What is now Canada went through a lot of changes throughout the period from when it first was settled until it became its current form. Among the influences were wars between the United States and Britain, as well as the U.S. Civil War. Canada is quite diverse. In the mid 1860's, the Atlantic colonies were separated from the Province of Canada by miles of forest and the Appalachians. Therefore there was some interest in their forming their own governmental unit.

A conference in Quebec in October 1864 debated the proposal for a British North American union, a confederation. Initial efforts saw the Province of Canada approve a confederation, with New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland, and Nova Scotia voting against it. Pressure from Britain and the United States changed the vote of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The British North America Act was passed by the British parliament in 1867. The name of the new union was the Dominion of Canada.