Lesson 3 of 5 · 8 min read
Between 1763 and 1849, Britain's colonies took in the Loyalists, ended slavery, beat back an American invasion in the War of 1812, and won responsible government, the system Canada still uses.
After 1759, Britain had to govern a French-speaking, Roman Catholic colony. In 1774 the British Parliament passed the Quebec Act, one of the constitutional foundations of Canada. It:
In 1776 the 13 British colonies to the south declared independence and formed the United States. More than 40,000 people loyal to the Crown, the Loyalists, fled the American Revolution to settle in Nova Scotia and Quebec. They came from Dutch, German, British, Scandinavian, Aboriginal and other origins, and from many faiths.
Joseph Brant led thousands of Loyalist Mohawks into Canada. About 3,000 Black Loyalists, freedmen and slaves came north seeking a better life; in 1792 some Black Nova Scotians who had been given poor land moved on to found Freetown, Sierra Leone. Governor Sir Guy Carleton defeated an American invasion of Quebec in 1775 and oversaw the Loyalist migration.
Democratic institutions grew gradually and peacefully. The first representative assembly was elected in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 1758; Prince Edward Island followed in 1773 and New Brunswick in 1785.
The Constitutional Act of 1791 split the Province of Quebec in two:
The Act gave each an elected legislative assembly, and the name Canada became official. The Atlantic colonies and the two Canadas together were called British North America.
In 1793, Upper Canada, led by Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe, became the first province in the Empire to move toward abolition. The British Parliament banned the buying and selling of slaves in 1807 and abolished slavery throughout the Empire in 1833. Thousands of slaves escaped the United States, followed "the North Star," and settled in Canada by the Underground Railroad, a Christian anti-slavery network. Mary Ann Shadd Cary, an anti-slavery activist, became Canada's first woman publisher in 1853.
Angry at British interference with their shipping, and believing Canada would be easy to conquer, the United States invaded in June 1812. They were mistaken.
By 1814 the invasion had failed. The war ensured Canada would remain independent of the United States, and today's border is partly its outcome. The Duke of Wellington then chose Bytown (now Ottawa) as the end point of the Rideau Canal, a defensive network that helped found the national capital.
The Hudson's Bay Company dominated the northwest trade from posts such as Fort Garry (Winnipeg), Fort Edmonton, Fort Langley and Fort Victoria, which later became cities. The Montreal Stock Exchange opened in 1832. For centuries the economy rested on farming and on exporting fur, fish and timber.
In the 1830s some reformers felt progress toward democracy was too slow. Armed rebellions in 1837–38 near Montreal and in Toronto lacked public support and were defeated.
Lord Durham, sent to report, recommended uniting Upper and Lower Canada and giving them responsible government. He also said the Canadiens should assimilate into English-speaking Protestant culture, a recommendation that showed a complete lack of understanding of French Canada. In 1840 the two were united as the Province of Canada.
Responsible government means the government must keep the support of a majority of elected representatives; if it loses a confidence vote, it must resign. It's the system Canada has today. Nova Scotia got it first, in 1847–48. In 1848–49 Lord Elgin introduced it in the Province of Canada, and Sir Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine, a champion of French language rights, became the first head of a responsible government in Canada.
Key facts
The Quebec Act of 1774 allowed religious freedom for Catholics, let them hold public office, and restored French civil law while keeping British criminal law.
More than 40,000 Loyalists fled the American Revolution to settle in Nova Scotia and Quebec. Joseph Brant led thousands of Loyalist Mohawks into Canada, and about 3,000 Black Loyalists came north.
The first representative assembly was elected in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 1758.
The Constitutional Act of 1791 divided Quebec into Upper Canada (later Ontario) and Lower Canada (later Quebec), gave them elected assemblies, and made the name Canada official.
In 1793 Upper Canada became the first province in the Empire to move toward abolishing slavery. Britain banned the slave trade in 1807 and abolished slavery throughout the Empire in 1833.
In the War of 1812, British soldiers, Canadian volunteers and First Nations defeated the American invasion, ensuring Canada would stay independent of the United States.
Nova Scotia was the first British North American colony to win full responsible government, in 1847–48.
Answer all 4 to mark this lesson done.
1. What did the Quebec Act of 1774 do?
2. Who led thousands of Loyalist Mohawks into Canada?
3. What was the result of the War of 1812?
4. Under responsible government, what must a government do if it loses a confidence vote?
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