1837 rebellions

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The rebellions of 1837 ( Rebellions of 1837 ) there are two rebellions in the years 1837 and 1838 in Lower Canada and Upper Canada . While the uprising in Upper Canada was directed against a regional oligarchy and was sponsored by the USA , the similar uprising in Lower Canada was also rooted in the conflict between the French and English- speaking residents of the British colony. The latter conflict was defused after the uprisings and the two colonies were united in 1840. The influence of the USA was strongly reduced. Thus the rebellions form an important stage in the emergence of a Canadian national feeling in contrast to the USA.

Lower Canada

The resistance in Lower Canada was directed against the feudalist land allocation system of the seigneurie royale of 1627. The leaders were Robert Nelson and Louis-Joseph Papineau . The rebellion began in November 1837 under Nelson's leadership. It was directed against the oligarchic group of the Château Clique , which demanded the adaptation of the Francophone population to British culture, to which the group, mostly consisting of British merchants, itself belonged. Nelson, although speaking English, was the leader of the predominantly Francophone Parti Patriote . He did not personally take part in the uprising, but had to flee anyway and organized the rebellion with informal support from the USA.

Upper Canada

The uprising in Upper Canada was under the leadership of William Lyon Mackenzie and began in December 1837. One reason for this was land grants to the Church of England at the expense of the Catholic Church , the Methodists and other denominations. However, these only became explosive when there were numerous immigrants from the USA, who endangered the denominational balance. In addition, a group of Anglican families known as the Family Compact also ruled the country oligarchically. Their hegemony had emerged from the 1812 war between Great Britain and the United States. Her main focus was Toronto . Mackenzie had been running a newspaper advocating his theses since 1824, the Colonial Advocate . After losing an election after long membership in parliament in 1836, he began preparations for an uprising.

In the winter of 1837–38, a group of rebel upper Canadians escaped across the ice to Oswego (New York) .

But this first ended in the Battle of Montgomery's Tavern (also known as Bar Fight on Yonge Street ) on December 7, 1837. Sir Francis Bond Head , Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada since 1835, had sent troops from York to Lower Canada to fight the rebellion there so that the region was stripped of the British military. William Lyon Mackenzie took this opportunity on December 5th to march from Montgomery's Tavern on Yonge Street in Toronto. Colonel Robert Moodie, who was on the side of the loyalists, was shot. Mackenzie set off with around 500 men. On Yonge Street, 27 loyalists tried to stop them - with success. The next day, around 1,500 volunteers joined them, so that the insurgents holed up under the leadership of Anthony Van Egmond. On December 7th, the roughly 500 poorly or not at all armed men were attacked by around 1,000 men under the leadership of Colonel James FitzGibbon at the tavern. The battle was over within 20 minutes.

Many felt compelled to flee to the USA. However, they brought along with who remained, especially the so-called Hunter Lodges through raids, the first with the windmill battle ended (Battle of the Windmill). 1838 John Colborne , Lieutenant Governor from 1828 to 1836 and Governor General from 1838, fought the rebels and was nicknamed "vieux brûlot" or "old flame" because British troops and volunteers burned several villages. Despite his other harshness, he had only 12 of the 99 rebels condemned to death executed after a refused request for amnesty. He was one of the sharpest opponents of the unification of the two Canadas.

The progress of the uprisings

Under American influence, Mackenzie proclaimed the Republic of Canada for Upper Canada on December 13th . A provisional government installed by him on Navy Island in the Niagara River failed in mid-January 1838. He was succeeded by Robert Nelson, who proclaimed the Republic of Lower Canada on February 28, 1838 . He himself became President of the Republic, supported by the Frères chasseurs , the hunting brothers . He led the second uprising in November 1838, but volunteers from Lacolle and Odeltown defeated the troops deployed from the United States. Nelson fled to Vermont , which he did not leave even after the amnesty of 1845. He advocated a republic inspired by the US model, which was supposed to abolish the so-called seigneurial system , a relic of aristocratic rule that had been introduced in New France in 1627 . The seigneur gave land in exchange for taxes or services. To this end, he called for equal rights for the indigenous peoples as well as the Franco and Anglophones.

consequences

Bond was removed from office in 1838 for sending all counter-insurgency troops and was never to hold office again. In 1840 the two Canadas were united to form the Province of Canada .

On the one hand, the uprisings led to a greater awareness of the US's urge to expand. On the other hand, it reduced the importance of the Franco-English conflict within the British colony. More moderate voices like Robert Baldwin and Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine now received stronger support. During the investigation of the causes of the uprising by Lord Durham sent from London , they gained further influence. Lord Durham, in his Report on the Affairs of British North America, put forward suggestions on how responsible government could look. With this he supported the moderate forces. At the same time, he called for Upper and Lower Canada to be merged into one political unit.

An amnesty followed in 1845, so that Papineau also returned from the USA, and in 1848 received a seat in Parliament, now in the Assembly of United Canada . However, he had to give way to Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine. Mackenzie was not pardoned until 1849, and he too managed to return to Parliament.

memory

“BECAUSE all peoples honor in a special way those from their ranks who fought and lost their lives for the defense and promotion of their national identity and their democratic institutions; BECAUSE Québec's motto is "I REMEMBER"; IT IS THEREFORE DECIDED, at the proposal of the Prime Minister: The Québec government declares the Sunday closest to November 23rd each year to be the Journée des Patriotes to commemorate the patriotes who fought for the national recognition of our people and their political freedom and for the achievement of a democratic system of government. "

- Declaration of 1982, 2002 amended to May of each year

See also

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