The two colonies were created in 1791 with the passage of the Constitutional Act 1791. As a result of the influx of Loyalists from the American Revolutionary War, the Province of Quebec was divided into two new colonies, consisting of Lower and Upper Canada.
What led to the creation of Upper and Lower Canada?
The Beginnings of Democracy
The Constitutional Act of 1791 divided the Province of Quebec into Upper Canada (later Ontario), which was mainly Loyalist, Protestant and English-speaking, and Lower Canada (later Quebec), heavily Catholic and French-speaking.
Why was Upper Canada created?
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).
What events led to the colonization of Upper Canada?
During the Seven Years’ War (1756–63), the French abandoned most of the region to the British. Upon the surrender of Montreal in September 1760, Britain effectively took over the territory that would later become Upper Canada.
Who led the reform movements for Upper and Lower Canada?
The Reformers included William and Robert Baldwin, Barnabas and Marshall Bidwell, William Lyon Mackenzie, John Rolph and Egerton Ryerson. By 1828, the Reformers held a majority in the assembly. However, their reforms were blocked by the Tory-controlled councils. In the early 1830s, the Reform movement split.
When did Upper and Lower Canada merge?
In 1840 the Act of Union united Upper and Lower Canada into one Province of Canada. It enabled a single legislative council to govern with crown assent. The Act ruled that the assembly should consist of an equal number of representatives from both provinces.
How did Canada get divided?
In 1867, three colonies of British North America — Canada, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick — were united in Confederation, with the former Province of Canada being divided into Ontario and Québec.
What caused the British Parliament to create Upper Canada and Lower Canada in 1791 what was the effect of the action for each colony?
After taking control of all Canada after the French and Indian War in 1763, ethnic and religious tensions grew between Catholic French and Protestant English colonists. In response, the British government divided Canada into an Upper, mainly English area, and Lower, mainly French area, in 1791.
Who started the Upper Canada rebellion?
William Lyon Mackenzie
The Rebellion in Upper Canada was led by William Lyon Mackenzie, a Scottish-born newspaper publisher and politician who was a fierce critic of the Family Compact, an elite clique of officials and businessmen who dominated the running of the colony and its system of patronage.
What divided Upper and Lower Canada?
In 1791 the Province of Quebec was divided into two parts by the Constitutional Act of 1791. The eastern portion was Lower Canada and the western Upper Canada. Lower Canada was combined with Upper Canada in 1841 to form the United Province of Canada.
What was Canada called before it was called Canada?
the North-Western Territory
Prior to 1870, it was known as the North-Western Territory. The name has always been a description of the location of the territory.
What was Lower Canada called before?
Canada East
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.
How was Upper Canada divided up for the settlers?
“Upper Canada” became a political entity on 26 December 1791 with the Parliament of Great Britain’s passage of the Constitutional Act of 1791. The act divided the Province of Quebec into Upper and Lower Canada, but did not yet specify official borders for Upper Canada.
When did the rebellion start in Upper Canada?
December 1837
The Upper Canada Rebellion was an insurrection against the oligarchic government of the British colony of Upper Canada (present-day Ontario) in December 1837.
What did the French call Canada?
New France
The terms “Canada” and “New France” were also used interchangeably. French explorations continued west “unto the Countreys of Canada, Hochelaga, and Saguenay” before any permanent settlements were established.
Why is it called British Canada?
The central region was given the name of “New Caledonia” by explorer Simon Fraser. To avoid confusion with Colombia in South America and the island of New Caledonia in the Pacific Ocean, Queen Victoria named the area British Columbia when it became a colony in 1858.
When did France lose Canada?
With the Treaty of Paris, signed on 10 February 1763, the colony of New France became a British possession.
Why did people immigrate to Upper Canada?
Many of the 19th century immigrants were refugees from landlessness, and poverty, and/or famine. Conditions for immigrants were typically poor and worsened by the presence of epidemic diseases.
What happened in Upper Canada?
The Upper Canada Rebellion was largely defeated shortly after it began, although resistance lingered until 1838. While it shrank, it became more violent, mainly through the support of the Hunters’ Lodges, a secret United States-based militia that emerged around the Great Lakes, and launched the Patriot War in 1838.
Why is York Upper Canada important?
It is the predecessor to the old city of Toronto (1834–1998). It was established in 1793 by Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe as a “temporary” location for the capital of Upper Canada, while he made plans to build a capital near today’s London, Ontario.
What was Upper Canada in 1812?
As a part of the British Empire, Upper Canada was unable to escape this broader conflict and when, on June 18, 1812, the United States declared war on Britain, Canada was brought to the front line of what had become a world war.