1. Life in Upper & Lower Canada
WGSS SS10 Mr. Salter

2. British North America
What are the colonies / land holdings of British North America?
Upper Canada – English
By great lakes/ St. Lawrence
Forest being cleared/ settlement growing
Lower Canada – French (mainly)
Down river - St. Lawrence
Montreal is thriving, attracts Scottish and American Settlers
PEI, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia
Maritimes thriving economy in fish/ forestry/shipbuilding
HBC: fur trade/land around Hudson’s Bay (Can. shield)
Competition in West is NWC (North West Company) out of Montreal

3. Life in Upper Canada
How was the land used in each colony? What was life like in the colonies of Upper and Lower Canada?
Aboriginals, Fur traders, Colonists (of many classes and cultures) compete for land
Do you make a farm with roads and towns, or hunt for beavers, or recognize Native land claims?
Agriculture is the center of all life/ economy/ culture
Close communities/ depend on neighbours
Church is social event
Barter economy (pay with goods)
Learn from Natives (survival/ farming)

4. Class System What was the social structure? (class system)
Have class system – upper (aristocracy), middle (merchants) and lower (farmers)
Top in colony is the “Family Compact” (Upper) & “Chateau Clique” (Lower)
Executive council (government) and a social clique
Cheap labour not available – many upper class have to work the land too
Large estates and tenant farms (like serfdom)
Many lower class want the American style democratic classless system
Will lead to tension/ violence

5. Land: the most important part
Who owns the land?
Aboriginals have original claim, and try to sign treaties to prevent Britain from selling it all away
HBC wants exclusive rights, but colonies are growing
Upper class Land speculators and absentee landlords own land and want to have colonists be tenant farmers
Family Compact owns most of the land (many angry at them)
Colonists feel betrayed – want to own their own land
2/7 of all land is church or crown reserve
Undeveloped and in the way (no roads)
Creates anger – prime land is wasted

6. Women What was it like for women in Upper Canada?
Women were married(very few single)
Marriage is essential for status - get social status of husband (no divorce)
Could not own property or work outside the home
Widows must rely on Friends/ relatives
Hard work – cooking washing, sewing, preserve food, make candles and soap, and help with planting , harvesting,
Large families – childbirth was dangerous (many die due to unsanitary conditions and no medical care)
Live in small, crowded, unsanitary cabins

7. Anger in Upper and Lower Canada
Causes of the rebellions

8. Types of Government
What is representative government? What is Responsible Government?

9. Types of Government
What is representative government? What is Responsible Government?
Government is elected by voters – represents the people

10. Types of Government
What is representative government? What is Responsible Government?
Government is elected by voters – represents the people
Voters have the power to vote out/ remove a government that does not please them (responsible to the people)

11. Types of Government
What is representative government? What is Responsible Government? What did the Colonies have?
Government is elected by voters – represents the people
Voters have the power to vote out/ remove a government that does not please them (responsible to the people)
Run by Britain/ Governor and small group of aristocrats (oligarchy)

12. Types of Government
What is an oligarchy? Who are the oligarchies in Upper and Lower Canada? Are the Colonies Democratic?
Rule (governance) by a small, select group of people
Upper Canada: Family Compact
Lower Canada: Chateau Clique
Colonies are NOT democratic – Government is not representative or responsible

13. Types of Government What is the government in both colonies? Governor
(represents Britain)
Executive Legislative Council Council
(Both councils appointed by Governor – all members are part of the
Family compact or the Chateau Clique)
Legislative Assembly
(elected by Male Property owners in colony)

14. Type of Government Why is this colonial government not democratic?
Governor and his councils (Family Compact/ Chateau clique) could Veto all laws passed in Elected legislative assembly (and often did)

15. Upper Canada
What did the Family Compact Veto? What are the Colonists angry about? Who is Robert Gourlay?
Roads/ development in crown and church land
Ignore land speculation / problems with absentee landlords
No land
No roads (crown/ clergy land in the way)
Family Compact has all the power
Land agent
Created petition for change in policy
Arrested and deported
Unifies opposition

16. Upper Canada Who is William Lyon Mackenzie?
Leader of protest/ for reform
Newspaper: “Colonial Advocate” prints articles against gov. and family compact
When Family Compact ransacked his office he sued
Elected to Legislative Assembly 1828
Leader of Reform/ rebellion

17. Lower Canada What issues anger Lower Canada?
Discrimination against the French by the English
No Representation in Government
High Taxes

18. Lower Canada Who were the Chateau Clique?
What is the problem with the Chateau Clique?
Ruling Oligarchy – controls business and government
All English Speaking/ British
English/ protestant Minority (less than ¼ of pop.) has all the political/ economic power in a French Catholic colony
Feel like Church and Seigneurs sold out to English
Angry that Legislative Assembly is powerless (Veto power of councils/ Governor like upper Canada) and taxes are high

19. Lower Canada What Land Problems does Lower Canada face?
How does Nationalism contribute to anger in Lower Canada?
Unlike Upper: No land speculators
Settled for 200 years = land less fertile/ crops fail
Can only feed families
Import Wheat from Upper Canada = Economic deficit/ failure
Alternative (forestry) restricted by Seigneurs
Want to protect language/ religion/ culture form British rule
Fear assimilation through English immigration (become outnumbered)

20. Lower Canada What events anger the French?
1822: -church / seigneurs attempt to Unite Upper and Lower Canada and make English official Language
Fails but results in Anger and Betrayal
1832: Ship brought Cholera to Lower Canada
Paranoid – fear Britain is using biological warfare

21. Lower Canada Who is Louis Joseph Papineau? Who is James Craig?
Leader of reform movement
lawyer/ Seigneur
Speaker of Legislative Assembly in 1815
Leader of Parti Canadien
1807 – British Governor of Lower Canada
Anti-French, arrested anyone against the government
Closed reform newspaper “Le Canadien”

22. Lower Canada What are the 92 resolutions?
What is the British response to the 92 resolutions?
Protesters shot by British soldier in Montreal
Papineau creates “92 resolutions” demanding reform (gives to Governor)
Reply is 3 years later
“10 resolutions” denying rights to Legislative Assembly
Leads to Rebellion