Pop & Settlement During British rule, pt. 2 (1815-1867)

We are examining the period of the Great Migration from the British Isles to Lower and Upper Canada, 1815-1850. This was a period of tremendous social transformation because of the influx of thousands of immigrants. In particular, the population of Lower Canada became increasingly diverse. Owing to a high birth rate and large numbers of immigrants, the population tripled between 1800 and 1850.

Recent classes:
- corrected review of British rule, 1760-1815 (F-I-B, T-or-F, timeline, maps 1763-1791);
- timeline review of the entire British period, 1760-1867 (on the board);

Next three classes: 
1) using titles and headings, skim pp. 51-60 to get an overview of population growth, migrations and changes in Quebec's territory between 1815-1867;
2) document booklet: finding information pertaining to changes in population and changes in territory

• with a partner analyse the documents, classify them, make observations about the topic and answer questions based on them (white sheet)...
• correct and discuss in class

Homework for next week: November 19-21 (Blue & Red, Tues) (Orange, Wed)
- to complete:
- short, simple handout which summarises the results of immigration on Lower Canada; on the back, a map of seigneurial and township areas of Quebec; 3 questions to answer;
- map of B.N.A, Act of Union, 1840; use textbook, p. 309;
- to study: maps, textbook p. 51-60, handout and documents:
- short quiz: 15 questions - 2 about Loyalists & Constitutional Act, 13 about new info (1815-1860);

Wrap-up:
- Short class notes that summarise the British period.


From the Canadian Encyclopedia, about the Townships:

The first of the 95 townships conceded was Dunham (1796). In 1792, the region (then an electoral county) was called Buckinghamshire. Later it became known as the "Eastern Townships of Lower Canada" (as opposed to the "Western Townships of Upper Canada" ) and "Eastern Townships" by 1806. The name was translated to "Townships de l'Est" towards 1833 and "Cantons de l'Est" in 1858, but the region officially became "Estrie" in 1981; this last name is still debated.

Early settlers were American, English and Irish. After 1840 a wave of French colonization swept into the region... Anglophones now account for less than 10% of the region's population.

http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/eastern-townships

Pop. & Settlement During British rule, pt. 1: Links and maps

The following summary that I've written for you complements the project that you are handing in tomorrow and/or Tuesday. There are links and maps provided; feel free to use them or to find your own. This is project ends the section on the first fifty years after the change of empire.

This week we are beginning the next period of British rule - after 1815 - in which Quebec underwent tremendous social change.

First 50 years of British rule: 1763-1815:

British control of New France officially began in 1763, with the signing of the Treaty of Paris. New British laws were introduced to the colony with the Royal Proclamation and the boundaries of Quebec were reduced considerably (see below, map 1). The first British governor of "Quebec," James Murray, was faced with a difficult situation; he was expected to implement laws and policies that would ultimately assimilate an overwhelmingly French-canadien society. 99% of the population was French-Catholic; 75% were rural and were farmers. Very few English subjects arrived in Quebec; they numbered about 500 in the mid-1760's. The English merchants in Quebec were interested in controlling the economy, as well as the government, passing laws from which they would benefit. Governor Murray, however, was sympathetic to canadiens farmers and seigneurs, even to the Catholic church; he found himself in direct opposition to the English merchants, owing to his conciliatory attitude toward the French majority.

In 1775, the American War of Independence began in the Thirteen Colonies. It had a major impact on Quebec's territory (before and after American independence), as well as on its society. Prior to the revolution, the British government expanded Quebec's boundaries (Quebec Act, 1774) to include the Ohio Valley (see map 2). This move by the British further enraged the governments and citizens of the Thirteen Colonies. During the American revolution, not everyone fought for independence; there were many who wanted continued ties with the British. Many of them suffered terrible things in America because of their support for the British King. These people came to be known as the "Loyalists." Thousands of them left the American colonies seeking safety; approximately 6000 arrived in Quebec in the late 1770's, early-1780's because Quebec was under British rule. Lastly, in 1783, Quebec lost the territory south of the Great Lakes to the newly created USA.

The Loyalist arrival had a tremendous social effect on Quebec; it was the true beginning of dualism in Quebec. By 1784, the English-speaking population made up 15% of Quebec's population. The Loyalists who arrived in Quebec expected to find British institutions: laws, Protestant churches, out-right ownership of land, and the right to vote. Instead they found French-language institutions which were unfamiliar - and no representative body in government. The British solved the problem by settling the Loyalists in the western part of Quebec (the Great Lakes region) and then dividing Quebec into two separate colonies, Lower and Upper Canada (see map below). This was enacted in the Constitutional Act, of 1791.  In 1791, Upper Canada numbered 12 000; by 1800, there were 50 000 people.