Horton High School's Canadian
History 12 Web Page and Student
Resource
The Rebellions of 1837
although the Constitutional Act brought
the Canadas together in some ways, it also served to cause a rift between
English and French Canada and their relations with Great Britain. The two
Council were controlled by the rich elite - the Family Compact in Upper
Canada, the Chateau Clique in Lower Canada. Farmers and the lower classes
were largely ignored by these pro-British groups. The Church of England
also began to assert itself more in Lower Canada and suggested more control
over the Catholic Church. For all of the reasons above, reform movements
began in the Canadas.
the Rebellion in Lower Canada
-
in Upper Canada, these were at first led
by Egerton Ryerson - a Methodist leader. Lower Canada differed in that
their movement was not only about class and autonomy; it was also about
culture, French culture. The French press had been kept down by the Lt.
Governor, while French appointment to upper levels of government were almost
non-existent.
a reform movement began in Lower Canada,
led by the politician Louis Joseph Papineau. He was a French-Canadian nationalist,
who had been elected to Assembly in 1808, and was Speaker from 1815-1837.
He was angered by the control of the Assembly by the English minority;
he responded by imposing his right as Speaker to control the monies given
out to the Lt. Governor. This outraged the British.
1822 - the British House of Commons attempted
to curtail Papineau's growing power by united the two assemblies in the
Canadas. Votes would be based on land holdings, which would disenfranchise
most French-Canadians. The Catholic Church also had some limitations placed
onto it. Storms of protest arose in Lower Canada. Some influential English-Canadians
in Lower Canada, knowing they had to have good relations with the French-Canadians,
supported Papineau's movement for reform. A rift grew between Papineau
and the Governor of the Canadas, Lord Dalhousie. Dalhousie dissolved the
Lower Canadian Assembly, however he would be sent to India [many saw this
as an attempt by the British to please the French-Canadians].
1832 - "Montreal Massacre" - during the
elections of this year, three French-Canadians were shot and killed by
British soldiers. They were a part of a calm, peaceful protest.
1834 - Assembly, under Papineau's direction,
tabled the "92 Resolutions", which generally called for the adoption of
American republicanism over British oligarchic rule. They wanted a more
democratic style of government. The people of Lower Canada supported this,
the British obviously did not. The Assembly called for a boycott of all
British goods and services in Lower Canada and increased trade with the
Americans.
by 1835, Papineau's "radicals" were know
as the "Patriotes".
in 1837 - the British government gave the
Governor the right to take funds from the Lower Canadian Assembly without
the Speaker's consent, thus taking the reigns of power from Papineau. in
the summer of '37, mass meetings were held in protest of the increasing
control being asserted by the British. Many speeches spoke of revolution;
the British responded by sending troops from Upper Canada into Lower Canada
to serve as a calming influence.
a radical group of French-Canadian nationalists,
"Les Fils de la Liberte", called for harsh measures and spoke violently
towards any British presence in Lower Canada. The British began putting
out warrants for members of this group. Papineau did not agree with "Les
Fils..", as he wanted a non-violent resolution. Still, he was lumped in
with them, and was thus forced to flee from Montreal and went to the country.
The British then accused Papineau of attempting to start rural riots, and
sent troops out to capture him. The Patriotes made an armed stand against
the troops in order to allow their leader to escape to the United States.
in December of 1837, British troops and
militia clashed with members of "Les Fils" at St. Eustache, north of Montreal,
killing many of the movement's leaders. The rest were arrested. This ended
the short-lived rebellion in Lower Canada.
Why did it fail?
- no unity between the Patriotes and Les
Fils de la Liberte;
- the British Army was much better equipped and trained;
- Papineau's departure for the U.S.A. left the movement leaderless.
the Rebellions of 1837 in Upper Canada
-
the British not only had to deal with problems
in Lower Canada, but Upper Canada as well. The Assembly in U.C. wanted
to have powers similar to the Commons in Britain, but the British argued
that no colony would hold equal powers to the British House of Commons!
Essentially, the U.C. Assembly wanted more control over its own affairs
and how the colony was being run. Many argued that the Family Compact was
no more than a group of "Yes Men" for the Governor.
one of these leaders, aside from Ryerson,
was Robert Gourley. A Scottish immigrant, Gourley argued that Crown and
Church lands should be freed up to encourage more settlement, and that
the massive tracts of land owned by these groups was sickening. For this,
Gourley, who also openly criticized the Governor, was banished from Upper
Canada in 1819. This led to increased grumblings in the Assembly.
American immigrants to U.C. were also treated
poorly by the British, who tended to distrust all Americans, branding them
as subversives. Two such Americans, a father and son by the name Bidwell,
were elected to the U.C. Assembly. From there they attacked the Family
Compact, and for this they too were expelled from Upper Canada, and from
that point onward no American could serve in the Canadian Assemblies, as
they were "aliens".
in the 1828 elections, Ryerson attacked
the Church for its control of massive plots of lands, taking up Gourley's
cause. William Lyon Mackenzie, a Scottish immigrant and newspaper writer
and editor, became the #1 enemy of the British in Upper Canada for his
scathing attacks on the Family Compact. In 1826 his printing shop was destroyed
for issuing inflammatory remarks about the Compact. Still, in 1828, he
and many of his comrades were elected, and formed a majority in the Assembly.
They then legislated the secularization of clergy reserves [lands], and
took over government revenues. The Legislative Council [Family Compact]
refused to pass these bills. Mackenzie fought hard against the Compact,
and for this was kicked out of the Assembly many times.
1834 - York becomes Toronto, the capital
of Upper Canada, and its first mayor was none other than Mackenzie.
in 1833, the Assembly was split between
Ryerson's moderates and Mackenzie's radicals.
in the 1836 election, the Governor, Sir
Francis Bond Head, rallied supporters by calling Mackenzie's supporters
American rebels and sympathizers, and anti-British. Many still supported
strong ties to Britain. Bond Head was able to muscle Ryerson and his supporters
into siding with him, resulting in an election victory for the pro-British
supporters.
still, U.C. fell into a short economic
depression.This, coupled with the revolt in Lower Canada, led to a "revolt"
in Upper Canada. In December of 1837, Mackenzie and his supporters met
at Montgomery's Tavern and decided to storm city hall to gain control of
the guns and ammunition. On the way they encountered some militia, were
told to go home or face the consequences, thus they did. The revolt in
Upper Canada was over before it ever started.
the government went about arresting known
ring leaders, 2 of whom were hanged. Others were jailed. Mackenzie, like
Papineau in Lower Canada, fled to the United States in order to avoid persecution
and continue the cause.
Results:
the rebellions in Upper and Lower Canada
were short-lived and unsuccessful, but they sent a clear message across
the Atlantic, that there was discontent in British North America, and that
something needed to be done in order to avoid another revolution in North
America. The British would respond by sending a skilled politician named
Durham over to B.N.A. to assess the situation and draft a report on any
recommendations for the future of the land Wolfe conquered.
