Canada in the Early 19th Century Colonists: Land and Government Horizons Chapter 2

What occurred between 1763 when the Seven Years’ War resulted in Britain defeating France and gaining New France as a North American colony and 1815 – when the war between Britain and the United States ended? The Early 19th Century Mr. Ditson

Quebec after the Seven Years War 1763 – The Treaty of Paris was signed. This formally ended the Seven Years’ War. Britain took control of New France (Quebec) and most of North America. At this time Quebec came under British military rule. British soldiers and officers were used as police and judges. It became clear that the French would not give up their language and religion (Roman Catholicism). During this time, the British treated the French reasonably well by paying for supplies and generally respecting their way of life. The Early 19th Century Mr. Ditson

The Quebec Act 1774 – The British passed the Quebec Act. This moved Quebec (New France) away from military occupation and made it a formal British colony. The Act recognized the importance of the Roman Catholic Church. It kept French civil law but introduced English criminal law It made Quebec larger by extending it into the Ohio Valley. However, it did not end feudal rights (limited democracy was not introduced), and it did not protect the French language and traditions. The Early 19th Century Mr. Ditson

The Early 19th Century Mr. Ditson

Impact of the American Revolution 1775 – 1783 – The American Revolution occurred, alienating many Loyalists (Americans loyal to Britain). After the revolution 43 000 Loyalists moved to Quebec. Another 8000 Loyalists moved to the Maritime colonies. (At this point, there were only 60,000 Canadiens (French Canadians) in Quebec) The new Loyalists in Quebec demanded to be governed separately from the Canadiens. 1784 – New Brunswick was created to accommodate the new immigrants. The Early 19th Century Mr. Ditson

The Constitutional Act and Dividing Quebec 1791 – The British passed the Constitutional Act. This separated Quebec into Upper Canada (Ontario) and Lower Canada (Quebec) – two separate colonies. Lower Canada kept French culture, the Catholic religion, and French Civil Law Upper Canada was English speaking and Protestant   The Early 19th Century Mr. Ditson

Government – Full democracy did not yet exist Government – Full democracy did not yet exist. Both colonies had elected government bodies (legislatures), but they could be overruled by appointed councils and an appointed governor.   This system also created an upper class that could control colonial government to serve their own interests. John Graves Simcoe was appointed the first governor of Upper Canada. He built roads and established York (now Toronto) as the capital of Upper Canada. The Early 19th Century Mr. Ditson

During and after the War of 1812 The War of 1812 in North America involved an American invasion of Canada, then British territory. This illustration shows a battle on the Niagara Peninsula in what is now southern Ontario. The Early 19th Century Mr. Ditson

Thousands of settlers came to Canada, in two waves of immigrants. The First Wave: 1791 - 1812 Immigration to Upper Canada included “Late Loyalists” (some of them opportunists who wanted cheap land) and some true Loyalists who awaited compensation for losses suffered during the American Revolution. This wave had a huge impact on the British North American colonies; the population increased from 14,000 in 1791 to 90,000 in 1812. The Early 19th Century Mr. Ditson

Many Loyalists moved to this region of Upper Canada. The Early 19th Century Mr. Ditson

The Second Wave: 1812-1850 This was the period of the ‘Great Migration’ which included Irish, Scottish, and English immigrants. These immigrants blurred the Canadien and Loyalist origins of Canada. The Early 19th Century Mr. Ditson

These immigrants had several reasons for coming to British North America: There was rich, inexpensive farmland available. They were influenced by the political ideas of recent revolutions in the United States and in France. Industrialization had caused population increase and overcrowding in many parts of the British Isles. The Early 19th Century Mr. Ditson

Upper and Lower Canada The Early 19th Century Mr. Ditson

Upper Canada In the early 19th century, Upper Canada was the newest, most undeveloped colony of British North America. To Europeans, it was a wilderness; to the Native people, it was familiar territory. The Early 19th Century Mr. Ditson

Life in Upper Canada was quiet Life in Upper Canada was quiet. Community was important, and families were large. Life in Upper Canada had a way of leveling people because neighbours needed each other, despite their social class. Children of aristocrats, for example, or pensioned-off army officers had to do the hard work of maintaining a farm. The Early 19th Century Mr. Ditson

The Early 19th Century Mr. Ditson

Nonetheless, there was a privileged class in Upper Canada: the Family Compact. This was a popular name for a small clique of wealthy, powerful men who dominated Upper Canada from the late-18th to mid-19th century. They controlled the government, monopolized political offices, and strongly influenced banking, land grant issues, education, the courts, and Anglican church affairs. The Early 19th Century Mr. Ditson

Members of the Family Compact were descendants of Loyalist settlers Members of the Family Compact were descendants of Loyalist settlers. They believed in the rightness of the aristocracy and of ties to Britain. They made up most of the Executive Council in the colonial government, and they controlled government budgets. They had a reputation for being snobbish and exclusive. The Early 19th Century Mr. Ditson

Lower Canada The Early 19th Century Mr. Ditson

Lower Canada in the early 19th century was predominantly agricultural, and the farming practices were very traditional. The Early 19th Century Mr. Ditson

The privileged class in Lower Canada was the Chateau Clique The privileged class in Lower Canada was the Chateau Clique. This was a nickname given to the small group of officials, usually members of the anglophone merchant community, including John Molson and James McGill, who dominated the executive and legislative councils, the judiciary and senior bureaucratic positions of Lower Canada until the 1830s. The Early 19th Century Mr. Ditson

The Early 19th Century Mr. Ditson

The Early 19th Century Mr. Ditson

The problem of land The Early 19th Century Mr. Ditson

Virtually every immigrant to Upper Canada had an interest in land Virtually every immigrant to Upper Canada had an interest in land. Many were farmers who wanted to own freehold farms. Many were farm support workers, while still others relied upon farming for their businesses - for example, blacksmithing and wagonmaking. The Early 19th Century Mr. Ditson

The Early 19th Century Mr. Ditson

Several land problems existed, however. Upon arriving in Upper Canada, settlers discovered that much of the good land was already taken up by absentee landlords and speculators. Much land was also taken up by Crown and Clergy Reserves, which were blocks of land set aside to provide income (by sale or rent) for the government and the Anglican Church. Those who ran the colony wanted to duplicate the English model of landowning, which favored the first-born son to inherit the estate. This was contrary to the republican views of many immigrants who believed that people should succeed on their own efforts, rather than on inheritance. The Early 19th Century Mr. Ditson

Another obstacle for immigrants to Upper and Lower Canada was the colonial government system that had been established by the Constitutional Act of 1791. The Early 19th Century Mr. Ditson

But that’s a story for another day! The Early 19th Century Mr. Ditson