Upper Canada

Upper Canada

Upper Canada was created in 1791 by the terms of the Constitutional Act. The Act divided the old Province of Quebec into Upper Canada and Lower Canada. Upper Canada was the area of present-day southern Ontario, along the "upper" section of the St Lawrence River. Lower Canada was farther "down" the river. The boundary between the two was the Ottawa River, which today still separates the provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The political head of both colonies was the British governor general in Quebec City.

The area of Upper Canada was first settled by the native people. The HURON, PETUN, and NEUTRAL lived around Georgian Bay and north of Lake Erie. To the north of them, along the edge of the CANADIAN SHIELD, were the Algonquian groups (the OTTAWA and the OJIBWA). The French established fur-trade posts near present-day Toronto, Kingston, and Windsor. They also built a religious mission among the Huron in 1639. After the French defeat in the SEVEN YEARS' WAR (1756-63), the area passed to British hands. From 1763 to 1791, it was part of the old Province of Quebec. Its wilderness remained almost untouched until the end of the AMERICAN REVOLUTION, when Loyalist refugees moved to safety across the border.

By 1784, between 5000 and 6000 LOYALISTS had settled along the St Lawrence River, around present-day Kingston; others settled in the Niagara Peninsula. The Loyalists were soon joined by other American immigrants looking for land, and by 1790 the area had a population of about 10 000.

It was not long before the new immigrants demanded a change in the Quebec Act of 1774. This Act protected the language and religious rights of the French Canadians. The new English-speaking settlers wanted their own government. The solution was to divide Quebec. Lower Canada would still be primarily French. Upper Canada would serve the needs of the Loyalists. Both would continue to be under the authority of the British governor general in Quebec City.

The Constitutional Act gave each colony a lieutenant-governor, an Executive Council, a Legislative Council, and a Legislative Assembly. The Assembly was elected by the people-the first step in democracy in Canada. Power was firmly in the hands of the governors and councils, which were responsible not to the Assembly but to the British Crown. Nevertheless, the Assembly had the important power to raise taxes.

In Upper Canada the Act set aside one-seventh of all lands in the province to support the Church of England. Later, another one-seventh of the land was held by the Crown to help support the costs of building roads and other services. These measures would help to keep Upper Canada British, but they would also cause conflict later.

Economy

Upper Canada's economy depended on the growing of wheat. Each year, more of the forests were cleared and the harvest of wheat grew bigger. Much of this wheat was shipped to Great Britain and to Lower Canada. Many farmers spent their winters cutting trees. They helped the lumbermen get logs ready to be floated down on the spring floods.

In the Ottawa Valley, the TIMBER TRADE was the most important activity. The industry grew after Philemon WRIGHT built a sawmill at Hull (across the river from present-day Ottawa) around 1800. It grew further as Great Britain gave special rates to Canadian timber. The timber trade gave rise to a very different society from the rest of Upper Canada. Life in the shanties (lumber camps) and on the rafts was rough. The competition, and frequent fights, between the French Canadians and the Irish became legendary.

Upper Canada's economy grew slowly because of its poor transportation system. The St Lawrence River was blocked by rapids near Montreal. Lakes Erie and Ontario were separated by Niagara Falls. The province's roads were quagmires of mud during much of the spring and summer. The French Canadians in the Lower Canada Assembly opposed spending money on canals on the St Lawrence River which would benefit Upper Canadians more than themselves. The British were willing to build a canal, but they were more concerned with defence than with commerce. The route they chose followed the Rideau River from Kingston to Bytown (the future Ottawa). With its many stone locks and blockhouses, the RIDEAU CANAL was the most expensive project ever undertaken in North America by the British. It was begun in 1826 and opened in 1832. (It is still used by pleasure boats.)

Upper Canadians had more success with a canal connecting Lakes Erie and Ontario. William MERRITT was the driving force behind the WELLAND CANAL. Work began on the canal in 1824. Before it was completed in 1829, it had cost the province a great deal of money. Nevertheless, the canal was a great help to traffic moving between the lakes.

Daily Life

The first task that every newcomer to Upper Canada faced was to erect a log cabin and begin to clear the dense forest. Many settlers did not have nails, so wooden pegs were used instead. Windows were covered with paper or cloth. Crops could not be planted among the trees. They needed sunlight, rain, and freshly ploughed earth. Thus, the pioneer family had to cut down the trees and then haul away the logs and burn them. The ashes left by the burning, called potash, were used, or were sold to make soap. As a family cleared more land, it could begin to sell its crops to a nearby town. The pioneer family had to make its own furniture and clothing, and provide its own fuel. Women worked in the fields, tended a vegetable garden, milked the cows, cooked, washed clothes, and took care of the children. Farm children had little time to play. While there were moments of celebration, particularly a dance, life in the backwoods could be very lonely.

Life in cities was more comfortable for the successful merchants. The governor and other British officials lived in pleasant houses and were attended by servants. The British soldiers stationed in the province added greatly to the social life through sporting events and dances.

Population

The WAR OF 1812 ended immigration from the United States. Future immigrants came from Great Britain. By 1838, the population had grown to more than 400 000. Settlement stretched from the Ottawa River to the head of the Great Lakes.

As the farms grew in prosperity, local villages emerged. In the village, the farmer could sell wheat, purchase goods at a store, or attend church. In a few years, the village might have a tavern, brewery, school, church, and newspaper, blacksmith shop, and a doctor, lawyer, baker, shoemaker, and tailor. If a village was well located on a river or lake it might flourish.

The largest towns in Upper Canada were Kingston and York. In 1826, Kingston had a population of 3000 and York only 1600. But York was the capital of Upper Canada and was near some of the best land in the province. By 1834, when York was renamed Toronto, it had grown to over 9000 people. Only 20 years later, it had reached over 30 000, while Kingston had only 11 500. York had won out as the political and economic capital of the province because of its superb location.

Politics

The first lieutenant-governor of Upper Canada was John Graves SIMCOE. He worked to make Upper Canada a model of happiness that would set an example. He moved the capital from Newark (near Niagara Falls, and too close to the American border) to York (the future Toronto). He built roads and set up courts.

Politics began to emerge. The governors continued to choose their councils from among men who thought or lived as they did (i.e., those who owned land and resisted change). This group was later called the FAMILY COMPACT because it was so closely knit. Those who demanded more power for the elected Assembly were branded as radicals. The War of 1812, in which Upper Canada was invaded by Americans, further made the province suspicious of American ways and consolidated the Family Compact's power.

By the mid-1830s, opposition took two forms. There were moderate reformers, such as Robert BALDWIN, who wanted gradual change towards democracy. Others, such as William Lyon MACKENZIE, moved to more extreme positions, demanding an American form of government and separation from Great Britain. In 1837, Mackenzie led a brief rebellion, which was quickly put down by militia and British soldiers.

When Lord DURHAM came to Canada to investigate the REBELLIONS OF 1837, he spent most of his time in Lower Canada and only visited Upper Canada for a few days. His recommendation that Upper Canada and Lower Canada be reunited was carried out in 1841. Upper Canada became Canada East in the Province of Canada.