The Aftermath of the 1837 Rebellions SS9 – April 4

Punishing the Rebels After the rebellions were defeated, the leaders were treated harshly; the British hoped that quick and severe punishment would deter (stop) future rebellions The major leaders of the rebellion were hanged, while others were transported to Bermuda or Australia, which was a punishment itself due to the conditions on prison ships Once they arrived, the prisoners would be used as slave labour, working for little to no food on plantations (farms) or on public works

A Typical Prison Ship in the 18th century Take a few moments to look at this picture Why do you think sailing in this ship would be considered punishment on its own?

Change Begins to Come Despite punishing the rebels harshly, Britain realized that colonial government needed to be reformed to prevent future rebellions The British Government created a commission (a group of people given a specific task) to investigate the rebellion’s causes and to find solutions It was led by Lord Durham, who was also appointed governor of Canada in spring of 1838 Unlike previous governors, Durham was seen as independent from the Chateau Clique and Family Compact

Durham’s Accomplishments Although Durham was wealthy, he was considered progressive (supporting change or reform) and fair He treated captured rebels leniently (fairly) and gave most of them pardons (removed or reduced their punishments) He also travelled to the United States and improved relations, which stopped support for the rebels still operating from that country However, he was seen by some in the colony as a dictator because he ruled without the support of the councils or assembly Furthermore, he soon lost the support of Britain because he was seen as going too easy on the old rebels

The Durham Report Durham decided to retire after only about a year as governor, but submitted a report with his suggestions on how to solve the colony’s problems The report recommended that the colonies of Upper and Lower Canada be joined as one and that they be given responsible government This was the idea that the governor and his councils would need the support of the Legislative Assembly instead of the king Finally, he recommended that all of British North America, not just Upper and Lower Canada should eventually be joined as one colony

Beyond Union Durham’s proposal for responsible government was not full democracy; he only wanted the colony’s assembly to have control over internal affairs (such as taxation) Britain would still have control over foreign affairs and the military However, his report caused anger in Lower Canada The French would be a minority in the new province, meaning that the English would have most of the power Durham himself believed that the French were an inferior culture; his intent was for them to be assimilated into British society However, as they were a minority, Britain accepted Durham’s proposal for uniting the two colonies, and Britain passed the Act of Union in 1840, officially creating United Canada