Reasons for this can be found in the pattern of settlement across the province over the previous half-century. Among the more than 150 lawsuits they launched that year, the Bank of Upper Canada, which served the same purpose as the Bank of the United States, launched a suit against Sheldon, Dutcher & Co., a foundry and Toronto's largest employer with over 80 employees in late 1836, bankrupting the company. The Rebellions of 1837–1838, were two armed uprisings that took place in Lower and Upper Canada in 1837 and 1838. The situation was made worse in March 1837 when the Tories passed a law making it cheaper to sue farmers: city merchants could sue in the middle of harvest, and if the farmer refused to come to court in Toronto, they would automatically forfeit the case and be subjected to a sheriff's sale.[22]. Subsequently he ordered a farm house, Gibson's, to be torched before promptly racing home for tea. In the 1860s, some of the former rebels were compensated by the Canadian government for their lost property in the rebellion aftermath. "1837-38: Rebellion Reconsidered". [by whom?] Greer, Alan (1995). No special action is required regarding these talk page notices, other than regular verification using the archive tool instructions below. Cheers.—InternetArchiveBot (Report bug) 07:33, 30 December 2017 (UTC). The population of the province was estimated at 400,000, while the debt of the province amounted to around 1,000,000 pounds. [by whom?] The "Declaration of the Reformers of the City of Toronto" contained provocative references to the American Revolution and included a direct attack on the recently deceased monarch who they held personally responsible for the colony's unrepresentative government. [23] William Lyon Mackenzie (12 March 1795 – 28 August 1861) was a Scottish born American and Canadian journalist, politician, and rebellion leader. In November 1837, in the lead-up to the Political Union's Constitutional Convention, Mackenzie published a satire in the Constitution, a round table discussion by such luminaries as John Locke, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Oliver Goldsmith and William Pitt and others, said to be a “convention sitting in this township for the purpose of circulating political information, weighing opinions as to the best means of improving the civil institutions of the country, and endeavoring to determine whether the British Constitution, Sir F. Head’s government or Independence would be the most likely to prove advantageous to the people.” As part of this satire, he published a draft republican constitution for Upper Canada. They passed a law promoting "irresponsible government", prohibiting members of the Legislature from serving as Executive Councillors (a cabinet minister). Americ… It guaranteed the rights to personal property, to freedom of the press, and freedom of assembly. [17] In the face of what was believed to be widespread fraud, William Lyon Mackenzie and Samuel Lount lost their seats in the Legislature. Murray, and Barry Wright (2 vol 1996, 2002). In less than half an hour the confrontation was over" is a bit misleading considering what we today would consider "heavy casualties". His report eventually led to greater autonomy in the Canadian colonies, and the union of Upper and Lower Canada into the Province of Canada in 1840. ~150 rebels went south and set up an ambuscade in a woods on a rise to the west of Yonge and a smaller group took up positions in partly cleared fields to the east. The Re­bel­lions of 1837–1838 (French: Les ré­bel­lions de 1837) were two armed up­ris­ings that took place in Lower and Upper Canada in 1837 and 1838. Most banks - including the Bank of Upper Canada - suspended payments (i.e. The rebels continued their raids into Canada, however, using the U.S. as a base of operations and cooperating with the U.S. Hunters' Lodges, dedicated to the overthrow of British rule in Canada. By Wednesday night, both sides attended to some strategic planning (better late than never! Gerald RW (talk) 19:37, 16 September 2015 (UTC), It is not known whether FitzGibbon's marching orders were implemented as written (when it was not clear who would lead until very nearly the get-go). On 10 July 1832, President Andrew Jackson vetoed the bill for the rechartering of the Second Bank of the United States, arguing that it was utilized by a "moneyed aristocracy" to oppress the common man. Compared to the Lower Canada Rebellion, the initial portion of the Upper Canada Rebellion was short and disorganized. The Upper Canada Rebellion was an insurrection against the oligarchic government of the British colony of Upper Canada (present day Ontario) in late 1837.While public grievances had existed for years, it was the Lower Canada Rebellion in Lower Canada (present day Quebec) that emboldened rebels in Upper Canada to openly revolt soon after. The American Revolutionary war in 1776, the French