Life in Lower Canada 1815-1838
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Transcript of Life in Lower Canada 1815-1838
Pages 140-143
Group 1: HabitantsTheir way of life had not
changed much for 150 yearsMore people meant less
available farm land and smaller lots of land
Not much work for young people
After 1810 many were starving because there was not enough food
Too many English-speaking immigrants were threatening the habitants’ way of life
Group 2: MerchantsEnglish-speaking people who were very rich and
powerful They made money from furs, timber and wheatThey wanted the government to use taxes to
improve Lower Canada by building bridges, canals, harbours and roads
Group 3: Professional MenEducated, French-speaking such as lawyers
and doctorsThey wanted to be leaders and speak for all of
the people in Lower CanadaThey dreamed of a separate French-Canadian
nationThey liked the traditional French-Canadian way
of life and saw the British as a cultural threatThey created a political party called “Parti
Canadien”
Government in Lower CanadaThe government in Lower Canada
was similar to that created in Upper Canada under the Constitutional Act
Some differences were: members of both the
Legislative and Executive Councils were appointed for life
the governor and the members in the council were all English-speaking which made their interests very different from the French-speaking habitants and professional men
British
Governor
Legislative Council
Executive Council
Legislative Assembly
Voters
Powerful Groups in L. CanadaChateau CliqueA small group of wealthy
people who were either British or French-Canadians
Believed only a few people should have all the power in government
Wanted the Roman Catholic Church to remain powerful because the Church helped them
They favoured the British system of government and wanted more British people to move into Lower Canada
Parti CanadienMostly French-Canadians who
wanted the old, traditional French ways
They saw change as negative and did not like new ideas
Their leader was Louis-Joseph Papineau
They were able to get the professional men to control the Legislative Assembly and vote against improvements
The merchants were angered by them since they wanted the improvements
Louis-Joseph PapineauA wealthy seigneur who was a professional man
and wanted changes to be made in the government
Became the leader of the “Parti Canadien” which changed its name to “Parti Patriote” after 1826
Questions – Individual Work1. Who were the 3 main groups in L.Canada and
what did they want?2. What were the Habitants scared about?3. Which political party was Louis Papineau part
of?4. Why were the views and opinions of the people
sitting on the Executive Council different than those on the Legislative Assembly and voters?
5. What’s the difference between the Chateau Clique and Parti Canadien?
DAY 2 – UNREST IN LOWER CANADA
Unrest in Lower CanadaThe French-speaking people and English-speaking
merchants wanted different things in Lower Canada such as:The merchants wanted improvements for transportation
but to pay for those improvements they wanted to use tax money. They also wanted Upper and Lower Canada to unite to give the English people a voting majority in the L.A.
The seigneurs wanted to protect their own way of life which meant no more immigration.
French-speaking people also wanted to have more influence in the Executive and Legislative Councils or at least have people that represented the views and ideas of the French speaking population (not the ENGLISH).
The 92 ResolutionsIn 1834 the Legislative Assembly put
together a list of 92 grievances (or resolutions) and sent it to the British government
They said the people would not pay any taxes until their concerns were resolved.
With no taxes, government workers would not get paid and any work on transportation improvements would have to stop
Resolutions ExampleWe use resolutions today when we want to
improve something in our lives. The most common time for people to make a list of resolutions is on New Year’s.
Individually, come up with a New Years resolution to share with the class!
Britain’s ResponseBritain sent a man named Lord Gosford to
investigate what was happening in Lower Canada in 1835
He was not liked by either groups because he was seen as a puppet.
In 1837 Britain decided write their own 10 resolutions which included the following:Britain refused to give the Legislative Assembly any
more power and if they refused to give tax money to the Governor he now was given power to just take it
Britain also continued to encourage immigration
Armed Rebellion: WAR!After Britain’s response the Canadiens were
ready to fightThe rebellion started in November of1837 and
ended in December of 1837Who do you think was the winner?
