1. What did canada look like in the early 1800s?
Upper & Lower Canada
What did canada look like in the early 1800s?

2. Upper & lower canada (& Rupert’s Land)

3. Upper canada

4. What was life like in upper canada?
Life was difficult for first settlers, as we have learned already.
Had to clear hundreds of trees, build houses & make land usable.
Houses were usually one room, dirt floor, one fireplace to heat everyone, holes and cracks in the walls, which wind would blow through.
No one would travel long distances, roads were dirt and did not stay in good condition with rain and snow.
Farmers could sell extra crops to buy things that they could not grow.

5. Life was tough
Kids did not get to go to school, they often had to work to help their families survive.
Church and religion were important to people.
The wealthy had control and those below worked very hard to live/survive.

6. Why were people unhappy?
Average Colonist:
They were suffering
Crops were failing for years in a row
Poor economy, colony was in debt
They were not violent, but did not believe that their government was spending their money well
They were hungry and wanted change

7. Reformers- want for change
Moderate Reformers
Believed that reform could happen without violence
Thought that they could work with the present system and have a responsible government
Responsible government: a government that is responsible to the people- elected assembly and not a monarch
Radical Reformers
William Lyon Mackenzie was a leader of the radicals
Believed that their only try freedom would be to do away with the British system of government altogether
Would do anything to separate themselves from the British- including joining the USA
Would use violence

8. What was the family compact?
Powerful and influential businessmen- came from money
Belonged to the executive and legislative councils
Almost always related to one another (Family Compact)
Lived in the Toronto area and many fought in the War of 1812
Believed that the British were superior
Believed in and kept a strong central government under the authority of a governor
Loyal to the Crown
All money to better land and business

9. How did the upper canada rebellion turn out?
Not so well….
Leader was Mackenzie
Took 700 men, poorly armed with mostly farm tools and a few muskets
Not trained soldiers
Ran away when they saw a wagon that they thought was a canon
Mackenzie stopped to eat and negotiate a truce with lieutenant governor- lieutenant saw how poorly armed the rebels were and decided to fight instead of talk
2 days later troops confronted rebels in Montgomery’s Tavern- they were tipsy
Battle lasted 30 mins
Rebels fled
Rebels failed

10. Lower canada

11. What was life like in lower canada?
What we now call Quebec
English criminal law and French civil law were used.
Both French and English-speaking people.
French-speaking people- families came from and had lived in rural areas for a long time before coming here. Also a large group of professional people (doctors and lawyers, who lived in cities and towns).
English-speaking- merchants and businessmen who had come to the area after New France became a British Colony. Also United Empire Loyalists and farmers.

12. Life was tough (maybe not as tough as uc)
Country life- people worked hard and paid their dues to the seigneur.
Land scarce as population grew.
Farms continued to be divided between sons.
As the farms got smaller, many children had to move away to other towns or to the USA.

13. Why were people unhappy?
French-speaking professional people:
Wanted to be leaders of the French-speaking people.
Wanted to separate and become a French nation to keep their traditions.
Wanted to keep French language and Roman Catholic faith.
Disliked British newcomers- believed that they would change everything and had no right to do so.

14. Still unhappy English-speaking merchants & businessmen:
Wanted Lower Canada to be more business orientated.
Wanted English to be the main language.
Wanted government to spend $ on more harbours and canals.
Wanted better roads for business.

15. Still unhappy French-Canadian habitants:
Wanted to preserve their language, religion, and culture.
Believed that the British people who ruled the colony wanted them to give up their language and culture.

16. Still unhappy English-speaking farmers:
Were used to having more say in the government.
Unhappy that French language was being used at all.
Did not like following French civil law.
Wanted Protestant church only.

17. Chateau clique (like family compact in uc)
Small group of wealthy and powerful people.
British or wealthy French-Canadians who sided with the British.
Wanted British system of government and more English-speaking settlers.
Did not want to change the government because they controlled it.
Elected Assembly: like Upper Canada, there was an elected assembly.
To be on the assembly or to vote you needed to own a lot of land, so few people could participate.
Governor had final say and did not have to listen to the assembly.
Governor appointed from Britain.

18. Summary of unhappiness
British merchants wanted to increase taxes for canals, harbors and roads for merchant use- few roads were built to help farmers
Increased immigration from Great Britain began to threaten French culture and language
1832, immigrant ship brought disease cholera, killed 5500
Legislative assembly(French- speaking) hard to make laws
1836, crops failed, Canadians face starvation
1837, economic depression, English merchants blamed

19. Lower canada rebellion
Louis Joseph Papineau became the leader of the radical movement in Lower Canada.
The Patriotes joined Papineau (who were the reform minded French Canadians).
British Army versus Patriote Army (Rebels) and Papineau
Began on November 23, 1837 at St. Denis; rebel victory
Rebels built a fortress at St. Charles to fight the British but lost there and later at Saint-Eustache – Baker's Farm – Lacolle – Odelltown & Beauharnois
Papineau fled to U.S
After all the fighting 12 were hung 58 were sent to Australia and 12 hundred were set free.

20. After the rebellion Papineau fled, left the rebels with no leader.
Roman Catholic Church warned habitants that they did not support the rebellion and anyone who fought would be barred from the most powerful social institution, the Church.
The Patriotes expected help from the US, but were not given help because president did not want another war with Britain.
The Rebellions were a nuisance to Britain, just received new ruler, Queen Victoria and Britain wanted to sort things out quickly.
1838 Britain ordered the governor to rule without any elected representatives.
But, Lord Durham sent and arrived from Britain to listen to all sides and find out the reasons for the Rebellions.
He was to send his recommendations back to Britain.

21. Who is lord durham?
Lord Durham was sent out as the new governor general.
An unusual person- Known as “Radical Jack” in Britain.
Lord from upper class, but he believed that the common man should have the vote, education for everyone, and that Catholics should have same rights and privileges as Protestants.
His job was not easy when he arrived in Canada.
Canada ended up being happy with his actions, but Britain was not.
He resigned from politics after he wrote his report when he returned to England.
He criticized the Family Compact and Chateau Clique, saying that they did not have the best interests of people in mind.

22. Lord durham’s report Unite Upper and Lower Canada into one province.
Believed that French Canadians would have to adopt British ways.
Larger British population could control smaller French-speaking population.
French habitants were not educated enough to govern themselves.

23. Report continued…
Separate British affairs from local Canadian affairs.
Durham believed that Canadians would be happier if they had control over the smaller local affairs- control over their own lives.
Britain would control the colony’s constitution and relationships with other countries.

24. Report continued… Grant Responsible Government.
Meant that the governor would answer to the voters who elected the Assembly.
Governor would need to accept their decisions, even if he disagreed.
Limited the power of the governor and Executive Assembly
Government did not allow this right away, but it did eventually.

25. Act of union 1841
Aim: create single government, establish English as official language.
Was first step toward Confederation.
Canada was split as Canada West (Upper Canada) and Canada East (Lower Canada, Ontario).
In 1847, Lord Elgin became governor.
Executive Council/Cabinet got most power and are responsible to Legislative Assembly
Many members formed political parties to achieve power.
The situation eventually became intolerable, and led to the Great Coalition in 1864, and ultimately to Confederation in