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Signing of the Treaty of Ghent ends War of 1812
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Napoleon's final defeat at Waterloo brings the Napoleonic Wars to an end.
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Queen Victoria would reign for 64 years. Her influence spread far beyond the United Kingdom.
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Resentment of government control and policies flares into open rebellion.
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William Lyon Mackenzie leads a short-lived rebellion in York.
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Lord Durham arrives from Great Britain to investigate the situation in the Canadas. His report moves the colonies towards union.
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the Act of Union unites Upper and Lower Canada.
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Beginning in 1845, until 1852, a series of crop failures meant that most Irish people came to the brink of starvation. Many thousands emigrated to Canada to flee poverty and famine.
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From 1861 to 1865 the Underground Railway brings escaped slaves to freedom in Canada during the American Civil War.
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The British North American (BNA) Act, passed in the British Parliament in March, creates the Dominion of Canada. John A. Macdonald is the first Prime Minister.
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Louis Riel leads the Metis in the Red River resistance, advocating Metis rights and independence. Riel leaves Canada after the resistance subsides.
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The Northwest Rebellion pits the Metis and several First Nations against federal troops transported by the CPR. The Metis and First Nations are defeated at the Battle of Batouche.
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The last spike of the Canadian Pacific Railway is driven at Craigellachie, British Columbia.
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Louis Riel is hanged at Regina.