1. Socials 10 Chapter 1 Colonies in the Wilderness

2. In 1791, Britain controlled modern-day Canada. There were five separate Colonies: Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Upper Canada, and Lower Canada. The Hudson Bay Company controlled much of the rest of the country (Rupert’s Land), while the Pacific coast was desired by a number of different countries.

3. In Newfoundland, fishing (especially cod) and logging were the main industries.

4. Nova Scotia and New Brunswick also relied heavily on fishing and logging. Farming was another key industry.

5. Upper Canada was the area that today is southern Ontario. It was a thickly forested region that took major efforts to make inhabitable. Most of the early settlers were of British or American origin.

6. Bees were popular ways for families to achieve large tasks such as building a barn, clearing some stumps, or raising a roof.

7. Clearing the land was a long, laborious process that took many years. Much of the land was not really suitable for farming. The most desirable farm land was close to a river or lake for transportation and irrigation.

8. Huge stumps sometimes had to be left on the property. Other times, explosives were used to try to break them up.

9. Blacksmiths were in demand and forged horseshoes, farm tools, and other metal devices.

10. The ruling class in Upper Canada was known as the Family Compact. This was a group of Loyalist descendents who considered themselves superior to the other residents of the colony. They dressed in fancy clothes, put on airs, and associated only with each other. John Graves Simcoe, the first governor of Upper Canada. He wanted to recreate a British society based on the class system.

11. The Anglican Church was usually a focal point of early Upper Canada towns. Anglican was the official religion of the colony and members of the Family Compact often considered other religions to be inferior. One- seventh of all the land in Upper Canada was classified as Clergy reserves, to be used by the Anglican Church. This created resentment amongst many farmers and other settlers in the region.

12. Another 1/7 of the land was set aside as crown reserves, to be used by the government (members of the Family Compact). This also caused anger, as it was often prime farmland that sat unused. To make matters worse, roads had to bypass the crown reserves, which made travel much more complicated for the other residents.

13. In Lower Canada, (presently southern Quebec), a group of English merchants, bankers, and retired army officers formed the ruling class known as the Chateau Clique. They had many of the same values of the Family Compact and were more interested in making money than in the welfare of the average citizen of Lower Canada. John Molson was one of the prominent British merchants in Montreal and built a very profitable brewing company.

14. Farms in Lower Canada were set up according to the French seigneurial system. Each farmer worked a narrow strip of land running perpendicular to a river or lake.

15. Most immigrants to Canada in the 1800’s came from Britain or the United States. They often came with high expectations and had been promised good farming land, and access to the basic amenities. In many cases, they were disillusioned by the reality. An immigrant family

16. The trip from across the Atlantic from Britain to Canada was a tough one, even for the wealthier travelers who had better accommodation and food. Poorer families voyaged on the “coffin ships,” which carried cargo such as grain, timber, and minerals to Europe and people back to Canada.

17. Many new African-American immigrants came to Upper Canada via the Underground Railroad, a series of secret paths through the United States. Most were escaping slaves, who were helped by Americans sympathetic to their plight.

19. Harriet Tubman was perhaps the most famous organizer of the Underground Railroad, as she helped thousands of fellow African- Americans to escape slavery.

20. Other notable immigrants to Upper Canada included United Empire Loyalists. These were British Americans, who fought for Britain in the War of Independence, and came to Canada after the war to escape persecution and to maintain ties to their homeland.

22. Anger and resentment began to build over land policies and government practices in Upper Canada. Robert Gourlay met with settlers and produced a petition that explained some of their grievances. The government was not pleased and banished Gourlay from the colony.

23. William Lyon Mackenzie became a very vocal leader of the reform movement in Upper Canada. He used his Colonial Advocate newspaper to criticize policies of the Family Compact and to call for American-style republican government. He stressed that he wanted to remain loyal to Britain.

24. Robert Baldwin and Egerton Ryerson were two other Upper Canada reformers. They were less radical than Mackenzie and hoped to bring about change by peaceful political methods. Baldwin Ryerson

25. In Lower Canada, Louis Joseph Papineau was the leader of the reform movement. He was the leader of the Patriotes and hoped to bring about better conditions for French Canadians.

26. In Lower Canada, after the Patriote “Ninety-Two Resolutions” (a list of recommendations for reform) were rejected by Governor James Craig, Papineau and his followers decided to revolt against the government with armed force.

27. The Patriotes were no match for the British army, and after a series of short battles, the French Canadians were defeated. Many of the rebel leaders were arrested, but Papineau escaped to the United States.

28. Meanwhile, in Upper Canada, Mackenzie thought the time was right to stage his own revolt while most of the British troops were occupied in Lower Canada. His plan was to capture Governor Francis Bond Head and to set up a new democratic government. Sir Francis Bond Head

29. Mackenzie’s plan was to meet at Montgomery’s Tavern and march down Yonge Street in York (now Toronto) to seize guns and ammunition from the government supply house. Yonge Street 1800’s

30. Mackenzie leads reformers into battle.

31. The disorganized and poorly trained rebels were quickly defeated by the few militia left in town and a group of Loyalist supporters. The victors burned Montgomery’s Tavern to the ground. Some rebels were captured, but Mackenzie escaped to the United States.

32. Several of the major leaders of the two rebellions were hanged or flogged, while others were sent to work as slave labourers in the British colony of Bermuda.

33. Other rebels were transported on convict ships to Australia where they were imprisoned in penal colonies, but allowed to earn their freedom by years of hard work.

34. The British government was worried about future rebellions and sent Lord Durham to the colonies to investigate the causes and make recommen- dations. He suggested that Upper and Lower Canada should be joined as one separate entity and that the colonies be given responsible government. Britain was not ready to grant responsible government, but did think joining the two Canadas made sense.

35. Despite the protests of French Canadians, in 1840 the Act of Union was passed that united Upper and Lower Canada into one colony: United Canada. Montreal became the new capital. There were now five official British colonies in North America (Canada, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland.)