Ontario.
Upper Canada was the predecessor of modern-day Ontario. It was created in 1791 by the division of the old Province of Quebec into Lower Canada in the east and Upper Canada in the west. Upper Canada was a wilderness society settled largely by Loyalists and land-hungry farmers moving north from the United States.
What is considered Upper Canada?
Upper Canada included all of modern-day Southern Ontario and all those areas of Northern Ontario in the Pays d’en Haut which had formed part of New France, essentially the watersheds of the Ottawa River or Lakes Huron and Superior, excluding any lands within the watershed of Hudson Bay.
Where is Upper Canada now?
Lower Canada covered the southeastern portion of the present-day province of Quebec, Canada, and (until 1809) the Labrador region of Newfoundland and Labrador. Upper Canada covered what is now the southern portion of the province of Ontario and the lands bordering Georgian Bay and Lake Superior.
Why is Ontario called Upper Canada?
The Canada Act of 1791 divided the colony of Quebec into two parts along the Ottawa River. The names “upper” and “lower” come from their position along the St. Lawrence River. Upper Canada was up river, closer to the source and Lower Canada was down river, closer to the mouth of the great waterway.
What is Upper and Lower Canada called now?
In 1841, Upper Canada and Lower Canada were renamed Canada West and Canada East, respectively. They were united as the single colony of the Province of Canada. Lower Canada was a British colony from 1791 to 1840. Its geographical boundaries comprised the southern portion of present-day Quebec.
Is Quebec Upper Canada?
After the American Revolution, many British Loyalists left their homes in the thirteen colonies and moved to Canada, settling in the region north of Lakes Erie and Ontario and south of the Ottawa River. By 1791, the province of Quebec was divided into Upper and Lower Canada as depicted on this 1836 map.
When did Upper and Lower Canada become Canada?
The British Parliament passed the British North America Act in 1867. The Dominion of Canada was officially born on July 1, 1867.
What was Ontario called before Upper Canada?
It wasn’t until the British enacted the Constitutional Act in 1791 that Ontario would be known as the land upstream from the St. Lawrence River, or Upper Canada, and Quebec considered the land downstream from the St. Lawrence River, known as Lower Canada.
Why did Canada split into Upper and Lower Canada?
Upper and Lower Canada were formed by the Constitutional Act of 1791 in response to the wave of United Empire Loyalists moving north from the United States into the French-speaking province of Quebec following the American Revolution (1765-1783).
Is Upper Canada Village worth visiting?
Touring Upper Canada Village is a magical experience, transporting you back in time to the 1860s. A key part of the experience is the authentic buildings that make up the village, the activities that they each housed, and of course, the people who lived there.
Was Nova Scotia Upper Canada?
he main focus of the War of 1812 was Upper Canada, but that province was part of the broader entity, British North America, which also included Lower Canada, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland.
When did Upper Canada abolish slavery?
July 9, 1793
A compromise was reached and on July 9, 1793 an Act was passed that prevented the further introduction of slaves into Upper Canada and allowed for the gradual abolition of slavery although no slaves already residing in the province were freed outright.
What is Lower Canada called now?
southern Quebec
Canada East, also called Lower Canada, in Canadian history, the region in Canada that corresponds with modern southern Quebec. From 1791 to 1841 the region was known as Lower Canada and from 1841 to 1867 as Canada East, though the two names continued to be used interchangeably.
Why is it called Lower Canada?
The prefix “lower” in its name refers to its geographic position farther downriver from the headwaters of the St. Lawrence River than its contemporary Upper Canada, present-day southern Ontario. Lower Canada was abolished in 1841 when it and adjacent Upper Canada were united into the Province of Canada.
Were the French in Lower or Upper Canada?
The British guaranteed Catholic francophones property rights as well as religious and economic freedoms. In 1791, the single colony was split in two — English Upper Canada and French Lower Canada.
What are the 2 territories of Canada?
The Northwest Territories, the Yukon and Nunavut are Canada’s three territories. They are primarily North of 60º latitude.
Why was slavery abolished in Upper Canada?
Inspired by the abolitionist sentiment emerging in the late 18th century, Lieutenant-Governor J.G. Simcoe made Upper Canada the first British territory to legislate against slavery, which had defined the conditions of life for most people of African ancestry in Canada since the early 17th century.
Why are there two Ontario’s?
Ontario was upstream of the St. Lawrence River so it became Upper Canada and Quebec became Lower Canada. Upper Canada’s first capital was Newark, which is now Niagara-on-the-Lake. In 1793, the capital was moved to York (now Toronto) to protect it from American attacks.
What was Toronto called before?
York
From August 1793 to March 1834, the settlement was known as York, sharing the same name as the county it was situated in. The settlement was renamed when Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe called for the town to be named after the Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany.
What is the oldest town in Canada?
Annapolis Royal, N.S., is Canada’s oldest town, but it only looks like it hasn’t changed in centuries. A new documentary shows it was a rundown “dump” in the 1970s. Only through a determined effort from locals was its historic beauty restored.
Where did the first people in Canada come from?
Prehistoric humans first arrived in significant numbers in what is now Canada about 12,000 years ago. They crossed an ancient land bridge between present-day Siberia and Alaska and spread steadily across the North American continent.