Download British North America

British North
America
1763-1867
Timeline
1762: Pontiac’s Resistance
1763: Royal Proclamation
1774: Quebec Act
1776: American War of Independence
1783: Treaty of Paris
1783: Loyalist Movement
1791: Constitution Act
1812: The War of… you guess it… 1812
1814: The Treaty of Ghent
1815: Start of the Great Migration
Quick recap
Britain conquered France in 7 years
war
Signed treaty of Paris in 1763
Gave Britain a lot of land…See Map
The Ohio Valley
Now under British Control
Previously owned by the
French who had established
relationships
with the First Nation’s
and set up
forts in the area for
trading
French vs British relations
with First Nations
French
Treated them like a
sovereign nation
Maintained
allialliance with gifts
like guns, ammo, and
trade goods
First nations expected
these in order for
Europeans to use the
land
British (led by General
Jeffrey Amherst)
 Saw aboriginals as
defeated people
(because the French
lost)
 Wanted to take charge
of the fur trade
 Saw gifts as bribes
British Changes
Jeffrey Amherst restricted trade with
aboriginals and said people required
Britain's permission to trade with
them.
This hurt aboriginals because they
relied on the trade and gifts
Amherst saw aboriginals as a problem
he did not want to deal with.
Another Perspective
From a First Nation’s perspective:
No longer talking to French, whom you
have established a relationship with
The new guys don’t give any gifts
Tougher to bargain with
Don’t acknowledge us as a distinct group
of people
Pontiac’s Resistance (War)
Odawa First Nation’s chief, allied with
French during the Plains of Abraham
Yes, Pontiac cars are named after him
And the place in Michigan
Pontiac’s Resistance (War)
Took a group from Ohio valley, around
the Great Lakes, to attack the British
(summer of 1762)
Overtook 9 of 12 British forts NW of
the 13 Colonies
 Remained theirs until the end of 1763
when peace negotiations started
Pontiac’s Resistance
Treaty Agreements
First Nation’s hunting ground was
protected from future settlements
British get their forts back
French were settled on First Nation’s land
and the French defeat did not mean it was
free for the taking
You do not need to write
this
Neolin, the Delaware prophet, who
warned his people "if you allow the
English among you, you are dead.
Maladies, smallpox, and their poison
will destroy you totally."
You do not need to write
this
Summer 1763, British forces gave First
Nations leaders silver containers
containing smallpox- infected clothe and
claiming that they contained “medicine”
to be opened upon their return home
The disease then spread throughout the
Ohio Valley and wiped out entire
communities
• Carving the Spoils 1:20:40
• https://youtu.be/gfsqdkrVm18?t=1h20
m40s
Royal Proclamation, 1763
Created to avoid a war with First
Nations
Made a clear boundary between British
and First Nations
Colonists were forbidden to pass the
Proclamation line (to the west)
Hope was the new settlers would go north
and assimilate* into British culture
Royal Proclamation
• http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/roya
l-proclamation-of-1763-canada-sindian-magna-carta-turns-2501.1927667
French Response
French culture felt threatened by the
change
The Royal Proclamation abolished French
laws that protected their position in
Quebec
Worried English would settle there and
they would lose their culture
French became increasingly angry with
the proclamation
Un Grand Succes!
Royal Proclamation goes under review
in 1766 (3 years old, still a baby)
British people did not “flood” into
Quebec like the govt hoped they would
British did not want to live with their
once rivals
Too cold… The tea would freeze
The Quebec Act 1774
• Revoked the Royal Proclamation and
enlarged Quebec’s territory to include the
Ohio Valley
• Guaranteed French language rights
• Had provisions to allow Roman Catholics
to take some roles in governance
• Reinstated French property and civil laws
• Kept British criminal law
Think about it
How would the French see the British
living in Quebec?
Why did the British feel the need to
appease the French?
This is why
• With the Quebec Act of
1774 Britain changed
course and hoped to
develop Canada as a dual
community, English and
French
• They were also trying to
buy support in the event of
revolution in the 13
colonies
Angry Colonies.. 13 to be
exact
Britain expected the 13 colonies to
pay for the military effort of the 7
years war and Pontiac’s Resistance
Brought about new taxes
 “Why should we pay for Britain’s battles, we
need our own voice in the government!”