The ResultOn December 14th the Canadiens gathered in
the village of St Eustache and were ready to fight
The British attacked the village and completely burned and robbed it!
In the end 12 rebels were hanged and 58 were sent to Australia as prisoners
Another 1200 prisoners were set freePapineau escaped to the USA and was to be
executed if he tried to return to BNA
Something to think about...After looking at the events in Lower Canada
think about the following with your partner:What do you think will now happen to the
relations between the French-speaking and English-speaking people?
Can life continue in Lower Canada with British leaders and large French-speaking citizens?
What do you see happening in the future?Be ready to present your thoughts!!
Important Vocabulary WordsModerate – a person who does not hold
extreme opinionsRadical – holding extreme opinions; wants
fundamental social, economic, and political changes.
Treason – the crime of betraying one’s country
Puppet – leader who is not independent, who waits for orders or does what someone else tells him or her to do.
Political reform – changes to make the government better.
Government in Upper CanadaTwo major political groups in Upper Canada were:The Tories (lead by the Family Compact)The Reformers (wanted political reform (change))
Family Compact (TORIES)Was a small group of
powerful peopleDefended tradition and
opposed changePower should be in the
hands of a fewChurch should be powerfulWere loyal to Great Britain
and British system.Held political positions in
the Legislative and Executive Council
The ReformersUnlike the family compact
“the Reformers” wanted change in Upper Canada.
They opposed the power of the family compact.
They were divided among radical and moderate groups
They wanted to create change in government and society of Upper Canada (similar to that of the United States)
The Reformers included people who would later take part in the rebellion.
Robert GourlayHe was a reformer who
immigrated from Scotland and wanted to bring poor people from Britain to Upper Canada to farm.
Gourlay spoke with local farmers about problems and difficulties. He encouraged farmers to meet and discuss their problems.
The Family compact felt he was a threat and put Gourlay in jail (later thrown out of Upper Canada).
He is a moderate
William Lyon MackenzieHe was reformer (from Scotland)
who used his newspaper to speak out about the problems experienced by farmers and the Family Compact.
He was elected into the Legislative Assembly and spoke out against the Family Compact. Mackenzie was expelled from Leg. Assembly 6 times, but voted back every time.
He participated in the armed rebellion in attempt to destroy Upper Canada’s system of government.
Considered a Radical
Sir Francis Bond HeadWas appointed lieutenant-
governor of Upper Canada and was welcomed by the reformers.
Reformers felt betrayed by Bond.
The Legislative Assembly refused to work with Bond which resulted in a freeze in funds.
Bond ordered an election and personally fought for the Tories. They won and defeated the Reformers.
End of LessonHomework:Complete
vocabulary worksheet
Study for chapter 6/7 test
Election ViolenceElection violence
was common during the 1830s. There was no secret ballot like today. Instead people shouted their choice which usually resulted in shouts and insults. Voters often threw stones and swung clubs at one another.
Armed Rebellion (Upper Canada)Mackenzie wanted to take
advantage of the political unrest. He rode to the countryside and found people to support his cause. He found 4000 people to sign his petition, but when it came to fight he only had 800 men.
The Reformers wanted to have a government similar to United States.
In the end, the rebellion was a failure and Mackenzie escaped to the United States.
Results of the RebellionUpper and Lower Canada ended up worse
(temporarily) after the rebellion.Government (Legislative Assembly) was
suspended for 4 years.People were afraid to speak out about
change because they might be accused of being a radical.
The British sent Lord Durham to investigate the causes of the rebellion and to suggest solutions to the problems.
Newspaper AssignmentCreate your own Newspaper issue
which will report on the 1837 Rebellion. You must write your paper from the “Family Compact’s” or “Reformers” perspective.
Must include:Name of NewspaperDate of issueArticle describing the eventA article analyzing the cause and effect“Letter to the Editor”Advertisement Picture of the event