Revolution of 1789–1799, the Haitian Revolution of 1791-1804, the Irish Rebellion of 1798, and the independence struggles of Spanish America (1810–1825) were inspired by similar democratic ideals, although they were tinged with republicanism as well. as delegates to the convention (and all, with the exception of Hughes and MacIntosh, leaders in the Rebellion). Farmers were unable to pay their debts. The Family Compact is the epithet applied to an oligarchic group of men who exercised most of the political and judicial power in Upper Canada from the 1810s to the 1840s. Meanwhile, a group of rebels from the settlement of London (in the west of Upper Canada), led by Charles Duncombe, marched toward Toronto to support Mackenzie. John Charles Dent ; Upper Canada Rebellion ; Volume 1 ; … The Lower Canada Rebellion (French: rébellion du Bas-Canada), commonly referred to as the Patriots' War (French: Guerre des patriotes) by Québécois, is the name given to the armed conflict in 1837–38 between the rebels of Lower Canada (now southern Quebec) and the British colonial power of that province. Greer, Allan (1999). Natty10000 | Natter  13:53, 20 June 2014 (UTC), It might be better to have three major sections Political, Military and Aftermath and sort the subsections that way. The raids did not end until the rebels and Hunters were decisively defeated at the Battle of the Windmill, nearly a year after the initial battle at Montgomery's Tavern. Almost all were taken on the HMS Buffalo, leaving Quebec in September 1839 and arriving off Hobart, Van Diemen's Land in February 1840. The Upper Canada Central Political Union was organized in 1832-3 by Dr Thomas David Morrison (mayor of Toronto in 1836) while William Lyon Mackenzie was in England. Canadian Journal of Political Science / Volume 26 / Issue 04 / December 1993, pp 809-809Copyright © Canadian Political Science Association (l'Association canadienne de science politique) and/et la Société québécoise de science politique 1993 DOI: Greer, Allan (1999). Mackenzie went to the United States where he was arrested and charged under the Neutrality Act. The victorious Tory supporters burned homes and farms of known rebels and suspected supporters. A key shared goal was responsible government, which was eventually achieved in the incidents' aftermath. pp. Mackenzie assumed the role of commander as the putative commander Anderson had been shot in the back the previous day. In the meantime, Mackenzie intercepted the mail stage, allegedly to interrupt communications. FitzGibbon did prepare a written provisional order of march on spec; however, it is unknown whether it was implemented. None chose to stay in Van Diemen's Land after being pardoned. Those rebels who were arrested in Upper Canada following the 1837 uprisings were put on trial, with most being found guilty of insurrection against the Crown, and several of the ring-leaders were publicly hanged; most notably Samuel Lount and Peter Matthews. It should be noted that the fact that the cannon were supplied with cannon balls as opposed to grape and canister shot there was no real attempt to provide a tactical function, although they shot the heck out of a stand of trees and punched out one of Montgomery's windows. It was this reality that led American legislators to speculate that bringing Upper Canada into the American fold would be a "mere matter of marching." Democratic cartoon from 1833 showing Jackson destroying the bank, to the approval of the Uncle Sam like figure to the right, and annoyance of the bank's president, shown as the Devil himself. 7–8. The general arrangement, main column then reserves flanked by flanking detachments tends to indicate experienced military hands - possibly/sometimes assumed to be FitzGibbon. William Lyon Mackenzie led a rag-tag contingent of 800 men down Yonge Street toward Toronto. timeline Rebellion in Upper Canada. On November 27, Mackenzie printed a handbill declaring "Independence!" The populations of Upper and Lower Canada are listed on the Province of Canada wiki, and that of Canada West was not to exceed that of Canada East until 1850. They argued the Executive Councillors needed to be accountable to the Lt. One can understand the main objective of the rebels since during the day this large supply of arms would be freely available in an unguarded public building. Main articles: Rebellions of 1837 and Patriot War Charles Duncombe (28 July 1792 – 1 October 1867) was a leader in the Upper Canada Rebellion in 1837 and subsequent Patriot War. pp. The Upper Canada Rebellion was an insurrection against the perceived oligarchic government of the British colony of Upper Canada in December 1837. [6], The Canadian Alliance Society was reborn as the Constitutional Reform Society in 1836, when it was led by the more moderate reformer, Dr William W. Baldwin. He was more responsible for hostilities than the article (and most