 “No taxation without representation”
• http://www.history.com/topics/americ
an-revolution/boston-tea-party
Boston Tea Party
116 known people
Wore First Nations costumes as a way
of stating they identified as Americans
and no longer with the British
340 Chests of British East India
Company tea was dumped (92,000
pounds) OF TEA
This is an estimated 18,523,000 cups
Boston Tea Party
Damages totaling over $1,700,000 US
dollars in todays currency
The harbour was shut down until all
the loses had been paid for ( The
intolerable act)
Ben Franklin offered to pay for the
damages to re open the harbour, no
luck
The American War of
Independence, 1776-1783
12 of the 13 colonies decided to boycott
British trade (Georgia did not attend)
1775: several armed battles against
British troops
July 04, 1776 @ congress, the rebels
created the Declaration of Independence,
marking the start of the war.
The War of Independence
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H
lUiSBXQHCw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E
ytc9ZaNWyc
Canadiens called to action
Rebels hoped Canadiens would
support them
Britain hoped that the Quebec Act
had appeased Quebec
It did:
the Church in Quebec advised the
population to side with the British
When Rebels attacked the Quebec City
and Montreal in 1775, most Canadiens
stayed neutral
Treaty of Paris, 1783
The Treaty of Paris of 1783 ended
the American War of Independence
Britain told to end the war because of
debt
Therefore the Treaty heavily favored
the Americans
The Treaty separated British North
America from the United States of
America
• Acknowledging the United States to be free, sovereign,
and independent states, and that the British Crown and all
heirs and successors relinquish claims to the Government,
property, and territorial rights of the same, and every part
thereof;
• Establishing the boundaries between the United States
and British North America;
• Granting fishing rights to United States fishermen in
the Grand Banks, off the coast of Newfoundland and in
the Gulf of Saint Lawrence;
• Recognizing the lawful contracted debts to be paid to
creditors on either side;
• The Congress of the Confederation will "earnestly
recommend" to state legislatures to recognize the rightful
owners of all confiscated lands and "provide for the
restitution of all estates, rights, and properties, which
have been confiscated belonging to real British subjects"
(Loyalists);
• United States will prevent future
confiscations of the property of Loyalists;
• Prisoners of war on both sides are to be
released; all property of the British army
(including slaves) now in the United States is
to remain and be forfeited;
• Great Britain and the United States are each
to be given perpetual access to
the Mississippi River;
• Territories captured by Americans subsequent
to the treaty will be returned without
compensation;
• Ratification of the treaty is to occur within
six months from its signing.
What do we
remember
about the
First Nations
and their
land?
Who Won the Revolution
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3
EiSymRrKI4
Loyalists (pg. 118-123)
Who were they? What sort of people?
Why did they leave? ( 3 major reasons)
Where did they settle?
Compare the First Nations Loyalists to
the Black Loyalists
The Constitution Act of
1791
The Constitution Act recognized the 2
dominant groups in Quebec each
having different religious, political,
and legal outlooks.
2 Separate colonies were created
• Upper Canada (present day Ontario)
• Lower Canada (present day Quebec)
The Constitution Act of
1791
• Each of the Canadas would maintain its
own language regulations, laws, landholding system, and religious
institutions
• But Protestant Churches would receive
preferential land grants in both colonies
Governance in the Canadas
• A Governor General appointed by Britain would
oversee the governance of both colonies
• Britain would also appoint a lieutenant governor
for each colony, who would run the members of 2
councils for the colony:
• The Legislative Council
• The Executive Council
• Each colony would have an elected assembly, but
decisions made by the assembly could be blocked
by a veto by the appointed councils, a lieutenantgovernor, or the Governor General
Meanwhile in the 13
Colonies
Still were not happy after signing the
Treaty of Paris
Britain still did not leave posts in Ohio
Valley
Britain was trying to steal American
ships to help with their war
Stopping American trading with France
American sailors were forced to serve
Britain
Dissatisfaction Grows
Americans suspected
Britain was supplying guns
to First Nations, who were
fighting the Americans at
the time
By 1812, American
politicians (nicknamed War
hawks) decided to
permanently rid themselves
of British influence.
