1. Upper Canada… continued
Land, Government, People, and Unrest

2. RE-Cap
Upper Canada’s settlers were divided by a class system prevalent in Britain
Gentry (upper-class) wanted to keep the old British way of life (which meant the rich stay rich and the poor stay poor), but other settlers left Britain for a reason and wanted Upper Canada to be a fresh start, without any of the “old country laws and policies” (policies such as who controls what, and who gets which land, etc)
This disagreement of lifestyle was causing a rift between the settlers
Land was undeniably the biggest concern for new colonists: the gentry wanted to keep the best land for itself (and the Family Compact) and the poorer people wanted to have more rights and try to get ahead in their new lives

3. The role of the british government
Many people thought that the “old ways”, British ideas, were discriminatory and anti-democratic, and it was time for change
This “new” idea of democracy, having rights and freedoms and succeeding in life based on effort, not last name, was very American
The thought that settlers could rebel in favour of democracy frightened British supporters (The Family Compact mostly) because America had recently had a Revolution. The last thing Britain wanted was to be involved in another laborious bloody battle
The division between classes was larger than ever (upper-class was loyal to British ideals; lower class wanted change)

4. Clever advertising (always read the fine print!)
Britain had plans for Upper Canada back in the 1700s
Britain knew it would be difficult to attract wealthy people to a new land because young rich men usually inherited property when their fathers died; who would leave a British estate for un-cleared land in a foreign country?
So, the British government focused on attracting the younger sons in a rich family, by advertising cheap large plots of land in Canada. Because the younger sons didn’t inherit family land, the idea of getting their own large piece of land was awesome
The government told land speculators to buy up as much large plots of land at low prices as possible, and then sell it to the British gentry

5. Tricky Business
By 1815, when immigration to Upper Canada was starting to take off, 50% of the best farmland was already owned by speculators (who were also part of The Family Compact)…but no one advertised THAT fact; they just kept talking about all of the land for sale over here
This is why (last class’s notes) so many new settlers had to travel inland for inferior land in order to own something, rather than rent and work a rich man’s farm and never get ahead in life
Who else was affected during this land problem? First Nations peoples
Some leaders of the groups in Upper Canada were concerned that their lands would be snatched up and sold by the British government, newcomers, people who didn’t even understand the land or how to properly farm it
Some groups signed treaties, thinking that was protecting their lands. Unfortunately, this was not always the case, and will be talked about in more depth in later chapters (and in Socials 11!)

6. Breakdown of Upper Canada government
Britain appointed a lieutenant-governor (the Head)
He appoints 2 councils: Legislative & Executive (both appointed, both part of Family Compact, both friends of the LG)
Below these three is:
Legislatve Assembly is elected by voters and has little power (any laws they want to pass have to be approved by the LG and his councils)

7. Reformers Opposed the power of the Family Compact
The Reformers were the answer to the poorer settlers problems with The Family Compact
Basically, the Reformers:
Opposed the power of the Family Compact
Wanted changes to the society and government of Upper Canada
Were angered by the attitudes of the members of the Family Compact towards Americans in the colony
Were sub-divided into (a) moderate and (b) radical
Some of the radical reformers later turned into rebels

8. You’ll be getting to know these guys…
Famous Reformers
You’ll be getting to know these guys…

9. Robert Gourlay ( )
“without land, no good can be expected of us”
Gourlay came over from Scotland with the idea to bring over poor people from Britain to farm
He sent a survey to farmers in Upper Canada to ask what hardships they faced, how was their progress, and was there anything that prevented them from improving their townships
The Family Compact hated Gourlay. They thought that the only reason poor farmers started to have group meetings about their lives is because Gourlay started asking them questions that made them discover their own discontent (wth?)
The farmers began saying that they thought land should be owned by the people who were working on it, not by the church or the gentry
Gourlay was eventually thrown in jail and banished from Upper Canada in 1819

10. William lyon Mackenzie (1795 – 1861)
Mackenzie was born in Scotland, as well, and came to Upper Canada in 1820 (after Gourlay was banished)
He established a newspaper in 1824 (he was writer, editor, and carrier) and used it as a way to speak up and out against The Family Compact, land, and who is truly a “citizen” of Upper Canada
In 1825, 15 sons of some wealthy families broke into the newspaper office and trashed the equipment by throwing it into the street
But Karma is a you-know-what! Mackenzie went to court, and became a public hero: the young men were convicted and had to pay Mackenzie $2450, which he used to pay off his debt and buy new equipment
Before this incident, the newspaper was in financial trouble; if they had just waited, Mackenzie’s business would have died on its own, but these young men’s crime actually helped the newspaper prosper!
Mackenzie was elected to the Legislative Assembly in 1828 and immediately said that Upper Canada had to become more democratic
Some people in the Legislative Assembly didn’t like Mackenzie and expelled him a total of 6 times, but the people kept re-electing him
He became more radical as time wore on, and in the 1830s he decided to resort to armed rebellion to destroy Upper Canada’s current government system

11. Sir francis bond head (lieutenant-Governor) - 1835
Appointed Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada in 1835
The Reformers actually welcomed him as a friend and ally at first
He included two reformers as his advisors (to look like he cared), but ignored all of their suggestions and advice
These reformers quit in anger, and the rest of the Reformers turned on him
The Legislative Assembly decided not to co-operate with him; the Reformers refused to vote to pass money bills……………so all work on bridges, roads, and docks had to stop
Head called a meeting during which he fought for the Family Compact and their supporters (Tories)
People were worried about roads and bridges and these “crazy” reformers, so they voted for Tories, thinking that was their only choice to keep peace in 1836

12. Side note to these 1830’s elections
These days, when we vote for political parties (or people), it is by secret ballot. In the 1830s, there wasn’t any anonymity. People shouted their choices for everyone to hear; no private booths or boxes at this time! The choice was often greeted by insults from people who were voting for an opponent. Voters often threw stones or swung clubs at each other. In Montreal, in 1832, one candidate hired “muscle” who threatened and beat up anyone who declared support for the opponent. The resulting riot caused the deaths of three people.

13. Student assignment
1. New settlers’ main priority when making the long journey to Upper Canada was to find suitable land. Land meant that they could work, eat, and live. Name three barriers that these colonists faced when trying to find land.
2. Read page 56 in Horizons “Land, Colonists, and Aboriginal Peoples”. Answer the Figure 2-15 question, as well as Question #1 of WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Remember to include all necessary detail or explanation in your answers to receive full marks.