British Columbia Uniting the colonies and Confederation

Towards confederation Objectives:  What were the causes and consequences of negotiating the boundary between southern British Columbia and the United States?  What events led to the formation of the crown colony of Vancouver Island?  What role did the Cariboo Gold Rush play in the creation of the British Columbia colony?  Why did BC agree to enter Confederation? What events led to this agreement?  Under what conditions did BC agree to become part of Canada?

B.C. before the 1800s  No development or infrastructure  Up to 100,000 First Nation people  Competitive Maritime fur trade  British, US and Russian interest  Nobody “owned” the Oregon Territory

The Oregon Territory Dispute  Boundary treaty signed after War of 1812  49 th parallel became the BNA/US border  But area west of Rockies was not included  Territory left open to settlers  American fur traders and settlers moved to Columbia River Valley – Fort Astoria  HBC also dominated the area  Pressure from settlers towards politicians to annex the Pacific Northwest US Interest: Rapid population increase Manifest Destiny possible Settlement policy in Oregon Territory Settlement in Columbia River Valley BNA/HBC Interest: Plan to expand fur trade along Pacific Coast Fort Vancouver built in CRV HBC manipulated US settlement Fort Langley built on Fraser River Trading posts south of Alaska

Russian / American treaty  1824 US/Russian treaty divided their trade of the Pacific Coast at 54 ° 40’ north  US & British were to share trade south of this latitude  1844 James Polk’s presidential campaign promised to gain this shared land for the US  “54-40 or fight” an empty promise  1846 Oregon Boundary Treaty divided land at 49 th parallel  Columbia River (including where Fort Vancouver was) controlled by US, Vancouver Island con

Group Discussion Questions What forces prompted the British decided to focus on Vancouver Island? Boundary change under Oregon treaty Annexation of California in 1848 US moving closer to their “manifest destiny.” Fear of US settlers moving north What do you think would help Britain maintain control of the region?  Occupation of Vancouver Island  January 1849, Vancouver Island became a crown colony with Fort Victoria the capital

A new start – Vancouver Island  HBC lost fur trade market in Columbia River  Government created crown colony of Vancouver Island  James Douglas sent to select a site for a fort  “father of British Columbia”  Used HBC skipper McNeill’s observations of 1837: “found an excellent harbour, of easy access with good anchorage, surrounded by a plain of several miles in extent, of an excellent soil.”  1843 started the construction of Fort Victoria  Area rich in forests, fisheries & coal  Grants given to encourage people to start farming

Strengthening the claim  British government gave HBC a royal charter to give a monopoly over trade and commerce  HBC instructed to encourage settlement and sell land to settlers  HBC keep 10%, 90% used to develop infrastructure  1849 Fort Victoria became the centre of HBC’s west coast operations  James Douglas transferred from Fort Vancouver to control operations  Governor Richard Blanshard had no control over colony and resigned after 2 years  James Douglas became the new governor

Encouraging settlement  What kind of settlers do you think Douglas was looking for?  What are the characteristics of a “good settler”?  British government introduced a system that mirrored the class structure in England  Settlers could buy a minimum of 20 acres  If they bought 100 acres +, they had to bring a minimum of five workers to settle too  Town plans being made for Victoria  Plans for a naval base nearby  Fine homes built for colony’s leaders  Schools, churches, formal dances introduced  Many BC Englishmen married daughters of fur traders/Metis or Indian wives

Economic development  Discovery of lumber and coal  Gold discovered in California in 1849  HBC sold supplies to gold prospectors  Market for lumber in mining communities in California  Regular steamship service between California and Vancouver Island established  Colony still grew slowly, despite the boom  non-native settlers  HBC established coal mines near Nanaimo to provide steam for ships  British miners came to the island to mine, increasing the population to over 1000

The Gold Rush  =9q6nSMF_eu0 =9q6nSMF_eu0  1857 gold found along North Thompson River  Hundreds of US miners came north to prospect for gold  News spread to San Francisco and even more people came  Gold also found on the Fraser River

The Gold Rush & Victoria  In April miners arrived aboard the Commodore  Douglas feared a large anti-British population would have a negative impact on the colony  Fears of annexation  50 of the miners settled, including 35 blacks  They became valuable contributors to Victoria’s society  The other 400 headed to the gold fields on the mainland  By 1858, 10,000 men were searching for gold on the Fraser River, 25,000 by 1859.

