Lower Canada Lesson Notes

•         In 1830s, a growing reform movement in Lower Canada was developing

•         People unhappy with the way colony governed

•         Exposed to democratic ideas of the French and American Revolutions

•         Elected assembly and two appointed councils at odds

•         Oligarchy: power in the hands of a small group of rich and influential men

•         At odds were the French and English cultures

Lower Canada Grievances

•         80% of citizens in Lower Canada were French-speaking

•         Only 80,000 English-speaking in a population of 420 000

•         Power in the hands of the councils and governor who were English-speaking

•         Power to veto Legislative Assembly (represented the ordinary people)

•         Angry with English governor who rejected an Assembly bill to preserve:

•         French language

•         Roman Catholic Religion

•         Agricultural traditions

•         Governor appointed members of the Councils

•         Most were English speaking merchants; part of the Chateau Clique

•         Used colony taxes to build roads, canals, and improve their businesses

•         Did not benefit the ordinary people who needed schools, roads, etc.

•         English-speaking population growth, threatened valuable land, traditions, and opportunities

•         French-Canadians felt that Britain were bringing more English-speaking immigrants to outnumber them

•         Government changed the seigneurial system into a freehold land system

•         Eastern Townships (lands set aside for immigrant settlement) given to English-speaking settlers

•         Ships with cholera-stricken Irish immigrants began landing in Lower Canada

•         Major issues:

•         French discrimination

•         Unequal taxation

•         Lack of power in the gov’t

Louis Joseph Papineau

•         Leader of the French-speaking Reformers (Parti patriotes)

•         Led attacks on English-speaking Chateau Clique

•         1834, drafted document called 92 Resolutions – long series of demands for political reforms

•         Threatened to hold back tax money used to pay government salaries, build bridges, roads and canals

•         Boycotted English goods

•         Government responded with “Ten Resolutions” denying the rights of the Assembly

•         Became clear that the government would not change – leads to violence

•         In the Fall of 1837, the Patriotes, led by Papineau, openly rebelled against the government

•         Wanted power and a voice within the government

•         Ended quickly – lasted about a month

•         Papineau flees to the U.S.

•         Resentment still lingers to this day and remains a factor in Quebec politics

Battle of Saint-Eustache

Why Lower Canada Rebellion Failed

•         Lack of planning and military leadership

•         Few arms for the Patriotes

•         Government restricted the sale of equipment and arms

•         Un-trained soldiers

•         Roman Catholic Church disapproved of armed rebellion

•         Many Patriotes refused to fight if the Church did not support them

Immigrant Experience Lesson Notes

•         Immigrants primarily from Great Britain, U.S, or some other European countries

•         Attracted by widespread advertising campaigns

•         Wooed with promises of cheap, fertile land, close to towns and markets

-Optimistic pictures of life in Canada

•         First step for an emigrant is to travel to the port of departure

•         Done by foot, cart, train, or river boat

•         This normally took a very long time

•         Queenstown was the main port of emigration for the Irish

•         About 3 million Irish left Ireland through this port

•         Emigrants had to wait to depart for either several days, weeks, moths, or even years

•         Before the 1850s, came from Europe on sail ships

•         Later on, ships with paddles and steam engines decreased the length

•         Length of crossings varied due to winds, tides, and other factors

•         Average trip was 8 weeks; could vary from 20 to 24 weeks

•         Steerage – below deck, where cargo is usually stored

•         Brutal conditions: no light, passengers packed in tightly, had to provide their own bedding, filthy, disease-ridden, water seeped through, one toilet for every 100 passengers

•         Turn to page 24 of Textbook

•         French and British ships made passengers cook their own meals

•         German ships provided meals for their steerage passengers

•         Sunday: salt meat, meal pudding, and prunes

•         Monday: salt bacon, pea soup, and potatoes

•         Tuesday: salt meat, rice, and prunes

•         Wednesday: smoked bacon, sauerkraut, and potatoes

•         Thursday: salt meat, potatoes, and bean soup

•         Friday: herring, meal, and prunes

•         Saturday: salt bacon, pea soup, and potatoes

•         Passengers were vaccinated mid-ocean

•         Try to eliminate diseases such as cholera, plague, small pox, or typhoid

•         On arrival, ships were inspected for sick passengers

•         They would be sent to a quarantine hospital to recover

•         Once they passed quarantine, they were taken to shore for a new life…

•         At the docks, they were besieged by scam artists and thieves who robbed luggage and sold phony tickets to the west 

•         Laws were put in place to protect the immigrants from scams

•         Every ship was forced to have a manifest (information of passengers)

•         Immigrants were checked-in upon arrival (i.e. name, medical exam, customs)

•         Services: provided currency exchange, purchase railroad tickets, find luggage, assistance

•         Many immigrants had letters waiting for them with money

•         Major problem: many immigrants had the wrong or insufficient information to move forward with their journey

•         Some places had immigration centers for accommodation

Feb 4 - Government Notes

Forms of Government

• Representative Government: representatives are elected by the people to make laws on their behalf
• Responsible Government: representatives who have been elected already, can be voted out if they fail to please the majority
• Democratic Government: both representative and responsible
• Oligarchy***: power in the hands of a small group of rich and influential men

