Since raw resources and sea routes attracted Europeans to the North American continent in the sixteenth century onwards, the French and English competed to establish trading posts and colonial settlement in North America. Soon, the European Empires recognized the importance of coastal cities such as Halifax in order to protect the continent’s interior from conflict from the south (United States) and overseas (competing Empires).
This exhibit gallery displays the history of the defence of the Halifax Harbour by examining the War Department survey marker placed at point Pleasant Park in Halifax, Nova Scotia in the nineteenth century by the government of Great Britain. By examining this marker, we can understand the history of the British in North America and the importance of Halifax in protecting the North American interior against foreign aggression.Â