1. The Rebellions of 1837

2. Constitution Act of 1791
The Constitution Act of 1791 gave the British colonies a new form of government
Each colony had its own governor and elected assembly
Can you name the colonies?
Governor General (Appointed by Britain)
Lieutenant Governor
(Appointed by Britain)
Executive Council
(Appointed by the
governor)
Anglophones in both Upper and Lower Canada
Legislative Council
(Appointed by the
governor)
Legislative Assembly
(Elected by voters)
Upper Canada: Majority Anglophone
Lower Canada: Majority Francophone
Only people who owned a certain amount of property were allowed to vote. This was mostly wealthy men.

3. Colonial Government
Although voters were able to elect the members of the Legislative Assembly, it had little actual power
The real power was held by the governor and the two councils (Executive and Legislative)
These members were usually friends and relatives of the governor
In Lower Canada they were known as the Chateau Clique
In Upper Canada they were known as the Family Compact
Both passed laws that favoured their own interests
What do you think of this kind of governing? Is it fair? Why or why not?

4. Reformers
Many of the colonists thought that this form of governing was highly unfair
Why should a British appointed governor and his friends make all the decisions?
These people were called reformers
Why were they called this?
They demanded that the government change the way things were run
Of course, change did not happen

5. Voting Today we vote by using a secret ballot
This means that no one knows who someone voted for unless they choose to share that information
In the past, however, voting was done differently
Voters went to polling stations and voted for a candidate publicly
This led to corruption and bribery
Some people tried to influence the way people voted
They could tell if they followed through or not
If they didn't they would be beat and tormented
Voting remained public until 1874

6. SOAPSTone! “William Lyon Mackenzie Describes an Election Campaign”
Read the following primary source in a group and complete the SOAPSTONE for it
Highlight any key or important information
We will be discussing it after – so be prepared to say something!

7. Perspectives Activity
You will be randomly drawing a role, it will either be from Upper Canada or Lower Canada
It will then tell you what kind of person you are, like a farmer or merchant and provide a brief description of how your group feels
Discuss with other people with the same role and expand on your perspective – be prepared to argue it!
I will play the role of Governor General Harris and in your groups you will have to convince me that reform (change) is necessary

8. Ninety-Two Resolutions
By the 1830s many people had had enough with the lack of change
Louis Joseph Papineau led a group of reformers called the Patriotes in Lower Canada
In 1834 they presented the Ninety-Two Resolutions to the assembly
They wanted sweeping reforms put in place
They then won 75 percent of the votes in an election
They believed that now the Governor and Britain would have to listen to them
They waited for a response to the Resolutions until 1837
All of the demands were rejected

9. Rebellion in Lower Canada
Papineau travelled throughout the colony urging Lower Canadians to take up arms and fight
Fighting finally broke out in November of 1837 at Saint- Denis with a victory for the Patriotes
However, British forces soon overwhelmed the rebels at Saint-Charles and Saint- Eustache
The uprising had been crushed
Papineau fled to the United States

10. Seventh Report on Grievances
The same unrest was occurring in Upper Canada too
William Lyon Mackenzie led the reformers and in he issued the Seventh Report on Grievances
It was a list of their demands
They decided to take up arms to make sure they got what they wanted

11. Rebellion in Upper Canada
On December Mackenzie led 700 rebels on a march toward Toronto
Only a few were armed with rifles; most were armed with pikes and pitchforks
At the first clash with government supporters, the rebels fled to Montgomery Tavern
Other violent clashes broke out around the colony, however
They were put down by British troops
The rebellion was over in just a few days
Mackenzie fled to the United States like Papineau

12. Impact of the Rebellions
These two rebellions may seem to be minor events
Only a few hundred people took part
But they actually had a very lasting impact
In Lower Canada, the Francophone colonists felt incredibly wronged
This feeling did not disappear with the crushing of the Rebellion
In Upper Canada it became apparent that many people agreed with the goals of the reformers
Britain would have to face the fact that reform was necessary, or there may be a larger rebellion or even a revolution next time

13. Comics We have TWO comics to read!
I will need a few volunteer to take on roles

14. Homework - SOAPSTone!
Read the primary source “The Upper Canadian Rebellion, 1837”
Complete the SOAPSTone chart for it
To be completed and handed in with your Chapter 6 package