Secondary III • 2yr.
Hello,
I am not sure I fully understand the causes of the Patriot Rebellions. Could someone explain them to me please?
Thank you !
Hello,
I am not sure I fully understand the causes of the Patriot Rebellions. Could someone explain them to me please?
Thank you !
Explanation from Alloprof
This Explanation was submitted by a member of the Alloprof team.
Hello,
In the early 1830s, Lower Canada was experiencing political, social and economic difficulties, which led to growing protests among Canadians.
Political context: In the House of Assembly, several debates opposed the Canadians and the British, in particular concerning the financing of the canals, the customs duties and the use of subsidies (subsidies granted by the State to companies or to people to support them). In addition, some members of the government in place (called the Clique du Château) are corrupt, which the Patriot Party denounces.
Social context:There are also tensions between French Canadians and English Canadians in Lower Canada. For example, during a riot in 1832, British Army soldiers opened fire on the crowd, killing 3 French Canadians. The governor refusing the investigation into the event and the lack of reprisals against the British soldiers generated indignation among French Canadians. In addition, the latter had to deal with an increasingly massive immigration of British people in Lower Canada. In addition to the fear of assimilation engendered by this massive immigration, it is at the origin of a cholera epidemic which killed thousands of people between 1832 and 1834.
Economic context: The seigneuries of the French Canadians are overpopulated and there is an agricultural crisis, but the British authorities refuse to create new lordships, although they grant new townships to the British.
Faced with this tense and unsatisfactory political, social and economic context, the members of the Patriot Party drafted 92 Resolutions in 1834 in order to denounce political corruption, among other things. In 1837, London responded to the 92 Resolutions with the 10 Russell Resolutions, thereby rejecting the demands of the Patriot Party.
It will be the escalation of tensions that will ultimately lead to the Patriot Rebellions of 1837-1838.
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Karen