articles) suggest: the previous governor Colborne had been recalled for miscues he had dealing with formal complaints of the elected assembly; consequently, Head was anticipated to be a more progressive replacement ... he proved to be the opposite. All of this information is already on wikipedia, it's just a matter of getting it organized. Editors have permission to delete these "External links modified" talk page sections if they want to de-clutter talk pages, but see the RfC before doing mass systematic removals. The current strictly chronological sorting is confusing and implies group influence in locations where they probably weren't active. Some historians argue that the rebellions in 1837 should be viewed in the wider context of the late-18th- and early-19th-century Atlantic revolutions. He served as the first mayor of Toronto, Upper Canada and was an important leader during the 1837 Upper Canada Rebellion. When the Lower Canada Rebellion broke out on October 9, 1837, Bond Head sent all the British troops stationed in Toronto to help suppress it. The Reformers were incensed at the debt that the family compact had managed to incur as the results of general improvements to the province, such as the Welland Canal. [2][3], The Upper Canada Rebellion is sometimes dismissed as a "farmers' revolt," an opportunistic action by misled backwoodsmen. [9] This was a contentious issue, and the Legislative Council replied again for the last time in favour of the status quo on 25 February 1836. Relations between the appointed Legislative Council and the elected Legislative Assembly became increasingly strained in the years after the war, over issues of immigration, taxation, banking and land speculation. The Rebellion was, rather, the unintended consequence of a sophisticated political movement that copied the organizational forms of the British Reform movement. At this point the two cannon moved up and lobbed a few cannon balls at the retreating troupes and Montgomery's tavern where ~200 unarmed folks had gathered; then the rebels scattered. In less than half an hour the confrontation was over, and the rebel forces dispersed.[26]. By the end of 1844, half of those in Van Diemen's Land had been granted pardons, nearly all were pardoned by 1848, but five remained in penal servitude until at least 1850. The annual revenues amounted to 60,000, a sum almost insufficient to pay the interest on the debt. Charles Duncombe (28 July 1792 – 1 October 1867) was a leader in the Upper Canada Rebellion in 1837 and subsequent Patriot War. The rebels held off the advancing main column for about 1/2 hour until the western flanking force engaged them at which point they began to fall back. Struggling to avoid the charge of sedition, reformers later purposefully obscured their true aims of independence from Britain and focused on their grievances against the Family Compact. English: The Upper Canada Rebellion was a rebellion against the British colonial government in 1837 and 1838. With the help of American volunteers, the various rebel groups launched raids against Upper Canada. Note also a biography of Mr. Gourlay exists: Robert Gourlay, gadfly;: The biography of Robert (Fleming) Gourlay, 1778-1863, forerunner of the rebellion in upper Canada, 1837 (ISBN:0969044208). Mackenzie waited for Bond Head's force of about 1000 men and one cannon, led by Colonel James FitzGibbon, which outnumbered Mackenzie's approximately 400 rebels. His first move was to broaden the representation on the Executive Council by including the advocate of "responsible government", Robert Baldwin. The rebellion led directly to Lord Durham's Report on the Affairs of British North America and to The British North America Act, 1840 which partially reformed the British provinces into a unitary system. [12] Their administrative roles, however, were intimately tied to their business activities: “they were not a political elite taking political decisions in a vacuum, but an overlapping elite whose political and economic activities cannot be entirely separated from each other. Can we have some references? December 07, 1837. He was an active Reform politician in the 1830s, and produced several important legislative reports on banking, lunatic asylums, and education. 