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Key Events
From North American Settlement to Confederation
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The Great Upheaval
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The Royal Proclamation
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Great Britain
The British extended Quebec’s territory into the American interior to expand the fur trade,
established an appointed council (rather than elected), and gave greater rights to (French)
Catholics. This infuriated the American colonists.
1774
Quebec
To create stability and loyalty toward the British among Quebecers.
The American War of Independence
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Great Britain
The British asserted control over French colonists in North America.
1763
New France
Following their victory over the French in the Seven Years’ War, the British needed to
establish stability in the region, especially in their relationships with the French and the
Aboriginals.
The Quebec Act
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The Acadians
More than 7000 Acadians were deported from their land by the British.
1755
The Acadians were dispersed along the Atlantic coast. Some were sent to British
American colonies or prisons, while others were sent to France and other places in
Europe.
Even though the Acadians were living peacefully under British rule, tension between the
two sides remained, and the British wanted to gain greater control of the region.
American colonists
Americans revolted against the British and declared their independence.
1776-1781 (Britain recognized U.S. sovereignty in 1783.)
The Thirteen Colonies
Americans were tired of British tyranny in the form of heavy taxation and other restrictions
on personal freedom known as the “Intolerable Acts”. The ‘last straw’ came in the form of
the Quebec Act (1774), when Britain granted the Americans’ interior lands to the French
Canadians for the fur trade.
The Constitutional Act
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Great Britain
Divided Britain’s province of Quebec into Upper Canada (Ontario) and Lower Canada
(Quebec). Upper Canada consisted primarily of English-speaking Protestants, while
Lower Canada consisted primarily of French-speaking Catholics.
1791
Quebec
Following the American Revolution, many of the United Empire Loyalists came to Quebec.
They pressured Britain into giving them elected assemblies, freehold land tenure and the
establishment of the Anglican Church.
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The War of 1812
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The Upper and Lower Canada Rebellions
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Great Britain
Upper and Lower Canada were united under a single parliament, getting rid of the
previously-separate governments. The result was the creation of Canada West and
Canada East. English was declared the only official language in Canada. Also, both CW
and CE were given equal representation, despite CE’s far greater population.
1841
Canada
After the rebellions in 1837, Britain’s Lord Durham made several recommendations for
reform in Canada. His promotion of responsible government was rejected, but his
suggestion of assimilating French culture into English culture was accepted.
The Charlottetown Conference
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Canadian reformers vs British forces
Canadians under British rule wanted to change the political system. In Lower Canada,
Louis-Joseph Papineau led reformers against the Chateau Clique. In Upper Canada,
William Lyon Mackenzie led reformers against the Family Compact. Both rebellions were
quickly stamped out by British forces.
1837
Lower Canada (Quebec); Upper Canada (Ontario)
Reformers sought change from the system established in 1791, where elected assemblies
were controlled by British administrators and appointed councils.
The Act of Union
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United States vs British North America
The US fought against British forces and Canadian militia. There were military advances
crossing both British and US boundaries, but ultimately there were no territorial changes.
1812
Atlantic Ocean; Canadian frontier; also the southern States
Americans were frustrated by British trade restrictions, as well as British support for
Natives in the American interior.
Maritime colonies; Canadian politicians, including the Great Coalition
The political leaders of the British North American colonies gathered to discuss the
possibility of uniting to form a new dominion.
1864
Charlottetown
The Great Coalition were looking to create a federal union of all BNA colonies. When they
heard that the Maritime colonies were convening to discuss their own union, the Canadian
politicians came to Charlottetown to convince them of the benefits of Confederation.
The British North America (BNA) Act
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Great Britain
After discussing the details of the Charlottetown Conference and the Quebec Resolutions
with the Canadian politicians from 1866 to 1867, the British agreed to pass into law the
union of the British North American colonies (Ont, Que, NB and NS).
1867 (The BNA Act was passed in March 1867.
The Dominion of Canada became official on July 1, 1867.
Canada
Britain’s colonies no longer needed its military or financial support, and now sought their
own independence. Britain, meanwhile, was still prosperous in its own right, and no longer
wanted to maintain its BNA colonies financially.