The Buildup to the War of
1812
• http://www.archives.gov.on.ca/en/ex
plore/online/1812/setting-thestage.aspx
• based on this site
Crash Course
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q
MXqg2PKJZU
The Colonies Develop
• The Loyalist migration had helped
create the beginnings of a middle
class
• Businesses in timber, tanning, and
clothing develop
• Trade and professions like law and
banking develop
• Schools are built town services are
established
• Towns and cities governed on British
principles, with some American
influence (desire for democracy)
First Nations
• First Nations were no longer partners with
Britain in warfare, were frequently ignored
by colonial and British governments
• The growing population required more and
more farmland and Indigenous land claims
were ignored
• In 1857, the province of Canada passes the
Gradual Civilization Act which had the
explicit goal of assimilating First Nations so
that they “would no longer be deemed
Indians”
Post War Population Boom
• From 1812 to the end of the 1840s
immigration to BNA increases dramatically
• 1784-1815 saw 25 000 immigrants
• 1815-1850 saw 960 000 from Britain alone
• The Great Migration
• Natural increase as well especially in Lower
Canada (population doubles from 1750-1875)
• Population growth leads to more agriculture,
towns, larger cities, more canals, the
beginning of a railway boom across the
colonies
Population of BNA, 1806-51
1000000
900000
800000
700000
600000
500000
400000
300000
200000
100000
0
Upper Canada
Lower Canada
Nova Scotia
New Brunswick
PEI
NL
1806
1831
1851
Social and Economic
Changes
• French still majority in Lower Canada,
however:
• British, American, and African Immigrants
change the population mix in the colonies
• Black population grows by 40 000 during
the American Civil war (1861-1865)
• Many slaves arrived using the Underground
Railroad, which was a network of safe
houses that helped people escape slavery.
• Most African American refugees settled in
Upper Canada, some in Nova Scotia, and
some in the West
Towards Responsible
Government
The Constitution Act
of 1791 established a
small, ruling elite
Oligarchy
Oligarchy is a system of government in
which a small, but wealthy and powerful
group controlled the decisions
Both were mostly English speaking and
Anglican with a few seigniorial leaders in
Lower Canada
They used their political power to expand their
wealth and prioritized massive industrial
projects (canals, railways)
What the average Colonist really needed were
roads and basic services
Oligarchic Government
• The elites dominated each colony’s
Executive and Legislative Councils
• The democratically elected Legislative
Assemblies were infuriated as the
appointed Legislative Council would
often override laws passed in the
assembly
• Conflict and animosity abounded
Reform
• The focus of reform in both Upper and
Lower Canada was increasing the
political and economic rights of
population
• In Lower Canada their was the additional
element of the fight against assimilation
into British North American culture
Road to the Rebellion
Throughout the 1830s, Lower Canada attempted
to pass bills calling for more receptiveness for the
elected assembly
1834: The Ninety Two Resolutions
1835: The Seventh Report on Grievances
Both were vetoed
Radical groups developed in both Upper and
Lower Canada because they were tired of
waiting
Caused a split in beliefs because some still
wanted to obey the law
Road to the Rebellion
Rebel group became known as the Patriots in
Lower Canada
Fights broke out, first being Nov. 16, 1837
Nov. 25: Several Canadian towns had been
looted and burned by government troops as
the rebel leaders fled.
Dec 07: Rebels marched towards Toronto but
were stopped by militia and forced to retreat
Dec 08: Rebellion was done
Aftermath of the Rebellion
The rebels had been poorly equipped to
fight the better supplied and trained
government troops
Hundreds of rebels were imprisoned
In Montreal, 12 Patriotes were hanged for
treason
In Upper Canada, at least 20 rebels were
hanged
Lord Durham’s Report
Britain was losing control of Upper and
Lower Canada so they sent Gov. Gen.
Durham to assess with situation.
Durham was there for 5 months and
concluded that a unification of Upper and
Lower Canada should fix the problem.
Blamed
Upper Canada’s rebellions against govt
Lower Canada’s rebellions between
French
& English
Is this why French
Canadiens are so Patriotic?
With all the pushing and shoving that
the government did to try and
assimilate the French Canadiens to
British culture, did it create a
more unified group of people?
The Act of Union, 1841
United Upper and Lower Canada into
one colony, the province of Canada
Lower Canada= Canada East
Upper Canada= Canada West
 Both receive equal representation in govt
 Still had a rivalry
 Canada East would shut down bills proposed by
Canada West and vice versa