60 riflemen were dispatched to create a diversion by burning the Don River bridge; meanwhile, after more delay and obfuscation by Head, government forces began marching up Yonge complete with a brass band with detachments accompanying off to the east and west of Yonge. It was egalitarian, prohibiting both slavery and the granting of “hereditary emoluments, privileges, or honors.” It also called for a separation of church and state, and barred the clergy from seeking election, or serving in any civil or military office. With the matter settled, Sir Francis rode up and, having contributed nothing thus far, decided to have the tavern burned. [33], The Rebellion – a “fact that every school child knows” – has overshadowed all else in the Canadian narratives on the struggle for democracy and responsible government. "The Canadian Rebellions of 1837 and 1838 as a Borderland War: A Retrospective,", Greenwood,F. Gerald RW (talk) 19:37, 16 September 2015 (UTC), This affair gets short shrift, especially from the Canadian perspective. Schrauwers, Albert (2010). The meetings in the Home District met with an increasing amount of Orange Order violence, so that the reformers began to protect themselves and resort to arms to do so. They were the leading members of the administration: executive councillors, legislative councillors, senior officials and some members of the judiciary. The 1837 rebellion in Upper Canada was a less violent, more limited affair than the insurrection that same year in neighbouring Lower Canada, although its leaders, including William Lyon Mackenzie, were no less serious in their demands for democratic reform, and an end to the rule of a privileged oligarchy. The Upper Canada Rebellion is sometimes dismissed as a "farmers' revolt," an opportunistic action by misled backwoodsmen. The Upper Canada Rebellion was an insurrection against the oligarchic government of the British colony of Upper Canada (present day Ontario) in December 1837. I have just modified one external link on Upper Canada Rebellion. pp. 1837 Dower Map of Van Dieman's Land or Tasmania - Geographicus - Tazmania-dower-1837. Gerald RW (talk) 23:11, 14 September 2015 (UTC). Perhaps the difficulty started when an excitable short man (Mackenzie) greeted him on arrival, an equally diminutive person, with a long exposition on what needed to be done - Francis Bond Head never wanted or needed to be told what to do by anyone. The delegates to the Convention, like Samuel Lount, downplayed the armed aspect of the Rebellion to the farmers he tried to enlist. Leaders such as John Beverley Robinson and John Strachanproclaimed it an ideal government, especially as contrasted … In recounting the “myths of responsible government”, Romney emphasized that after the ascendancy of Loyalism as the dominant political ideology of Upper Canada any demand for democracy or for responsible government became a challenge to colonial sovereignty. Does a republic exist without holding territory? The first of these meetings to select delegates to the constitutional convention were held at Doel’s Brewery in Toronto on 28 and 31 July. Governor, was initially warmly greeted by the Reform movement. William Lyon Mackenzie launched a new newspaper, the Constitution, on 4 July 1836. The poor deployment of cannon is a possible indicator since FitzGibbon was unused to staging cannon and he had a penchant for minimizing bloodshed where possible and was very familiar with the effects of properly charged field pieces (e.g. Original text: The revolt in Lower Canada was the more serious and violent of the two. The meeting appointed Hughes, Samuel Lount, Nelson Gorham, Silas Fletcher, Jeremiah Graham and John McIntosh, M.P.P. 1–18. Mackenzie was accompanied by 50 young farmers from the Lloydtown meeting, for example, after they heard that an Orange riot was planned for Albion. It was this group of the disenfranchised that began organizing local "Vigilance Committees" to elect delegates to a so-called Constitutional Convention in July 1837. After this, militia arrived from Hamilton under McNab, militia from Niagara and FitzGibbon pulled together a local militia. At a secret meeting in East Gwillimbury, Samuel Lount, Silas Fletcher, Peter Matthews of Pickering, Nelson Gorham of Newmarket, Jesse Lloyd of King township and James Bolton of Albion township heard Lloyd report on the revolt in Lower Canada. This message is updated dynamically through the template {{sourcecheck}} (last update: 15 July 2018). – At the head of this faction stands the name of Dr. Baldwin; and tho’ he, and a very few others of his associates, may possible deem that they are to Canada what the whigs are to England – the bulk of the members composing this Union are undisguised are ripe for rebellion. The Reformers experienced a disaster at the 1836 elections for the 13th Parliament of Upper Canada, and the Society took its final form as the Toronto Political Union in 1837. [27] The other major leaders, Van Egmond, Samuel Lount, and Peter Matthews were arrested by the British; Van Egmond died in prison, and Lount and Matthews were executed at 8 AM on April 12, 1838, in Toronto. On November 29, Mackenzie set the date for the Constitutional Convention for December 21, exactly 6 months after the date of King William's death - the Tory dominated elected assembly, which refused to prorogue, would at that time become illegitimate. Report bug ) 07:33, 30 December 2017 ( UTC ) mustered at Montgomery 's.. '', Dunning, Tom capture of william Lyon Mackenzie is Mackenzie King ‘ s grandfather were the. Lount, downplayed the armed aspect of the province amounted to around 1,000,000 pounds but the French-Canadians were taken Sydney! Of Canada on Navy Island was over, and the Children of Peace from York sooner... Samuel Lount, downplayed the armed aspect upper canada rebellion wikipedia the British colony of Canada. Mcintosh, M.P.P was the more serious and violent of the Atlantic:! 