1791 Constitutional Act

• Colony of Quebec divided into two
• Gave the people of Upper and Lower Canada their own legislative assemblies (elected-body) - this is a form of representative government
• Legislative Assemblies - elected members voted in by the people to pass and amend laws
• Only male, property owners could vote for members

Life in Lower Canada 1815 - 38

• French-speaking tenant farmers
• Threatened by population growth, filled up available farmland
• Young people left to work in the towns or the lumber camps of the U.S.
• Poverty, starvation, low prices, wheat destroyed by weather and disease
• English-speaking newcomers made them fearful of losing their French language, Roman Catholic religion, and agricultural traditions
• French-speaking professionals
• Newest group to Lower Canada, prominent after 1800
• Educated people, mostly lawyers or doctors
• Wanted a separate French-Canadian nation to preserve their way of life
• Formed a new political party called "Parti Canadien"
• English-speaking merchants
• Ruling elite, rich and powerful
• Mostly members of the Château Clique

Family Compact & Château Clique

• Small group of powerful people
• Took for themselves and gave to their friends favors such as jobs, land, and contracts
• Favored the British point of view and system of government
• Opposed change and defended tradition

Family Compact

• Upper Canada
• Loyalist descent or British immigrants who arrived before 1800
• Did not want people from the U.S. to be part of the government
• Church of England should be powerful

Château Clique

• Lower Canada
• British background or wealthy French Canadians who allied with the British
• Wanted more English-speaking settlers in the colony
• Roman Catholic Church should be powerful

Government in Upper and Lower Canada

• Oligarchy: power in the hands of a small group of rich and influential men
• Britain appointed a governor to control the oligarchy, but in reality, ruled according to the Family Compact/Château Clique's wishes
• The councils were made up of the wealthy, ruling elite
• Could veto (stop authority) any laws passed by the Legislative Assembly (L.A. represented the ordinary people)
• Therefore, the ordinary people and L.A. had no power in the government, which led to....
• Legislative Assembly wanted to spend money to help the ordinary people (e.g. schools, churches, roads)  vs. the elite (councils and governor) wanted to spend money for themselves (e.g. improve businesses, build canals, take farm land)

Feb 3 Group 2 T-Chart Poor vs Rich

PHAM-tastic job to both groups!  The skit included all roles and important information, with a little bit of humor! Thanks so much for the participation! 

Group 2's T-Chart for Social Classes I thought I would include....

Poor                                            vs.                          Wealthy
-Associates only with poor/small social life                   -Parties & dances
-Housekeeps                                                              -Can vote (if male and owns land)                              
-Babysits; takes care of the children                            -Owns land; extremely rich
-Laundry, cooks, cleans                                             -Has servants & maids
-No vote                                                                    -Extravagant social/lifestyle
-Few valuables

Great Migration Notes Feb. 2

The Great Migration 1815-1850

A. What was the Great Migration?

1. A wave of newcomers who came to Canada because of
    conditions in Europe
2. Economic changes in Europe led to huge increase in population

a)      left many people destitute/poor

3. Idea of sending poor people of Britain to Canada became popular among British politicians

B. Scottish and Irish Poor

1. Among these people were Scottish Highlanders

a)      driven from their land

b)     landlords eager to replace them with sheep to supply new factories with wool

c)      Many were English workers displaced by the Industrial Revolution

2. Greatest number of migrants were Irish  They were driven from their land by poverty and hunger .

a)      from 1845-49 when potato crops (Irish Potato Famine) were destroyed by disease, Irish flooded to Canada.

C. Coffin Ships

1. Irish immigrants fell ill with cholera in filthy ships
2. In 1847, 17 000 of the 100 000 Irish died of sickness on the way
3. Irish greatly changed make-up of Canadian society

a)      They were mostly Catholic

b)     not necessarily loyal to England

4. Many preferred cities to farming

a)      By 1871, there were 846 000 Irish in Canada, out of a population of 3.5 million

b)     Only the French outnumbered them

D. Great Migration Recap

1. A great many people left their homes in Britain and other counties of Europe. 
2. Economic conditions in Britain and most of Europe were poor in the years after 1815. 
3. There was a great deal of unemployment, made worse by the growing use of machines during the Industrial Revolution. 
4. Many of the migrants leaving Britain and Europe from 1815 to 1850 came to Canada. 
5. Sixty percent of these immigrants to Canada were British.  This made them the largest cultural group in Canada.  
6. Several immigrant groups had established themselves in Atlantic Canada by 1861. 
7. The main groups were British, French, and German, but there were also American Loyalists. 
8. A significant Black population had created a community in Nova Scotia.

The Underground Railroad

A. What was the Underground Railroad?

1. The UR was an above-ground series of escape routes for slaves traveling from the South to the North trying to gain freedom.
2. Slaves travelled by: foot, wagons, boats, and trains.
3. Slave runaways would usually travel by the light of the night and hide during the day in places known as stations.  These were safe houses owned by abolitionists.

