Causes of revolt in Upper Canada Flashcards
Who was the leader of the moderate and constitutional reformers, and when did this change?
Robert Baldwin was the leader but, in 1837, when Baldwin was in London, events were led by William Lyon Mackenzie who wanted full independence for Upper Canada and was, arguably, a radical.
What decade was the arrival of Irish immigrants, and why did this provoke tension?
1830s, the Irish immigrants were distrusted, seen as feckless, criminally inclined and diseased.
How were the Irish immigrants assisted? Why was this opposed?
By the Ops Township Scheme, which provided temporary shelter and cheap supplies to them.
- Reformers disliked this because of the lack of consultation with the legislative assembly
- Family Compact disliked how the immigrants disrupted the status quo.
What years was Sir John Colborne lieutenant governor of Upper Canada, and what did he do?
1828-32, he bypassed the legislative assembly by using tax revenues to pay officials salaries.
What was Colbourne’s most controversial action?
The allocation of the income of clergy reserves to support the 44 Anglican parishes across the province, in an attempt to further establish the Anglican Church
What years was Sir Francis Head lieutenant governor of Upper Canada, and what did he do?
1835-38, he had no previous experience, and he initially appointed moderate reformers into the executive council, but then removed them if they got in his way.
What did Head do during the 1836 election, and why was this surprising?
He campaigned against the Reformers, which was unusual because campaigning wasn’t something that lieutenant governors did.
Head’s campaign was successful in removing reformers from the legislative assembly, what did this convince the reformers of?
That they had no legal means to influence the government.
How was the 1836 election a victory for Head, after his campaign?
it delivered a pro-government majority
- new legislative assembly passed a number of laws to protect their position.
What are some examples of the laws passed to support the position of the new legislative assembly?
- A law extending the legislation (King William IV was very ill, and normally an election would be called within 6 months of the monarch’s death) however, in this case, there’d be no election.
- A law preventing members of the legislative assembly from serving in the executive council - this was an obvious attempt by the Family Compact to protect their hold on government as future governors would be prevented from appointing Reformers into the higher executive body - thus proving to the Reformers there was no legal means to challenge the government.
