The Treaty and Loyalist Immigration
You've probably heard that a butterfly beating its wings could cause a tsunami on the other side of the world. Thus is the power of effect and the theory that life is but a sequence of events, each one linked to the next in an eternal chain of actions.
The Treaty of Paris did not acknowledge Loyalist rights when they most needed it. Thus, the King's Men fled to Canada. Consequently, territorial difficulties established the Constitutional Act of 1791.
The Treaty of Paris did not acknowledge Loyalist rights when they most needed it. Thus, the King's Men fled to Canada. Consequently, territorial difficulties established the Constitutional Act of 1791.
The Constitutional Act of 1791
This was the act of the British Parliament creating an Upper and a Lower Canada. With the arrival of the Tories, who were almost entirely English-Speaking, Quebec found itself in a division. There was need for the reorganization of British North America, taking place under the pressure of the thousands of Loyalists who sought refuge in Canada. The Act decreed the continuity of land ownership under the Seigneurial System in lower Canada and created the Clergy Reserves in Upper Canada. The act was caused by Loyalist tension in the St. Lawrence Lowlands. They hated having to obey French law and having to answer to French-speaking seigneurs. The Tories later also demanded Protestant schools and churches. They decried the colony's lack of a House of Assembly and the fact there were no set decision-makers of elected authority.
Upper Canada, (the western half and now southern Ontario), received English law and institution to accommodate the Loyalists. Lower Canada retained French law and institution, as well as the Roman Catholic church. Quebec had not previously had representative government and with the act, they were established in both colonies under the creation of Legislative Assembly.
The Ottawa River became the border between the two new provinces of british North America. Lower Canada numbered around 225,000 inhabitants, including 10,000 anglophones, while Upper Canada had only 46,000 inhabitants who were nearly all anglophone Loyalists.
Upper Canada, (the western half and now southern Ontario), received English law and institution to accommodate the Loyalists. Lower Canada retained French law and institution, as well as the Roman Catholic church. Quebec had not previously had representative government and with the act, they were established in both colonies under the creation of Legislative Assembly.
The Ottawa River became the border between the two new provinces of british North America. Lower Canada numbered around 225,000 inhabitants, including 10,000 anglophones, while Upper Canada had only 46,000 inhabitants who were nearly all anglophone Loyalists.
Politically, changes were bold. Now, Upper and Lower Canada each had their own legislative Assembly, Council and Executive Council. They also had a Lieutenant Governor, and at the top of the hierarchy, a Governor General who had absolute authority over the two Canadas as well as the other colonies of Nova Scotia, new brunswick, etc.
Socially, the new Constitution gave women, aboriginals, Jews and Catholics the right to vote. It seemed very generous for the time - but British prime Minister William Pitt stated the Canadians would be masters of their own destinies, but he believed the experienced would teach them that English laws were best.
Economically, the right to vote was still only granted to landowners. English merchants in Lower Canada opposed the right to vote for the colony. They knew that in Lower Canada, landowners made up more of the population than in Great Britain. Thus, the land-wealthy Canadian seigneurs countered the capital-wealthy English merchants. The colonial legislative assemblies had control over domestic matters such as education and agriculture, but Great Britain oversaw defense and foreign affairs. It was not a true democracy - first off, the Governor General could veto the laws passed by all elected legislative assemblies. Secondly, though these members were elected by the population, the Legislative Council, who were entirely composed of those nominated by the Governor, could veto any bills presented by the Assembly. There was really no control of the Assembly in any actions of the government. Power was concentrated in the hands of the Governor General and the British crown.
Socially, the new Constitution gave women, aboriginals, Jews and Catholics the right to vote. It seemed very generous for the time - but British prime Minister William Pitt stated the Canadians would be masters of their own destinies, but he believed the experienced would teach them that English laws were best.
Economically, the right to vote was still only granted to landowners. English merchants in Lower Canada opposed the right to vote for the colony. They knew that in Lower Canada, landowners made up more of the population than in Great Britain. Thus, the land-wealthy Canadian seigneurs countered the capital-wealthy English merchants. The colonial legislative assemblies had control over domestic matters such as education and agriculture, but Great Britain oversaw defense and foreign affairs. It was not a true democracy - first off, the Governor General could veto the laws passed by all elected legislative assemblies. Secondly, though these members were elected by the population, the Legislative Council, who were entirely composed of those nominated by the Governor, could veto any bills presented by the Assembly. There was really no control of the Assembly in any actions of the government. Power was concentrated in the hands of the Governor General and the British crown.
Though the consequences of the Constitutional Act were mainly political, it is in my own opinion that you cannot simply constrain the changes of a society within one area. It can be centered around politics, culture or economic values but ultimately, the establishments of a community are tightly intertwined, each area responding to changes in the other. I think it is the same type of idea as a sequence of effects. The Treaty of Paris may have happened long before the Constitutional Act, but ultimately, it was the agreements outlined (or lack thereof) in the treaty that caused the immigration of the Loyalists to Canada. In turn, their arrival caused the need to reorganize our provinces in a way to better accustom the new settlers. The Loyalist presence influenced the way our culture and government exists today. By establishing the boundaries of an Upper and Lower Canada, the Constitutional Act invoked enormous change in the Canadian political system as of the late 17th century.