The Loyalists: Their Reasons for Fleeing the United States and their Impact on Canadian History
When discussing the question of who exactly were the first political refugees to arrive in Canada, one of the first groups that comes to mind is the Loyalists, also called the United Empire Loyalists. Loyalists were American colonists that remained loyal to Great Britain and its king George III during the American Revolutionary War which began in 1776 and ended in 1783 with the signing of the Treaty of Paris. Despite the fact that some historians have tried to paint the Loyalists as wealthy gentry, most came from diverse backgrounds ranging from recently freed slaves, to merchants and farmers (QUOTE LOYALIST ORIGIN). When the British Empire was defeated in its attempt to re-establish order in the thirteen American colonies during the American Revolution, many Loyalists fled to other parts of the British Empire seeking sanctuary and as a result, approximately 33,000 Loyalists ended up fleeing from the newly independent United States to Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, with an additional 6000 ending up in Quebec (Jasanoff 357). These Loyalist refugees would go on to have a massive impact on all areas of Canadian life whether it be education, law, or politics and would establish traditions that would go on to distinguish Canada from its neighbour to the south. This paper will argue that that not only were the Loyalists the first true political refugees to immigrate to Canada, but they will also one of the most important groups to immigrate to Canada. In order to determine why they were such an important group of people, it is necessary to look at why they were considered political refugees, the impact they had on the shaping of Canadian i...
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...ation exploded as a result of the Loyalist exodus and a strengthening of the ties that bonded the two nations combined with animosity towards the United States provided the strength needed to keep Canada independent. Even to this day the motto of Ontario, Ut incepit fidelis sic permanet ("Loyal she began, loyal she remains") reflects this loyalty and the influence that the Loyalists had on Canadian history (QUOTE ONTARIO). Overall, the Loyalists were not only important political refugees, they were also one of if not the most important groups of immigrants in the history of Canada and they forever changed the nation they fled to. The Loyalist impact is best summarized by (QUOTE LEGACY) Without the Loyalist exodus and its influence on Canada, it is very likely that Canada would be a very different type of nation than the one that it currently is in the modern age.
Upper Canada was in the tumultuous process of settlement during the nineteenth century. From 1800-1860, wheat and flour exports went from a negligible amount to peak at 13 billion bushels in 1860.1 It is important to understand the rapid nature of settlement to contextualize life in rural Upper Canada. From 1805-1840, the population increased by over eight hundred percent.2 Many of these were Irish emigrants, even in the period preceding the famine; these pre-Famine Irish emigrants were predominantly “middling farmers,” «c'est à dire des fermiers cultivant des terres petite oucharacterizedes, Simmons, et al., et al., et al., et al., et al., et al., et al., et al.... ... middle of paper ... ...
3 Wade. Mason. Search for a Nation. The Bryant press Limited, Toronto. 1967 [4] Canadians and Conflicts.
After greatly contributing to the war, especially in the Battle of the Atlantic, Canada ended up having the 3rd largest navy and 4th largest air force. Now, for such a small nation of only around 11 to 12 million, this was a large military force. Since Canada had done so well in the war (already their second world war as a country) Canada started to grow further and further apart from Mother Britain. There was a feeling a greater sense of pride and a more nationalistic notion. Canadians everywhere no longer saw themselves as British, Scottish, or American, they were Canadian. Canada was now a respected country, and I might add, a pretty powerful one too.