Benefits & Problems in Victoria What were the benefits of the Gold Rush for Victoria?  Island farmers provided food to miners  Hotel owners benefited from increased visitors  What were the problems of the Gold Rush for Victoria?  Tent and shanty settlements developed  More Americans that British  Land values increased  End to HBC’s monopoly as new businesses emerged  May new Liberal British government ended HBC’s charter to encourage competition

The founding of a mainland colony  Why reasons prompted the development of the mainland colony created in 1858?  More US settlers due to Gold Rush  Fears of US annexation  To maintain law and order in the gold fields Making it official:  Britain’s new colonial secretary, Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton offered James Douglas governorship of both Vancouver Island and the new British Columbia colony  Douglas had to resign from HBC

The founding of a mainland colony  BC officially celebrated on November 19, 1858  Fort Langley became the first capital  Matthew Begbie, the colony’s judge, named James Douglas as governor  HBC’s exclusive right to trade was removed  Douglas, Begbie & Colonel Richard Moody were responsible to bring good government & law and order to the mainland  25,000 miners and settlers

The early BC colony BC shaped by two forces:  the miners  three men: Douglas, Begbie & Moody Miners: Ethnic diversity to BC Focus on individualism Desire for riches Diverse BC English American ItalianPoles DanesGermans Swedes Spaniards MexicansChinese Natives Law & Order Begbie traveled to hold court Law extended to non-whites Trials for natives Infrastructure Moody & Company of Royal Engineers controlled development Roads, public works, seaport Cariboo Wagon Road

 1860 more gold discovered in the Cariboo region  Resource was richer than along Fraser River  Gold discovered in Richfield people on by the creek in William’s Lake by spring  Other towns built along Williams Creek  A road was needed as deposits located in isolated areas  Supplies were needed at the mining town  1862, the Cariboo Wagon Road was ordered by Douglas  Civilian contractors and the Royal Engineers worked together  Completed in less than 4 years, the road was 600 km long, 6m wide and ran from Yale to Boston Bar

Where is the Best Location for BC’s Capital City & Seaport? Consider building: An already established site? A new city? What would city planners need to think about? Space Land use/type Political control Defense Access to the sea Access to rivers & roads

Choosing a Capital City & Seaport Douglas’ opinion:  Capital should remain at Derby (Fort Langley), south of the Fraser River  Seaport should be located on north bank of Fraser River, across from Annacis Island, 30km from the Fraser’s mouth Moody’s Opinion:  Location should be on north side of river for protection  Recommended a site by Douglas for the seaport and the capital

New Westminster  July 1859, New Westminster became the capital and the seaport for BC

Was New West the right choice? Problems with New Westminster  Politically unpopular – speculators in Victoria had bought land around Fort Langley  Moody had very expensive plans for a ‘magnificent’ city’s development  Huge rivalry between New Westminster and Victoria Successes with New Westminster  Location satisfied requirement for defense  Homes, churches, offices and commercial buildings created in 1860  Town council took control in 1860 over local improvements  Cariboo Gold Rush brought prosperity to New Westminster  Easier supply location than Victoria

The Struggle for Responsible Government On Vancouver Island  1856 Douglas reluctantly created an elected assembly for the Vancouver Island colony  No responsible government – Vancouver Island Assembly had little power  Only property-holders had the right to vote (<40 out 450 residents)  Douglas and Legislative Council had most power Governor Legislative Council Voters