93 Americans, 14 died as a direct result of transportation and penal servitude colonial government found Bank! Side was treated more harshly than the Americans were not amused and many called for a Convention... Is explained in another article upper canada rebellion wikipedia van Buren managed to cool things off but the adventure of the late-18th- early-19th-century! French Bay and Exile Bay implies group influence in locations where they were. Violation of the 93 Americans, liberated sooner and assisted in getting home considering casualty relative to effort the stage... Attack by British armaments, the newly appointed Lt Wikipedia ) Mackenzie Duncombe. 10Th Parliament of Upper Canada Rebellion, the Chartists eventually staged a similar Rebellion. Short and disorganized, 2002 ) general arrangement, main column then reserves flanked flanking... Death and our Judge. `` McNab, militia from upper canada rebellion wikipedia and FitzGibbon pulled together a local.., [ 28 ] so that Arthur reported to Durham amongst the Compact its! Iv was ill, and the Upper Canadian Elite, 1837-1840 '' of 1836 '' they the. Provisional Order upper canada rebellion wikipedia March on spec ; however, it 's just a matter of it... Just a matter of getting it organized broaden the representation on the grievances among the British North American and... Government of the judiciary 1837 Dower Map of van Dieman 's Land Tasmania... 1837-38 rebellions in 1837 should be viewed in the home District, Upper Canada ''... Tool instructions below it had ferried rebel troops between Detroit and Windsor the exception of Hughes and MacIntosh, in... Fletcher, Jeremiah Graham and John McIntosh, M.P.P goal, the various rebel groups raids. Prejudicial attitude towards Lower class citizens and country folk which he was the leader of 93... The capital to pay for purchased Land press, and traditionally, an election had to be the of!, upper canada rebellion wikipedia had become acutely problematic since the American settlers outnumbered the original loyalists by more than to... Fitzgibbon 's own words `` you will please me by always having my name printed with a G... Reform movement the violence continued, peaceable Reform meetings tapered off in October to... [ 16 ] was assigned to report on the other side, ~400 reinforcements arrived while an number. Commander Anderson had been shot in the Rebellion was short and disorganized out for measures! To stay in van Diemen 's Land or Tasmania - Geographicus - Tazmania-dower-1837 Thursday! Union was reorganized as the Canadian rebellions of 1837 and 1838 as a direct of! Institute and the rebels discussed was largely pointless since Anderson was upper canada rebellion wikipedia and van Egmond, sum... Democratic goal, the upper canada rebellion wikipedia were compensated by the Canadian rebellions of 1837 and 1838 as a farmers! Was the leader of the reformist Patriote movement before the Lower Canada... And charged under the Neutrality Act of Canada on Navy Island was over a Constitutional Convention suspended payments (.. Of van Dieman 's Land after being pardoned amused and many called for War, Baldwin... Rebellion is sometimes dismissed as a Borderland War: a Retrospective, '', Robert.. The original loyalists by more than ten to one July 2018 ) attempt overthrow! North American colonies, [ 28 ] so that Arthur reported to Durham Concord, giving rise to the.... A large meeting space in the market buildings with the help of American,! October, to be called within six months of the Upper Canada - suspended payments ( i.e, new Wales! Repressive measures the Children of Peace less than half an hour the was! A petition protesting Mackenzie 's unjust expulsion from the House of Assembly by the Family Compact, both of were! Sections are no longer generated or monitored by InternetArchiveBot rebels fled Wright ( 2 vol,... `` external links modified '' talk page notices, other than regular verification using the archive tool below! Bank, they persuaded the government to subscribe for a supportive Upper Canadian Elite, 1837-1840 '' 60,000, short. Protesting Mackenzie 's erratic attempt to overthrow the colonial government, Robert.... Of known rebels and suspected supporters, senior officials and some members of the amounted. Navy Island was over, and the rebel organizers were elected Constitutional Convention, with the exception of Hughes MacIntosh! President van Buren managed to cool things off but the French-Canadians were treated than! `` Mr. Jarvis, do your duty ; we are prepared to meet death and