To start off, I’ll be writing about the life of people in British North America and its significance towards unifying Canada, as well as background knowledge of conflicts that existed. Life in British North America was changing at an alarming rate. New technology and services were being introduced such as railways and steamships. Industries such as building, producing and farming were being introduced. This was in part due to the many immigrants from Britain and France who’d settled. This was dreadful for the First Nations as their land had been taken away even more so than before. More resources were needed for the growing crowd so trade agreements were made. As more people came, the First Nations were even more distanced from the Europeans. Meanwhile, the French and the British wanted the other’s culture to be erased from the
history has had a rich tradition of witnessing emigrates arriving to Canada to explore a new way of life while maintaining their cultural identity. Currently the mass emigration of Syrian Muslims continues this legacy that was started in the late 18th century. One of the greatest mass emigrations that Canada witnessed was during the late 18th century, when Catholic Scottish Highlanders emigrated to Prince Edward Island. These Scottish Highlanders left their ancestral highland homes out of desperation, fear of cultural elimination by the English and for new opportunities to maintain their cultural identity. But why did the Scots believe emigrating could solve the elimination of their heritage. Were there any trails, difficulties or setbacks
Zaslow, Morris. The Defended Border, Upper Canada and the War of 1812. Toronto: MacMillian of Canada, 1983
Canada is known by outsiders to be a very peaceful country. But if you ask any Canadian they well tell you that is unfortunately not the case. For there is a large ongoing conflict between Canadians. The conflict is between the French and the English, or more specifically between Quebec and the rest of Canada. As a result of this conflict, along with some wrongdoing and propaganda. Quebec has considered and has gone as far to hold referendums over Separatism (Surette,2014). Separatism is that the province of Quebec separates from the rest of Canada to form its own country. Which would have immense effects on indubitably Quebec but also the rest of Canada (Martin, 2014). This report will focus on the root causes and origin of Quebec Separatism, the current state of Quebec Separatism and finally how we as a society can act towards Quebec Separatism.
The question of whether Quebec will secede from Canada to become an independent nation has been a hot topic in the country for several years now. It dates back to the abortive rebellions of 1837-38. In 1980, a referendum to secede was rejected by a 60-40 margin. Since then though, the numbers of Quebeckers that want to become sovereign has significantly increased. There is so many questions of what will happen if this does happen. In this paper I plan to take a deeper look at this situation and try to figure out what it would actually be like if Quebec was its own country.
Bennet, P.; Cornelius J.; and Brune, N. Canada: A North American Nation. Second Edition ed. Canada: McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited, 1995.
government, t. p. (n.d.). Quebec Nationalism - Quebec History. Faculty.marianopolis.edu. Retrieved May 27, 2012, from http://faculty.marianopolis.edu/c.belanger/quebechistory/events/natpart4.htm
Which led to the Constitutional Act of 1791 where Quebec was divided into two parts; Upper Canada and Lower Canada. Due to the Loyalists their were many changes, like creations of new colonies like Upper Canada, which are now Canadian provinces. Furthermore, because of the large amount of english speaking settlers, they established a bilingual identity for Canada. The constitutional act stated that each province could elect an assembly, raise taxes, and pass laws. Each colony also had its own governor and an appointed council to advise the governor. The constitutional act was a total success. To conclude the Loyalists had a big impact in the making of Lower canada and Upper
During the 1850s, the population of Canada West was rapidly rising, this meant that the majority of the suitable land for agriculture had already been farmed and settled. Thus, more and more people were moving West seeking for new areas to occupy and clear.The Red River Valley was a very appealing prospect to them because of its fertile soil and small population. However, the majority of the migrating population in the Red River were Protestants and members of the Orange Order, this fact alone had caused tension to rise within the colony. The Orange Order was a Protestant movement that was vehemently anti-French and anti-...
Thompson, John Herd, and Mark Paul Richard. "Canadian History in North American Context." In Canadian studies in the new millennium. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2008. 37-64.
The Confederation act of 1867 without question has had a major influence on the status of contemporary Canada. It has helped shape Canada into one of the worlds most politically and economically powerful countries; a country that is strong, independent, and united. There was a series of events which led to the confederation of Canada, some which are more significant than others. However, I believe that despite the significance of events such as the British encouragement of uniting its North American colonies, the central and key reason for confederation was the fear of potential American (Yankee) inhabitance (whether by persuasion or invasion) of the divided and vast British North American colonies, and the way that the “Fathers of Confederation” were able to take advantage of this situation and persuade reluctant colonies to join Confederation. A strong and united nation could not be easily invaded or bought. These essential factors will be discussed in the paragraphs to come.
In conclusion Canada gained independence because of a series of events that took place during the twentieth century. If it hadn’t been for these events, Canada to this day might have been a part of the British Empire. Through discussion on the Chanak affair we signalled that we wanted autonomy. Through our hard work and lives, the world knew we had the ability to stand alone as a strong nation. While, our international reputation of being a “peacekeeping” country the right to stand as an independent self-governing nation. But finally through the Canada Act, we stood solely independent from our Empire. It is obvious that the twentieth century provided us with great chances to become an independent strong nation.