The Struggle for Responsible Government On the Mainland Colony  British Columbia Act of 1858 made no provision for an elected assembly  All power held by Douglas and the Legislative Council (HBC officers)  Douglas supported by miners, opposed by settlers and business people Governor Legislative Council Voters

The Move for Reform On Vancouver Island  Reform led by publisher of The British Colonist newspaper  William Smith, later known as Amor de Cosmos  Opposed Douglas for he did not listen to the elected assembly’s decisions  Every piece of legislation between was made by Douglas & his council  Opposed “family compact”/HBC men making all of the decisions  Pushed for responsible government and Confederation as achieved by Howe in Nova Scotia

The Move for Reform On the Mainland Colony  A reform group started to demand changes to the way colony was ruled  Led by John Robson, publisher of The British Columbian newspaper  Supported by New Westminster’s merchants who had settled from the Canadas and the Maritimes  They wanted BC to have an elected assembly with a responsible government  Opposed Douglas’ ability to make any law he wished  Douglas raised taxes three times in three years  Miners didn’t support reformers as those taxes built better roads and services

The Future of Douglas  Douglas ignored the reformers and wanted to build a prosperous colony within the British Empire  His plans for expansion and public works cost more than the taxes he raised  After borrowing money, the colony suffered from mounting debts  His ability to govern was being questioned  Reformers sent 4 petitions to London complaining about Douglas’ rule  Douglas created a partially elected Legislative Council in response – but still not responsible  Pressure from reformers in BC and VI pushed the British Colonial Office to force Douglas’ retirement.  Knighted by Queen Victoria  Each colony was to have its own governor

Changes for the Colonies Governor in British Columbia – Frederick Seymour  Needed to raise money to repay loans from building roads to gold fields  Miners opposed paying taxes Governor on Vancouver Island - Arthur Edward Kennedy  Economic and political problems  Conflict with elected members of the assembly, including Amor de Cosmos  The fought against proposals for increasing taxes  Kennedy gained support from areas outside of Victoria  Established Royal Navy base at Esquimalt, assuring a market to coal mines in Nanaimo  Kennedy appealed to colonial office for help but was ignored

Uniting the Two Colonies Why would the Colonial Secretary want to unite the two colonies?  Less expensive  more efficient  VI suggested a federal union with VI as a separate province but idea was dropped as recession worsened  January 1856 Amor de Cosmos called for a complete union  To test public approval, he resigned, forcing elections and won  November , the union was official and colonies became known as British Columbia, with Seymour as governor  Victoria became capital after a debate led by islander assembly member, John Helmcken

The Question of Confederation The Key Players in the decision 1)Anti-Confederation led by J.S. Helmcken – he did not think Confederation practical 1)Pro-Confederation position most vocal leader was Amor de Cosmos who thought Confederation would lead to “Responsible Government” 1)Annexationists were mostly merchants in Victoria who thought joining the US would strengthen the economy  Colonial Office explained that BC would have to wait until Rupert’s Land (still owned by HBC at this time) became part of Canada What were the options for British Columbia? 1.Confederation – join Canada 2.Annexation – join the United States 3.Status Quo – remain the same (as a British colony)

For or Against Confederation? ProsCons For Confederation For Annexation Status Quo

Confederation Achieved  Gov. Seymour died in 1869  Gov. Anthony Musgrave, who advocated Confederation, was a friend of Canadian PM Sir John A MacDonald, replaced Seymour.  BC’s Assembly was divided by members from Vancouver Island who opposed confederation and members from the Mainland who supported it. Colonial officials in BC (mostly British) also opposed it.  Musgrave needed to reconcile these groups  He guaranteed Colonial officials pensions and jobs from the Canadian government  Colonial officials were also alarmed by Annexationists by forcing them to chose between Canada or the US  Musgrave chose Helmcken, Carrol and Joseph Trutch to be delegates to Ottawa for the Confederation negotiations  The Canadians gave in to all their demands: the railway was to built in two years, BC’s debt paid, etc.  AND gave responsible government