Life in Upper Canada

Canada: A British Colony The Constitution Act of 1791 divided the former French colony of Quebec into 2new colonies of Upper and Lower Canada British now was in control of the following colonies Upper Canada Lower Canada Rupert’s Land The Maritimes

The Man in Charge Governor John Graves Simcoe Wanted to remake British society An aristocrat who believed that the upper class could and should provide government, military, and religious leadership Did not believe that the population could govern itself

Legal System in Upper Canada The Anglican Church had authority over marriage and education only Anglican ministers can perform marriages No public school, so wealthy families hired Anglican tutors Followed British Common Law judges apply legal precedents to the facts before them. A decision of the highest civil appeal court is binding on every other court.

Limiting Democracy The British limited democratic concepts in its colonies out of fear of revolution Believed that American colonies had been given too much freedom prior to the revolution Did not allow any grassroots democratic movements like town meetings

Population of Upper Canada Fairly small population compared to the US 77 000 of European Origin 425 000 in total in British colonies compared to 6 million in US

Immigration to Upper Canada Immigration from Britain was low during the late 18th and early 19th centuries partially due to the wars with Napoleon Few people could emigrate Upper Canada seemed to wild for aristocrats

Americans Moving In Majority of immigration came from the US Little good land in eastern US Ohio River Valley area in conflict with First Nations Upper Canada offered land grants to settlers

Ending Slavery in Upper Canada In 1793, Simcoe insisted that the legislature pass a law against slavery Upper Canada’s Abolition Act of 1793 did not end slavery in the colony But it did Free slaves over 25 Made it illegal to bring new slaves into the colony

Lifestyles of Upper Canada Life was very harsh Settlers had to clear their land to make it suitable for farming Cutting down trees, clearing boulders, removing tree stumps by hand Took years to accomplish People tended to have large families Lots of children to work on the farm, not all survived

Lifestyles of Upper Canada Settler homes were small No running water, no electricity, no indoor toilet Light from candles made from animal fat Bedtime when it got dark Homes were isolated Roads were terrible and there were few Church and Crown lands meant that there were large distances between homes