Causes of the revolt in Lower Canada Flashcards
What were the long term causes for the revolt in Lower Canada?
What were the short term causes? (4)
(leadership?) (Commission?) (Constitution?)
-The long term causes were the exclusion of the French-speaking majority from the executive arm of government.
-The short term causes were;
-Britain’s failure to make any real constitutional changes.
-The leadership of the patriotes by Papineau
-Economic and social issues within the province.
-The Gosford Commission and the British decision following it.
What type of family was Papineau from?
How did he intially view the British constitution?
As the 1830s passed what did he increasingly become? What did he refuse from the British?
Although he drew on the rhetoric of American revolutionaries what was he really?
What revolution was he influenced by?
How many resolutions were passed in 1834 by the patriotes calling for an elected council?
-Papineau was from a seigneurial family.
-He had initially viewed the British constitution as perfect and wanted the Canadian system to be based upon it.
-As the 1830s passed, he became more and more anti-British
-He refused British compromises or the vote for the Civil list.
-He drew on the rhetoric of the American revolutionaries but was really a French nationalist who prized the seigneurial land system.
-He was perhaps influenced by the radicalism of the French revolution in 1830.
-The patriotes published 92 Resolutions calling for elected councils in 1834.
Did the Lower Canada economy perform well during the 1830s?
What made the population increasingly radical?
Who grew in membership from this?
-NO. The Lower Canada economy did not perform well during the 1830s.
-The population became increasingly radical due to the financial hardship and the immigration.
-The patriotes benefited from the hard times and sounded increasingly radical.
What was the purpose of Lord Gosford’s Commission?
What prevented the Commission from making progress?
What did this show to those in Lower Canada?
Where was the debate on Canada sent to?
What did they do? (Russel R?)
How did reformists in Lower Canada respond to this?
How did Gosford respond to those in Lower Canada? (Bans?)
What happened to the banks and assembly?
-Lord Gosford’s commission in 1835 was to investigate grievances.
-The commission might have made progress had Head not revealed its terms to the Upper Canadian assembly.
-Lower Canada was outraged as it was shown that Britain did not intend to lead constitutional reform.
-The debate on Canada was sent to the British parliament.
-They passed the Russel Revolutions which allowed lieutenant governor’s to use public funding without the assembly’s consent due to Canada’s debt to Britain.
-Widespread unrest resulted from the news of the Russel Revolutions.
-Gosford increased the military presence and banned protest meetings and then all meetings.
-The banks closed in May and the assembly adjourned in August to prepare for revolt.
Which rebellion was greater Upper or Lower?
How many patriotes were jailed?
When was the 1791 Constitution suspended? Martial law?
What did the British gov’t now see as imperative regarding French involvement in politics? The Chateau Clique?
Were the revolts easy to put down? What allowed them to do this at ease?
What about the locations of the patriotes made the revolt easy to put down?(1837 burning of..)
Whilst accepting constitutional reform must be had whose concerns were most important for the British whilst doing this?
What did the British focus on which they felt was the main cause for poverty-discontent?
-The Lower Canada rebellion was far greater than the Upper Canadian one.
-500 patriotes were jailed.
-The 1791 Constitution was suspended in February 1838 but martial law was revoked in April.
-Britain saw it as imperative that French-Canadians could no longer command a majority in any assembly
-Also recognised that the Chateau Clique must be reined in.
-The revolts were fairly easily put down.
-Something serious could have developed had Britain not acted quickly to placate Canadian opinion.
-Patriotes homes and places of meeting were easy to identify. 14 December 1837 the British burned houses of known patriots and those who are believed to have sheltered them.
-Any solution for Lower Canada must be one that protects the rights of British settlers.
- while tackling the system of land tenure which the British viewed as the principal cause of habitant poverty and discontent.
How many rebels were involved in Lower Canada?
How many formed into paramilitary groups? Name one.
How many were executed as a result?
How many hanged?
How many were sent to Australia?
How many rebels died in the uprising itself? British soldiers?
-13,000 rebels involved.
-500 or more rebels form themselves into paramilitary Societe des fils de la Liberte.
-98 were handed the death sentence.
-12 were hanged.
-58 were deported to Australia.
-300 rebels killed during the uprising
-27 British soldiers killed during the uprising
