1. Reasons for Confederation
What would drive the colonies to want to band together?

2. Retrieve What You Already Know
THINK
PAIR
SHARE
● Quietly take a moment to review what was learned in Pre-Confederation. What agents of change do you believe were affecting the colonies? Choose THREE and be able to support them.
● In groups of 3-5 people (around you), quickly discuss the three everyone choose. Choose your group top FIVE based on the most consistent individual choices. Be able to support them.
● As a class, we will now try to come up with the top SIX agents of change that we believe are affecting the colonies and pushing them towards Confederation.

3. Contact (with other Cultures) Technology & Knowledge
Agents of Change
Population
Isolation
Contact (with other Cultures)
War
Environment
Technology & Knowledge
Economic Conditions
Government

4. Reason 1: Political Deadlock
Government in the United Province of Canada
(Canada East and Canada West)
Canada West
Canada East
Liberal-Conservative Party (Tories)
le Parti bleu (Conservatives)
George-Etienne Cartier
John A. Macdonald
Reform Party (Clear Grits)
le Parti rouge (reform party)
George Brown
Antoine-Aime Dorion

5. Reason 1: Political Deadlock
● Each region had an equal number of seats  it made it possible for one group to stop legislation that the other group wanted to pass.
● Disagreements were common!
● The English-speaking Canada West and the French-speaking Canada East often had opposing views of different issues.
● In order to form a majority:
Parties had to work together!!
● Working together with another party was called a coalition.
● In the 1860s, two coalitions balanced each other:
Liberal-Conservative Party (Tories)
Reform Party (Clear Grits)
Vs.
le Parti bleu (Conservatives)
le Parti rouge (reform party)

6. Reason 1: Political Deadlock
● When the coalition government in power is having difficulties getting legislation to pass it leads to:
Political Deadlock
Zero decision-making is happening because both parties are even.
● Political Deadlock can lead to frequent elections and changes in the government.
It didn’t help that John A. Macdonald and George Brown, the leaders in Canada West, were bitter enemies.

7. Reason 1: Political Deadlock
The Great Coalition
In 1864, George Brown made a courageous move. He stood up in the Legislative Assembly and stated he was willing to work with his political enemies.
Liberal-Conservative Party (Tories)
Reform Party (Clear Grits)
le Parti bleu (Conservatives)
le Parti rouge (reform party)
Members of the Great Coalition were willing to work together to have a strong government and finally make improvements to the United Province of Canada.

8. Reason 1: Political Deadlock
● The Great Coalition wanted to form a federal union:
Canada West and Canada East would each have their own provincial government for its own affairs, such as language, religion and educational matters.
● They would share a central government that would deal with matters that affected them both.
Representation By Population
“Rep by Pop”
The number of members in the Legislative Assembly would be proportional to the number of voters.
More voters = More seats

9. Reason 1: Political Deadlock
● The politicians of the Great Coalition began to wonder if the Atlantic Colonies would join them in a federal union as well.
United Province of Canada

10. Which Agent of Change is affecting the colonies?
Government

11. Reason 2: Railroad Links
● By 1860, Canada West, Canada East, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick each had their own railway.
But they weren’t connected!
● Any trade between the colonies basically shut down in the winter when the waterways froze over.
An Intercolonial Railway would...
Speed Up Mail Delivery
(Communications)
Increase Trade
Move Troops Quickly
(In case of war with U.S.)

12. Which Agent of Change is affecting the colonies?
Isolation &
Technology and Knowledge

13. Reason 3: Trouble With Trade
● Between 1854 and 1865, there was free trade among the British North American colonies and the U.S. under the Reciprocity Treaty.
● Allowed agricultural goods and other raw materials to be sold over the border with no tariffs having to be paid.
Problem: There were stronger trade links with the U.S. than among the colonies themselves.
In 1865, the U.S. ended the Reciprocity Treaty with the BNA colonies.
The colonies began thinking of joining together so they could trade amongst themselves without high tariffs to be paid. It was the chance to increase their economic prosperity.

14. Which Agent of Change is affecting the colonies?
Economic
Conditions

15. Reason 4: Threat of American Expansion
Problems After the American Civil War
After the war in 1865, the northern states accused the British colonies of harbouring fleeing southern fighters.
During the Civil War fighters from the south were using Canada as a base to attack the northern states.
To add to the problem, Britain had supported the South in the war and this made the colonies fear attack by the U.S.

16. Reason 4: Threat of American Expansion
● In 1866, those fears became reality when Fenians from the U.S. made several armed raids on British colonies.
Fenian Raids
Fenians – group of Irish Catholics in the U.S. who wanted to end British rule over Ireland. Since they could not attack Britain directly, they attacked Her colonies instead.

17. Reason 4: Threat of American Expansion
Manifest Destiny
● A policy of expansion based on the belief that all of the North American continent should belong to the USA.
● The U.S. had already obtained lands formally controlled by Spain, Mexico, France, and Great Britain.
Were the British colonies next?

18. Reason 4: Threat of American Expansion
“American Progress, is an allegorical representation of the modernization of the new west. Here Columbia, a (female) personification of the United States, leads civilization westward with American settlers, stringing telegraph wire as she sweeps west; she holds a school book. The different stages of economic activity of the pioneers are highlighted and, especially, the changing forms of transportation. The Native Americans and wild animals flee.”
“American Progress” (representing Manifest Destiny) a painting by John Gast (circa 1872)
From:

19. Which Agent of Change is affecting the colonies?
War

20. Reason 5: Changing British Attitudes
● In the mid-1860s, Britain’s attitude towards her colonies began to change. The opinions of the colonies were divided.
Colonies Good
Colonies Bad
● some still the colonies as a source of raw materials and a market for manufactured goods.
● burden to taxpayers; become independent and pay for their own government and defence.
● colonies provided huge profit in Britain.
● Confederation would make them more self-sufficient and less reliant on Britain – government, railway building, defence.
● provided opportunity for British citizens to emigrate.
● in a war, colonies are a base for the military and soldiers.

21. Reason 5: Changing British Attitudes
Britain’s support of Confederation was extremely important!
Many colonists were still VERY loyal to Britain. If Britain viewed Confederation as good, the loyal colonists would also view Confederation in a more positive way. British governors in the colonies were told to encourage Confederation.

22. Which Agent of Change is affecting the colonies?
Government

23. Reason 6: Expanding West
● The amount of good, available farmland was decreasing in Canada West.
● Many thought to move west and claim lands in Rupert’s Land and North-West Territories.
● But they had to beat the Americans to it!
● By joining together in Confederation the colonies would be strong enough to annex the western areas for themselves.

24. Which Agent of Change is affecting the colonies?
Population

25. Which Agents of Change Were Affecting the Colonies?
Population
Isolation
Contact (with other Cultures)
War
Environment
Technology & Knowledge
Economic Conditions
Government