B. Abolitionist

1. Abolition was the movement to end slavery
2. Slaves would hide in various places.
3. A person who believed and worked for the abolishment of slavery was called an abolitionist..

C. Henry Box Brown

1. Henry Brown convinced Samuel to pack him in a box and ship him to Philadelphia.
2. His trip there was grueling, in tight quarters.
3. Brown was set free in Philadelphia and eventually made his way to Boston, where he helped fellow escapees on the Underground Railroad.
4. Conductors were the people who led the runaways to freedom.

C. Harriet Tubman

1. Harriett Tubman was a born slave in Maryland.
2. When she learned that her owner was going to sell her, she decided to escape.
3. Tubman made 19 journeys from the South to the North as a Conductor on the Underground Railroad.
4. Southern Plantation owners offered $40, 000 for her capture.
5. Plantations owners also offered rewards for the return of runaway slaves.

MAJOR ASSIGNMENT

Do NOT worry or be scared of this assignment.
 *Although this may seem like a lot of work, you will be given the opportunity to complete the majority of this assignment during class, so there will be minimal homework.
 

Major Assignment - 20% of your unit's mark
The Story of Immigrant X

Tired of living in Great Britain, you decide to relocate your family. Attracted by a romanticized poster you leave for Upper Canada. As you travel and establish a new life you keep a diary, documenting your trials and tribulations.

YOU ARE Immigrant X . You must create a biography that identifies your name, age, social class, occupation etc. YOU can complete this in a number of forms: diary entry, video entry (i.e. diary, skit), artwork (i.e. painting, comic book, poster), and music (i.e. song, symphony, opera, rap).

The story MUST have the 5 following entries:

1.      Prior to leaving Great Britain

2.      Aboard the ship

3.      Arriving in Upper Canada

4.      Clearing the land

5.      Two years after arriving

Be sure to include and/or incorporate the following:

ü      Approximately 50-100 words/entry

ü      If you choose to do a non-writing form of entry.  You will still need to hand in a written component.  Please see me for more details.

ü      Appropriate dates, key terms, vocabulary

ü      Appeal to the senses – use adjectives and descriptive words. What are you thinking, feeling, seeing, smelling, hearing, doing?

ü      The idea is to show me that you understand what life was like in Upper Canada for Immigrant X ; your story entries need to show that understanding.

Your story must have a cover page that includes at least 2 images. You will be marked primarily on the narrative aspect of the assignment; this is to ensure a fair evaluation for students who choose to do a non-writing form.

Important Due Dates:

1.      Written Proposal                                                      Due: Thursday, Feb 3^rd
-Tells me what form you are going to use
-Gives a rough outline/plan of what you intend to do

2.      Informal Bibliography                                            Due: Monday, Feb 7^th
-At least 2-3 sources used; only one online source
-Include title, author, date published, url address

3.      Research Notes                                                         Due: Thursday, Feb 10^th
-You must hand in your research notes (1-2 pages) and/or images for all categories 

Assessment Criteria

Cover page                                                                           /5
-Includes appropriate title and image
-Includes full student name
-Date
-Teacher’s name & class
(See me if non-writing form)

Character Bio                                                                       /5
-Includes appropriate and accurate
 information
-Includes Name, Age, Social Class,
Occupation & any other relevant items

Each Entry (worth 6 marks each)                                       /30
-Includes appropriate and accurate
information on the five categories
-Creative and shows understanding
-50-100 words/category entry
(See me if non-writing form)

Overall Presentation                                                          /10                  
-Includes spelling, grammar,
punctuation, organization

_____________________________________________________________________

TOTAL                                                                                  /50 

*Please read over the assignment instructions carefully to ensure you have covered everything

*There is always the potential for bonus marks on my assignments J

Design Down Sheet – Immigrant Story X

Expected Outcomes

It is expected that students will demonstrate the ability:

ü      To critically examine primary and secondary sources

ü      To use a variety of library sources

ü      To extract relevant information from a large body of facts

ü      To detect bias in various sources

ü      To analyze and synthesize information

ü      To defend a point of view

ü      To speak clearly and concisely

ü      To use a variety of sources in order to recreate the Immigrant Experience

ü      Demonstrate skills associated with active citizenship, including the ability to work cooperatively with others and to respect and promote respect for the contributions of other group members

TENTATIVE
Unit Structure & Important Due Dates

Jan 31 (M)	-
Feb 1 (Tu)	Explain Final Assignment
Feb 2 (W)	Explain Assignment #1
Feb 3 (Th)	Written Proposals DUE
Feb 4 (F)	-
Feb 7 (M)	Review/Work Period Informal Bibliography DUE
Feb 8 (Tu)	Assignment # 1 DUE
Feb 9 (W)	Explain Assignment # 2
Feb 10 (Th)	Review/Work Period Research Notes DUE
Feb 11 (F)	Review Period
Feb 14 (M)	Work Period Assignment # 2 DUE
Feb 15 (Tu)	UNIT EXAM

Major Assignment is due the day after the unit exam: Wednesday, Feb. 16^th.