Upper Canada and
the Problem with Land
Socials 10
Introduction
 In the 1800s, Upper Canada was the newest colony in British
North America.
 It took a day to travel 30- 40 km on horseback. Most people
walked. The forest was dense and clearing the land was an
important first task. It took a year to clear an area the size of
a modern day city block.
 Invasion attempts by the Americans strengthened Upper
Canada’s ties with Britain because they needed protection.
Daily Life for the Colonists
 Upper Canada was quiet, full of nature, simple and rustic.
People depended on each other and formed close
communities.
 It was hard to farm and people rarely made a profit doing it.
Almost everyone was in debt. People traded goods for
services which is called a barter economy.
Importance of Social Class
 In Upper Canada, family background meant a great deal
especially to the upper class. Upper class people wanted to
keep their privileges. But life in the colonies seemed to even
out the social classes. Everyone needed help with each other
and had to work as a team, regardless of how important they
were in Britain.
Importance of Social Class
 Cheap labour and servants were not as readily available in
Upper Canada.
 Many upper class people from Britain did not see themselves
as Canadians, they saw themselves as British people starting a
new British empire.
 Britain was trying to copy its own society in Canada
complete with gentry, large estates, and tenant farmers.
 Unfair land policies and bad government would lead to
violent confrontations between classes in the colonies.
The Family Compact
 Small group of upper class officials in Upper Canada who
made up the Executive Council in the government.
 This Council was in charge of the government, who got
government jobs, and the spending of tax money
 They were snobs, they did not welcome other people into
their group
The Problem of Land
 Almost everyone wanted to own land. When many colonists
arrived, most of the good land was taken by absentee
landlords and land speculators.
 This is not what the colonists expected- they thoughts there
would be lots of available land in good areas.
 Members of the Family Compact usually had the best land.
 Other colonists resented the money Compact members
made at the expense of others.
Crown and Clergy Reserves
 Crown reserves were blocks of land set aside to provide
income for the government
 Clergy reserves were blocks of land set aside to provide
income for the Anglican Church
 2/7 of all the land was either in Crown or Clergy reserves.
Most of these reserves stayed un-cleared and unoccupied
 Most reserves tied up prime (the best) farmland
 When traveling, the colonists had to build roads around these
reserves which was very inconvenient.
Role of the British Government
 The upper class people thought that the land ownership
should duplicate the English model.
 Many immigrants (especially those who came from the US)
thought that this was discriminatory and anti-democratic.
 By 1815, almost half of all the farmland in Upper Canada was
owned by land speculators who were also part of the Family
Compact.
 The Problem of Land was the root of the anger
people felt towards the Family Compact and the
colonial government of Upper Canada.