1. The American Revolution

2. Reasons for Revolution  British attempts to limit western settlement.  Taxation without representation  The Quebec Act

3. Limiting Western Settlement  The Royal Proclamation of 1763 by Britain set out to address many of the concerns of the Native Americans.  Settlement was prohibited west of the Appalachian Mountains.  The interior, off-limits to settlers, was reserved as “Indian territory.”

4. Appalachian Mountains

5.  This outraged most colonialists because for many of them the main reason for going to war with France had been to open up the Ohio Valley and interior to settlers.  The Royal Proclamation of 1763 marked the first time that Britain gave legal recognition to prior aboriginal land rights.

6.  The key passage read:  Any Lands whatever, which, not having been ceded to or purchased by Us…are reserved to the said Indians.

7. Taxation without Representation  The war against France and her allies had pushed Great Britain to the brink of financial ruin. The cost of the war sent the British national debt to 130 million pounds.  The most Britain had ever collected in taxes in a single year before this was 15.5 million pounds

8.  Britain believed that the colonies that had been defended should play a part in paying the cost.  The problem was that the colonies did not enjoy full British citizenship and did not have delegates in London.  “No taxation without representation!” became a popular slogan in the colonies.

9. The Quebec Act  In Quebec, the citizens were still largely French-Canadian who were not content under British rule  To pacify the French-Canadians and limit the possibility of rebellion the Quebec Act was introduced.

10. Keys points of the Quebec Act:  French civil law was reinstated for matters of property  English law was retained for criminal matters  The seigneurial system of land holding was confirmed.  And the Roman Catholic Church was granted rights not allowed back in Protestant Britain, including the right to raise money through tithes.

11.  Quebec’s boundaries were also greatly expanded to include the Ohio Valley and the Great Lakes. This was the heartland of the old French fur trade.  This greatly angered the colonials in the American colonies. They saw this as a reinstatement of New France in all but name

12.  At the beginning of the revolution the Americans believed that if they marched on Canada, the Canadians, both English and French, would rise up to join them in expelling the British from North America.  This was not the case for different reasons in the two main British colonies that would become Canada on the continent: Quebec (which included Ontario) and Nova Scotia (which included New Brunswick).

13. Quebec  The French in Quebec did not see the point in overthrowing one foreign ruler for anther. Also, George Washington and his rebels had denounced both the Catholic Church and French law in their call to battle.  The English in Quebec had been thrilled with the new land made available to them through the Quebec act and did not wish to anger the British. They remained neutral.

14. Fall of Montreal and Siege of Quebec  Wanting to prevent the British from using Canada as a base from which to attack the American colonies, the Americans launched a two- pronged attack into Canada to attack Montreal and Quebec City.

15.  Montreal fell and both American armies converged on Quebec City but the overland trek was not easy and half the men sent straight to Quebec City under Benedict Arnold had been lost either though desertion, disease or death.

16. The siege of Quebec  The Americans attacked the city after a siege of almost a month but it was a complete failure.  400 Americans taken prisoner, 100 killed. British forces lost 3 men.  British reinforcements arrived in the Spring and the Americans retreated.

17. Nova Scotia  Many historians have wondered why Nova Scotia did not join the revolution. Nova Scotians shared the same resentment towards the British as the rest of the colonies down the coast and half of the population of Nova Scotia, 19,000, were settlers from the American colonies.  Both the Americans and the British fully expected Nova Scotia to join the American colonies in revolt.  However, except for two failed rebel campaigns in Maugerville and in the Chignecto Isthmus, Nova Scotia remained loyal.

18. Possible reasons for Nova Scotian loyalty  Nova Scotia’s population was scattered across the coast without any sense of political identity. Halifax was a very strong British military base that would have deterred any armed rebellion.

19.  American privateers raided Nova Scotia’s coast in the name of liberty. Many Nova Scotians who were neutral went over to the British side. These were mostly wealthy Nova Scotians. Average fishermen could just as easily been forced into the British Navy by “press gangs”

20.  A spiritual revival had begun in Nova Scotia called “the Great Awakening”  It was lead by Henry Alline, known as the Apostle of Nova Scotia.  He preached neutrality in the war seeing it as a sign that the end was near as a result of this apocalyptic battle.

21.  Finally, one of the main reasons for revolt in the American colonies was removed in Nova Scotia when it’s governor, Francis Leggie, removed an unpopular tax and suspended compulsory militia service.  This pacified many Nova Scotians and kept them loyal to Britain.