Papineau's father was a seigneur and a member of the Assembly of Lower Canada [Quebec]. Louis-Joseph was educated in the law and was himself elected to the Assembly in 1809.

With his skills as an orator, he became the leader of a loosely organized political movement called the Parti Canadien. The party controlled the Assembly, which was elected. But the real power in the colony was held by the British governor and the Council. The governor chose the Council from a small group of powerful English merchants.

The struggle for power between the French and English inflamed the politics of Lower Canada. Papineau considered the economic plans of the English merchants to be a threat to the way of life of the French Canadians. He spoke of the need to preserve the unique character of the French Canadians, whose life was based on agriculture, the seigneurial system, and the Roman Catholic Church. He described Lower Canada as the rightful domain of the French-Canadian nation.

As Papineau's demands for change were ignored, he and his party became more extreme. They called themselves "Patriotes," suggesting a more independent spirit. Some talked of an independent republic of Lower Canada modelled on the United States. Papineau played with the idea, but he preferred using constitutional means to achieve his reforms. The only real power of the Assembly was to approve the spending of money. Papineau used this power to block the plans of the English merchants, such as the building of canals on the St Lawrence. In 1834 he and several others drew up a list of demands, called the Ninety-Two Resolutions. In 1837 the British authorities finally rejected the resolutions outright. Furthermore, they authorized the governor to take out and spend all the money collected by the government, even if the Assembly continued to refuse to give its approval.

The British decision infuriated the Patriotes. Drought and crop failures added to the discontent in the countryside. Papineau's fiery speeches helped to arouse the people's anger. It is not clear that he intended to provoke an armed rebellion.

Papineau may have hoped only to intimidate the British government into making concessions, by showing the strength of the French-Canadian opposition to its policies. But he soon lost control of the movement. Some of the more radical Patriotes declared independence and prepared to take up arms against the British. However, they were badly organized and poorly led. The rebellion was quickly crushed by British soldiers. Papineau fled to the United States and then sailed to France.

Papineau's role in the rebellion is a source of controversy in Canadian history. He denied that he had taken part in the rebellion. Many of his supporters criticized him for deserting them. He was pardoned in 1844 and returned from exile to his prosperous seigneury at Montebello. He regained some of his former influence, but leadership had passed to a new generation.

Related Articles: FRENCH-CANADIAN NATIONALISM; REBELLIONS OF 1837.