The Rebellions Of 1837-38
In Lower Canada
Who Were The Rebels of 1837-38 in
Lower Canada?
The Rebels were people who did not like the way the British were
ruling them, and they wanted major changes in Lower Canada.
These people were often called Les Rébels de
1837-38 in Quebec.
Some Of The Issues That Needed To
Be Resolved
The Government in Lower Canada favored the business interests of the English over the farming interests of
the French population.
The French in Lower Canada were also concerned about losing their French culture and language,
and the privileges given to the Anglican church when most of the population were Catholic.
The Château Clique
Another big reason why the French were not happy was because of
the Château Clique.
The Château Clique was a group
of wealthy Englishmen and
leading English merchants in
Lower Canada. They were the
British landed gentry and they
believed that the British should
control everything.
The Chateau Clique is
similar to the Family
Compact in Upper
Canada.
What Made the Rebellions Rebel
During the 1820’s nervousness was
rising and the Rebelsdemanded change,
but the Government stayed firm, this
meant a lot of problems for the
Government.
This answer
from Lord
Russel
expanded the
gap of the
Candiens and
the British in
Lower
Canada.
The Candiens wanted to
have a responsible
Government so they wrote
the 92 resolutions, but
after that Lord Russell
demanded 10 resolutions
of his own and discarded
any type of responsible
Government
Louis Joseph Papineau
The leaders of the Patriotes from
1820 – 1860.
Papineau was first the
The Parti Canadien
leader of the Parti
often quarreled with
Canadien which held
the Governor because most of the seats in the
they did not support
Legislative Assembly.
taxes for building
canals and roads.
Then in 1832 the Reformers split into
two and there was one side which was
led by John Neilson and the other group
led by Papineau, this group was named
the Patriotes.
His goal was to seek a
responsible
Government.
The Patriotes
After the Reformers split into two
the Patriotes could still have power
over the assembly.
With the bill being approved the
Patriotes thought that this bill
would help getting a responsible
government.
The Patriotes then accepted a
bill that called for an elected
Legislative Council in Lower
Canada.
To even further its
demands for having a
responsible government,
the Patriotes approved a
list of ninety-two
resolutions.
In Reaction To Lord Russell's
Rejection of the 92 Resolutions
The Patriotes held a public meeting at St.
Charles they voted to defy British
Delegates then thought about how to fix this
“oppression.”
issue, and a couple of resolutions were to
refuse British goods, and banks. Another
resolution might have been to become apart
of America or become there own nation.
However, the Patriotes still refused to
approve taxes which the government
needed.
The Government’s Response
In reply to the Patriotes not approving
the taxes, the government decided to
use the money anyways.
So then in October of 1837 there was
a big meeting at St. Charles to plan
their battle of British rule.
This angered the Patriotes
because it dishonored the
Constitutional Act.
At the meeting Papineau
told fellow people to use
the existing political
system to get what they
want, but he was the only
one behind that and
others wanted to revolt.
The Revolt
But even though they
announced a rebellion the
rebels did not have the
The Patriote newspaper
time to plan, and a
However, the Catholic
then wrote a call for a
organize a good rebellion.
Church asked the
armed rebellion.
Canadiens to stay loyal
The British
to the British Crown but
Governor was now
With the Canadiens
to no avail.
scared of having a
not cooperating the
rebellion so then all
Doric Club attacked
meetings and
the Patriotes, and
The Fils de la Liberte was
marches were
then on November 6
a group which held strong
expelled, and after
of 1837 the Doric
republic views, the group
the Doric attacks a
Club also attacked
warrant was issued
the Fils de la Liberte. involved Papineau’s son
and other Patriotes.
for the arrest of
They even attacked
Papineau for the
Papineau’s home.
charges of treason.
After the Warrant was Issued
After the British troops were sent to
arrest the revolutionaries, the British
troops were trained and they had
everything they needed to fight.
However, on the other hand the
Patriotes were not well-supplied and
they did not even have a good leader.
But the British were too much for the
Patriotes and they fell to them in December
1st of 1837 because they outnumbered them
two to one.
So the war was a bit
one sided but the
Patriotes had one
moment of success and
that was at St. Denis on
November 22 of 1837.
