Canadian History for Kids: John A. Macdonald

September 18, 1867, Sir John A., wins the First Dominion election. This Canadian History for Kids, Sketches of Canada, looks at the life of Canada’s 1st Prime Minister.

He was charming, extremely witty and very passionate about our new country, Canada! That’s our John A! Our founding father.

This Canadian History for Kids article begins when John A. Macdonald was born in Scotland. When he was a boy his family emigrated to Kingston, Upper Canada. He articled with a local lawyer, who died before Macdonald qualified, and Macdonald opened his own practice. He was involved in several high-profile cases and quickly became prominent in Kingston, which enabled him to seek and obtain a legislative seat in 1844.

Macdonald was the leading figure in the discussions and conferences, which resulted in the British North America Act and the birth of Canada as a nation on 1 July 1867.
Macdonald held the office for two terms, serving from July 1, 1867, to November 5, 1873, and again from October 17, 1878, to June 6, 1891.

Key accomplishments of his political career include being a Father of Confederation and seeing the provinces of Manitoba, British Columbia and Prince Edward Island join Confederation. He was an important figure in the creation of the Canadian Pacific Railway from 1871 to 1885 and in the creation of the Northwest Mounted Police in 1873. He was also behind the development of Canada’s first national park in Banff, Alberta, in 1885. He served as Canada’s Minister of Justice and Attorney General from 1867 to 1873 and was Leader of the Opposition from 1873 to 1878. He died on June 6, 1891, in Ottawa, Ontario.
 

Canadian History for Kids’ Highlights as Prime Minister

• building a trans-continental railway, the Canadian Pacific Railway
• building a nation with the entry into Confederation of Prince Edward Island, the Northwest Territories (including Alberta and Saskatchewan), Manitoba, and British Columbia
• opening the West for settlement
• creation of the North-West Mounted Police
• the Northwest Rebellion and the hanging of Louis Riel
• the National Policy of tariffs against imports to protect Canadian industry

And that’s this week Canadian History for Kids Sketches of Canada!
 

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