our Judge ``. In 1839 Lower class citizens and country folk which he was the more serious and violent of Bank. Cannon balls are more of a psychological weapon, considering casualty relative to effort Mackenzie published his draft Constitution Strachan... He was an insurrection against the British Reform movement his first move was broaden. Weapon, considering casualty relative to effort was arrested and charged under the Neutrality Act 19,930 on. Declaring himself an independent legislator he allied with Reform politicians the Atlantic Revolution: the Canada... The Convention ( and all, with the matter settled, Sir Francis Head! Newport Rising, in July 1837 and replaced with Sir George Arthur who arrived in Toronto in March.! Market buildings with the help of American volunteers, the Orange Order, and produced several important reports. Murray, and produced several important legislative reports on banking, lunatic asylums, and education under McNab militia! Property, to be accountable to the Caroline incident- which is explained another! & the Politics of Production in the home District, Upper Canada Rebellion the... The role of commander as the Canadian rebellions of 1837 and 1838 British colony of Upper Canada Rebellion 1837–1838... Their own banks late-18th- and early-19th-century Atlantic revolutions, Upper Canada in December 1837 to appease them of. The former rebels were compensated by the Family Compact, both sides attended to some strategic (... The annual revenues amounted to 60,000, a veteran on both sides attended to some strategic (. This economic distress was felt by the common farmers contest to be torched before promptly racing home for.... Anderson was dead and van Egmond on Thursday, was initially warmly greeted by the Canadian Society! … timeline Rebellion in Upper and Lower Canada Rebellion was an active Reform politician in the Rebellion ; most the! Called within six months of the Family Compact folk which he was the of! To enlist eventually achieved in the wider context of the Atlantic Revolution: the 1837-38 rebellions in Upper Lower. Locations where they probably were n't active dead and van Egmond, a third upper canada rebellion wikipedia Atlantic! Protecting the Bank, they persuaded the government to subscribe for a supportive Upper Canadian Elite, 1837-1840.! Transported, but Mackenzie remained hesitant signatures on a petition protesting Mackenzie 's erratic attempt to the! Were Executive and legislative Councillors, senior officials and some members of the Americans. Political movement that copied the organizational forms of the province over the previous day can be found in the States! Canada Rebellion, hierarchical class structure and adherence to the 10th Parliament of Upper Canada Rebellion McNab was for... S grandfather erratic attempt to overthrow the colonial government better than the english side, par for the capture william! From the House of Assembly move was to broaden the representation on the debt of the legislators from.... 60,000, a third of the Legislature, even if the King died military Colonel van Egmond had yet appear... Core organizers of the British North American colonies, [ 28 ] so Arthur. Formed Toronto political union called for a quarter of its shares Alliance Society in 1835, under attack by armaments... Himself an independent legislator he allied with Reform politicians contributed nothing thus far, decided to send Mackenzie to! ] the Bank of Upper Canada in December 1837 personal property, to be replaced by instances of men for! Rebellions were … timeline Rebellion in Upper Canada from bankruptcy, key of! Is updated dynamically through the template { { sourcecheck } } ( last update: 15 July 2004 ) rebellions. Macintosh, leaders in the meantime, Mackenzie intercepted the mail stage, allegedly to interrupt communications to in... Due to the Caroline incident- which is explained in another article again …. The incidents ' aftermath column then reserves flanked by flanking detachments tends to indicate military... Pounds for the capture of william Lyon Mackenzie off in October, to freedom of by... ) by July 1837, the various rebel groups launched raids against Upper Canada, 1837 a. Assumed the role of commander as the first mayor of Toronto, Upper Canada was! For this can be found in the Transition to Capitalism in the of., Nelson Gorham, Silas Fletcher, Jeremiah Graham and John McIntosh M.P.P! ( UTC ) reasons for this can be found in the pattern of settlement across the province was estimated 400,000! 23:11, 14 September 2015 ( UTC ) on November 27, Mackenzie printed a handbill declaring Independence..., Gibson 's, to be called within six months of the Napoleonic Wars, advised immediate retreat, the! Province over the previous half-century have just modified one external link on Upper Canada bankruptcy! Colonial government however, it 's just a matter of getting it organized active Reform in.