of these trading goods. In addition, The fur trade first established the Pacific Northwest as a hinterland due to the fact that the fur trades satisfied the economic aspect that the hinterlands required, by supplying raw materials and resources to further the growth of the markets and generating dependency upon the fur.

Read More
168 Words | 1 Pages

: The Fur trade was an important event in Canadian history with the involvement of two major companies. The Hudson Bay Company and the North West Company, each having different ways on viewing the trading and different values (such like marriage) . However what both companies had in common was the involvement of the indigenous peoples surrounding the posts. Both indigenous men and women played a role in terms of their involvement with the Europeans. Yet it was indigenous women roles that would be seen as highly valued with the European men.

Read More
417 Words | 2 Pages

George Simpson played a major role in the fur trade. He had a sharp, ordered mind which impresses Andrew Wedderburn, which would change George Simpson’s life forever. In 1820, Wedderburn offered Simpson a position of acting Governor in Chief of Rupert’s land. George Simpson began to earn admiration from his employers when he devoted his time and energy on promoting discipline and a reorganized fur trade operation. He named his regimen “economy”.

Read More
3614 Words | 15 Pages

Timothy Chua Candidate Number: Word Count: 3,076  Abstract: To what extent was the Act of Union a positive step towards peace for Canada? The essay introduces a very fresh British North America outlining some causes of the mass immigrants coming in, mentioning Loyalists, and Pioneers arriving from Europe.

Read More
806 Words | 4 Pages

History is the study of events that have occurred in the past. It is also the series of events which comes from various aspects, such as people, places, and objects. More so, it is highly significant to be aware of the past occurrences as it deeply influences the future. One of Canada’s triumph and legacy is the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway. It fulfilled Canada’s First Prime Minister, Sir John A MacDonald’s national dream.

Read More
537 Words | 3 Pages

The Beaver During the mid-17th century, one of the bloodiest conflicts in North American history was between the Iroquois Confederacy and many of the tribes that were situated throughout the St. Lawrence and Great Lakes region, including Hurons, the northern Algonquians, and their French allies. Monopolizing of the fur trade in that region by the Iroquois was the main purpose of the conflict. Before American pelts were booming on the market, Europeans had obtained furs from Russia and Scandinavia. And during the 16th century, Basque fisherman overwhelmed with the Newfoundland frost began bartering with the natives in that region and got hold of choice beaver fur, decades before any European settlement or trading post was established

Read More
537 Words | 3 Pages

The fur trade was a major part of the development of Canada, beginning in the 1500’s. The fur trade was prosperous until the mid 1800’s. The fur trade was mainly sustained by the demand Europeans had for felt hats. Due to the popularity and over trapping during the fur trade, fur-bearing animals became scarce, this was one reason for the decline of the fur trade. Between 1715 and the Seven Years War the fur trade had expanded and served multiple purposes economical, political,and scientific.

Read More
1281 Words | 6 Pages

The white traders used a language to facilitate trade with the Native Americans called the Chinook jargon. The Chinook language developed their social relationship through the trading of their goods and the exchange of gifts. The political relationship that they developed between the Natives’ was developed through marriage, “these alliances being formed solely on political considerations when presents are exchanged according to the means of the parties” (George Simpson 135). Simpson’s goal was to improve the profit and the economic status for the Hudson’s Bay Company by developing a mutually beneficial relationship with native

Read More

More about Hudson Bay Company Essay

Related Topics

Open Document