EDEXCEL A LEVEL HISTORY British
Empire Unit 5: Canada and the Durham
Report
What was New France? - Answer>>The French colonies and
possessions in North America up until 1763
When did Britain gain New France's territory? - Answer>>After
the Peace of Paris ended the Seven Years' War in 1763
What impact did the American War of Independence have on
Canada in the short term? - Answer>>Loyalists evacuated the
US to Upper and Lower Canada, the nearest areas under British
control, leading to a restructuring through the 1791 Constitution?
What did the 1791 Constitution do? - Answer>>Created Upper
and Lower Canada. It created a system for political representation
in the provinces and assured French Catholics of their continuing
religious freedom.
What was the population of Upper Canada mostly made up of? -
Answer>>Largely British
What was the population of Lower Canada mostly made up of? -
Answer>>A mixture of the descendants of French settlers and
new loyalist influx
How did Upper and Lower Canada differ from 1791? -
Answer>>They shared a political system broadly, however they
had different land tenure systems, languages, and religions
How were colonies other than Upper and Lower Canada
governed? - Answer>>Colonies like Newfoundland and Nova
Scotia were ruled directly from London as self-contained colonies
,with their own governors and assemblies. Canada as a country
did not exist.
How did the population demographics of Upper Canada change in
the early 19th Century? - Answer>>The influx of loyalists
coninued, with immigration to the province growing in the 1820s
and 30s in a conscious effort to develop the province. Many of the
loyalist settlers were actually seeking free land, and their loyalty to
the crown was somewhat questionable.
What change was made to the Land system of Upper Canada in
1825? - Answer>>The cash-strapped administration of the
province moved from the system of free land grants to settlers to
one of sale by auction; a private land company, the Canada
Company, was given a royal charter to aid the colonisation and
development of the province
What was the governmental structure of Upper Canada like? -
Answer>>Governed by a lieutenant governor appointed by
London, reliant on the tax-raising powers of a locally elected
legislative assembly (and legislative council modeled on the HoL),
in addition to an appointed council who exercised executive
power alongside the lieutenant governor. The lieutenant governor
ran the province with the executive council helping, with members
taking on the roles of ministers. The council was appointed and
removed by the lieutenant governor, and councilors could remain
for life.
Who were the family compact? - Answer>>A small group of
wealthy English Canadians who controlled the executive council
of Upper Canada from the 1810s to the 1840s. They exercised
control of the council largely for their own benefits. They were
unified by their Anglicanism, their reluctance to countenance any
constitutional changes which might loosen their power. They were
, described by Lord Durham as a 'petty, corrupt, insolent Tory
clique'.
How many people sat on the legislative assembly and council of
Upper Canada? - Answer>>No fewer than 16 in the assembly,
and 7 in the council (appointed for life)
What was the extent of suffrage in Upper Canada? -
Answer>>Fairly wide range of landowning males.
What was the overlap in membership between the legislative
assembly, the legislative council, and the executive council in
Upper Canada? - Answer>>There was little overlap between
the legislative assembly and the executive council, however
executive council members were often in the legislative council.
What role did the legislative council play in Upper Canada? -
Answer>>It had to approve the bills put forward by the
legislative assembly, meaning appointed members could overrule
elected representatives
What did Tory mean in the context of Canada? -
Answer>>Those who supported direct rule from Britain
How did Land Ownership operate in Upper Canada? -
Answer>>- Based on the British freehold tenure. Most land was
held by the crown, and therefore judged to be free to grant to
settlers.
- The British did recognise the indigenous people's claim to the
land to a limited extent in Canada (better than Australia), and
treaties were signed at various points to increase Crown lands,
providing some remuneration in exchange.
- 1/7th of Upper Canada was designated as clergy reserves, with
the profits going to the Anglical Church
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