The Rebellion in Lower Canada
Immigration, Crop Failures and Political DiscontentHenceforth, there must Be No Peace in the Province - no quarter for the plunderers. Agitate! Agitate!! Agitate!!! Destroy the Revenue: denouncethe oppressors. Everything is lawful when the fundamental In the fall of 1837 the political climate in Lower Canada was tense. Public meetings were being held in Montreal and the Richelieu Valley, calling for an end to an unjust and archaic colonial government. Louis Joseph Papineau and other leading Patriotes attended these rallies, encouraging a boycott of all imported or British goods and for the support of the Lower Assembly in their stand against Governor Gosford and the Chateau Clique. Papineau did not support their threat of arms or extremist policies and yet he did nothing to stop the Patriotes2. At the first sign of rebellion, Gosford suspended the constitution and declared martial law. Troops were sent to the villages of St. Denis and St. Charles, two Patriote strongholds, to quell any possibility of an uprising. It is ironic that the first instance of violence was initiated by government forces and not by the rebels themselves.
Toronto: Glasgow, Brook and Company, 1920. The traditional habitants methods of establishing new farms for succeeding generations was in jeopardy7. In response, the British government issued the Ten Resolutions, best known as Russell's Resolutions. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1993. These Resolutions were to redress the political situation developing in Lower Canada, while bringing the Patriote movement to heel. Lord Gosford was sent to Lower Canada to replace Lord Aylmer as Governor and to head a commission into the Ninety-Two Resolutions. Frequently legislation passed in the Assembly would be dismissed by the Legislative Council and Governor, leaving the Assembly, who held the popular vote, with almost no political power23. It is quite possible that the Rebellion would never have occurred had there not be a severe economic depression across most areas of the colony. For instance, in 1807 James Craig became Governor. Following the War of 1812 , the British government began to actively encourage migration to the colonies. Many resented that British merchants controlled the trade of the economy and the Patriotes' boycott of British goods created further animosity within the colony. The people's grievances with the British colonial government were indeed legitimate. Social and Economic History of Quebec.
Common topics in this essay:
Lower Canada,
Legislative Council,
French Canadians,
Canada15 Rebellion,
Lord Gosford,
Ninety-Two Resolutions,
Bond Head,
British French,
French Canadian,
Rebellion Patriotes,
lower canada,
french canadians,
legislative council,
british government,
colonial government,
cholera epidemics,
british immigrants,
british merchants,
french canadian,
crop failures,
rebellions 1837 1838,
response british government,
university toronto press,
public meetings held,
rebellion occurred severe,
|
Acceptance Essays