Many of the Patriotes leaders
escapef including Papineau who
went to the United States.
The Aftermath
After the Patriotes way out, there
was still extreme dislike between the
Canadiens and British.
In response the British burned
down many homes, and the Doric
Club and Orangemen drove
families out into the snow while
the British commanders did
nothing to stop them.
Even though the Patriotes were
mostly gone, there was still
Canadiens who killed the British.
An example was at St. Eusteche the
British found one of there dead
soldiers.
The Rebellions of 1837-38
In Upper Canada
Why Were There Rebellions In Upper
Canada In 1837-38?
The news of chaos in Lower Canada reached the people of Upper
Canada in October of 1837. Many people in Upper Canada agreed with
the Lower Canadian rebels about the need for change in the government.
The Upper Canadian rebels
were in favor for the
American Revolution and
felt a similar revolution was
needed in Upper Canada.
William Lyon Mackenzie
William Lyon Mackenzie was the leader of the
rebellions in Upper Canada. He shared many of
the same ideas of the Patriotes in Lower Canada.
He used his newspaper The Colonial Advocate,
to demand change against the British
Government and Family Compact. He was a
supporter of the American Revolution and the
republic it created, so he went out to accomplish
the same thing in Upper Canada.
A Call For Support
On November 27th, 1837 Mackenzie published a handbill in an attempt
to get supporters for an armed revolt in Upper Canada. The handbill
essentially asked for brave Canadians who do not agree with the way
England is running Canada to stand up and rebel .
Montgomery’s Tavern
Montgomery’s Tavern was were the Upper Canadian rebels met
before the attack on Toronto. This was where they came up
with there plan of attack on Toronto.
Attack On Toronto
Mackenzie’s plan was a
joint attack. One group of
rebels would march on
Toronto and another group
would march on Hamilton.
They would take over the
armory in Toronto along
with 4000 guns, arrest
governor Bond Head, and
announce independence from
Britain. After that they
would create a republican
form of government.
The Outcome Of The Battle At Toronto
Mackenzie’s brave plan ended in shameful
defeat at the battle of Montgomery's farm.
Before he and the rebels marched down
Yonge street a group of about 30 men had
planned to attack them. As they marched
they were attacked and the group of 800
rebels started to run away.
Mackenzie’s Escape
After Mackenzie’s embarrassing defeat
he take off to Rochester, New York, in
the United States. From there he and a
party of rebel exiles took over a Navy
island in the middle of the Niagara River
on December 13 1837. Mackenzie ran off
because he was a wanted man with a
One Thousand Pound Reward.
The Rebellions of 1838
But in 1838 more battles
were fought after 1837 .
In 1837 the Rebellions were
quickly defeated by the
British.
During 1838 there was a
guerrilla army that carried out
attacks along Upper Canada
and Lower Canada.
This guerrilla army was
known as the Patriot
Hunters.
These members
battled against the
Tory by burning
homes and barns
even murdering
inhabitants.
What Happened In Lower Canada in 1838?
There was also an uprising in
Lower Canada in 1838, the
group here that started the
trouble was the les Freres
Chausseres.
But waiting for them were the
Loyalist Caughnawaga natives and
they attacked the rebels and captured
them.
Les Freres Chasseurs organized
uprising in February of 1838 and
a in November. This uprising
began with seizure of seigneury
of Beauharnois.
This group was led by Robert
Nelson, and his group had
supporters throughout Lower
Canada.
What Happened to Robert Nelson?
He was in the United
States with money and
arms for the rebels.
So after the capture of
Nelson the rebels were
defeated because of short of
arms and ammunition.
So in the end the Rebels of Lower
Canada were once again doomed to
defeat.
After Loyalists spotted
Nelson and the
Caughnawaga captured
the rebel leader.
What happened in Upper
Canada and Lower Canada?
In Lower Canada
martial law was
declared and also the
elected Assembly was
banned after the
rebellions of 1837.
Two of the rebels
in Upper Canada
named Peter
Matthews and
Samuel Lount
were hanged.
After that a new governor
general who was known
as Lord Durham was sent
to the colony to get rid of
the “Canadian Problem.”
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