1. Forces of Change: The Road to Confederation

2. Pre – Assessment
Answer this question, once you are done lets have a conversation about your answers.
“How does Canada become Canada?”

3. Confederation
Confederation was the product of forces/conditions that were both domestic and external in origin

4. Internal Reasons for Confederation
Within the colonies, economic necessities and political deadlock were forcing traditional political foes, the two linguistic communities and the differing regions, to jointly devise a new and workable political structure.

5. External Reason for Confederation
The politics, agendas and actions of both Britain and the United States, promoted the need for a new political Framework for British North America.

6. The Fragile Export Economy

7. After the Act of Union Upper and Lower Canada were united
The provinces were called Canada West and Canada East

8. Immigration
British immigration contributed to a massive increase in the population of British North America.
between 1812 and 1842, the population of Upper Canada increased from to
Only immigrants settled in Lower Canada during the same period.
Most settled in the region
which is now southern Ontario
and established a largely
English-speaking and
Protestant population.

9. Mercantilism Lives
The economy of British North America was dependant on markets for goods in Britain
This was guaranteed by Colonial Preference – during the Napoleonic Wars
This gave the exporters in the colonies a guaranteed market
Timber and wheat were established as staple exports

10. Mercantilism British North America Britain Raw Materials Timber/Wheat
Finished Products
Furniture/Farming Eq.

11. Corn Laws
Corn Laws allowed certain imports from the colonies to enter Britain free from import duties which were applied to imports from non-colonial sources.
Corn Laws gave Canada's farmers, with their wheat surplus a duty-free market in Britain which was not available to their American competitors.

12. Mercantilism Lives
The milling industry grew “overnight” when flour from Canada became popular
Even American grain was bought, milled, and sold in Britain
The economy prospered based on the practice of Colonial Preference

13. The Death of Mercantilism
Britain began to industrialize this led to a surplus of finished goods and a desire to find new markets
The Irish Potato Famine caused Britain to require more imported food
These factors led to an abolition of import duties
Britain had embraced a doctrine of Free Trade

14. The Death of Mercantilism
This devastated the colonial economy
The colonies were forced to compete in a world market to sell their goods
This caused prices to drop
The colonies were then forced to look for a new market for their goods
The Corn Laws were repealed in

15. Raw Materials Timber/Wheat
End of the Corn Laws
Raw Materials Timber/Wheat
British North America
Britain
America

16. Colonial Political Instability and The American Threat

17. The Workings of the Government
One of the political goals of the Act of Union of was to improve the workings of colonial government.
That did not happen. In the fifteen years following implementation of the Act of Union, the united colony had fifteen different governments and numerous elections.
Various issues
such as the issue of representation by population.
Canada West and East each had 42 seats in the government

18. Rep by Pop
1861, the population of Canada West was nearly greater than the population of Canada East.
George Brown voiced the attitude of many in Canada West when he demanded the implementation of representation by population.
The French-speaking population felt that representation by population was a threat to its language and culture.

19. Manifest Destiny
During this time there was a belief among some Americans that it was their nation's destiny to control the entire North American continent.

20. Manifest Destiny
Throughout the 1840s, many Americans believed that it was their nation's manifest destiny to expand and occupy all of the North America.
The American war against Mexico added large areas of the southwest of the continent to the Republic.
There was fear that the U.S. might use military force to incorporate the northern half of the continent into the Republic.
The thinly populated Rupert's Land seemed particularly vulnerable to American encroachment.

21. Political Considerations Collided with Economic Necessities
While fearing the intentions of the Americans, they realized that colonial economic prosperity greatly depended on access to the expanding U.S. domestic market.
To compensate for the loss of British preferential trade, the Canadian colonies entered into a reciprocity treaty with the United States in 1854.

22. Reciprocity
British North America
America
Raw Materials
Timber/Wheat

23. Reciprocity
Reciprocity provided the Canadians with a market for their goods
Canada could navigate Lake Michigan
The United States could navigate the St. Lawrence
Demand in Europe
for Canadian goods
skyrocketed

24. Reciprocity This caused a boom in the Canadian economy
The treaty was to last for ten years
After that either side could end the treaty with one years notice
In 1859 Canada introduced the Galt Tariffs on goods entering Canada
The American Civil War increased demand for Canadian goods south of the boarder

25. Reciprocity
Anti-British sentiment was running high after the Trent Affair
This mistrust was directed at British North America
The Americans felt that
Canada gained from
reciprocity
(Sound familiar NAFTA)
In 1865 the Americans ended

26. Effects of Reciprocity
The Americans felt that ending reciprocity would make Canada ripe for annexation
Once again Canada was forced to look for new markets for goods

27. A Canadian Reality
The political deadlock that characterized colonial government led a increasing number of colonial leaders to seek a new political arrangement.
The proposal to unite all the colonies of British North America gained support.

28. Review Questions What are the dangers of an export economy?
How was the relationship with the United States different during reciprocity from today? How was it similar?
Without Britain and the United States where will the colonies export goods to ?

29. Exit Question
As our economic future hangs in the balance, what does Canada have to do to ensure that our close trading ties with the U.S. does not effect our economic future?