Transcript Chapter 6: Becoming Canadian

Chapter 6: Becoming Canadian
A Complex Identity
• Personal identity: a person’s qualities which
make them unique
• Superficial Characteristics: qualities which
can only be seen from the outside
Being Canadian
• The idea of what a ``Canadian`` is evolved
through time. It is a mix of history and various
cultures
1755: Rebellion
• The 13 colonies (now the U.S.) began to rebel
against Britain
• Many people did not want to fight, and came
North
Why were the colonies mad
• Could only trade with Britain
• Paid high taxes
• Wanted more self-control
Rebellion!
• 1775: American rebels attack the British
• They come to Canada, hoping to find people to
join them
• The French and British soldiers here refused,
and a war broke out
• The rebels lost and were driven back to America
• The group of people who were still loyal to
Britain were called United Empire Loyalists
• The rebels saw them as traitors
• The loyalists found safety in Canada
The United States of America
• The rebels eventually won their war, and created
their own country
• Many loyalists settled in the Maritimes. Places
like New Brunswick were created, and Isle SaintJean was renamed Prince Edward Island
• Also, many settled in Quebec
• Britain created what they called Upper Canada,
which is now southern Ontario
• What is now just called Quebec was renamed
Lower Canada
• *Upper=up the St. Lawrence River
First Nations
• Although they were promised land, most First
Nations were not given it
• The Mohawk, for example, were betrayed by the
British
• Read p.129
• Many FN groups traded their land for almost
nothing, probably because they were scared of
the British
1812: War Again
• The United States and Britain began to fight
again. Why?
1. Britain was stopping the U.S. From trading
with France
2. British were kidnapping American sailors, then
forcing them to fight in the navy
3. Britain was helping some FN groups fight
against the Americans
4. Americans wanted more control of British
colonies
• Even though Britain did not treat FN well, they
were still allies against the Americans
• Read the bio. On Tecumseh on page 132
• As the war continued, each side took turns
attacking each other
• Americans attacked York (now Toronto) and
burnt down gov’t buildings
• British went to Washington and burnt down the
gov’t building there. It was rebuilt as the “White
House”
• Read the section on Laura Secord on page 133
(and watch the video)
1814
• After years of fighting, both sides realized they
were in a deadlock: neither side was winning
• They agreed to divide the land up between the
Americans and the British (p.133)
• A lot of First Nations died – and they still never
received the land they hoped for
Immigration
•
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Britain sent 800,000 immigrants to Canada
Population was growing, no jobs
Farmers losing land
People were poor and hungry
Ocean travel was safer
Colonies offered land and a better life
The Terrible Year
• 1847: 100,000 immigrants from Ireland
• Ireland was hit by a “potato famine” – which was
their main source of food
• On the way, a typhus epidemic broke out on the
ship, and many died
• Others were quarantined and were not
allowed to enter Canada
Pioneers
• The ones who were still alive became known as
“pioneers
• Life was hard – they had to clear their own land
• Canada was becoming more “British” than
before
Rebellion!!!
• As the population grew, many people became
upset about how everything was being run.
Why?
Lower Canada: Patriotes
• Led by Louis-Joseph Papineau
• No matter how hard they tried, the Governor
would not listen to their needs
• They rebelled, won, but were soon defeated
Upper Canada: Reformers
• Led by William Lyon Mackenzie
• Led a group of armed people to Toronto. They
didn’t have strong weapons, and were defeated
easily
Responsible Government
•
Everyone who rebelled were mad that the gov’t
did not listen to the people
• Britain sent Lord Durham to Canada to find
out why everyone was so upset. He made 2
suggestions for change:
1. Unite Upper and Lower Canada
2. Give the colonies “responsible government”
• Durham was very biased – he wanted to
assimilate the French
• English became the official language
• Lower Canada became “Canada East” and Upper
Canada became “Canada West”
Responsible Government
• This meant that the leaders had to be
responsible to the people
• People would be elected, then report to the
governor
• They had to listen to what they said, and give
them what they wanted
• The men elected were Robert Baldwin and
Louis-Hippolyte LaFontaine
•
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vezghxdXLUI&feature=PlayList&p=9F861B57A7C8E9B5&index=30