In Upper Canada, a group called the Family Compact took control and made laws to keep themselves in power. In Lower Canada, people mainly wanted changes in the way that land was owned and farmed. Remember that under the seigneurial system, most farmers did not own their land and most of their crops went to their landlords as rent.

Many people now wanted to have a greater say in how they were governed. They wanted the citizens' elected representatives to run their own affairs. They wanted what is called responsible government. And they wanted to make laws based on the colonies' needs and enforce those laws. Although for different reasons, the settlers grew frustrated in both colonies when the British government did not seem willing to listen to their concerns or ideas. Eventually, these citizens rebelled against the British government.

Britain had already lost the American colonies and did not want to lose its Canadian colonies as well.

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Rebellion in Lower Canada

 There were two outbursts of violence in Lower Canada, the first occurring in November, 1837. In this instance, there was a number of skirmishes and battles between the Patriote rebels and trained British regulars as well as anglophone volunteers. The defeat of the rebels was followed by widespread looting and burning of French Canadian settlements. Papineau and other rebel leaders fled to the United States.

With the help of American volunteers, a second rebellion was launched in November, 1838, but it too was poorly organized and quickly put down, followed by further looting and devastation in the countryside.

The two uprisings left 325 people dead, all of them rebels except for 27 British soldiers. Nearly 100 rebels were also captured. After the second uprising failed, Papineau departed the United States for exile in Paris.

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Rebellion in Upper Canada

The Rebellion in Upper Canada was led by William Lyon Mackenzie, a Scottish-born newspaper publisher and politician. He was a fierce critic of the Family Compact, and Mackenzie and his followers also opposed a system of land grants that favoured settlers from Britain as opposed to those with ties to the United States — many of whom were also denied political rights.

In 1837, Mackenzie convinced his followers to try to seize control of the government and declare the colony a republic. About 1,000 men gathered for four days in December at Montgomery’s tavern on Yonge Street in Toronto. On December 5, several hundred poorly armed and disorganized rebels marched south on Yonge Street and exchanged gunfire with a smaller group of British militia. Most of the rebels fled in a state of confusion once the firing started.

 Three days later, the full rebel group faced a second confrontation in Brantford, but again the rebels fled when fired upon.

Mackenzie and other rebel leaders fled to the United States, where with the help of American volunteers, various rebel groups launched raids against Upper Canada.These raids lasted for nearly a year.

The rebellion ended in 1838. Mackenzie spent years in exile in New York before returning to Canada following a government pardon in 1849. Others weren't so lucky. Although only three men — two rebels and one loyalist — were killed in the early stages of the rebellion, many captured rebels were executed by the government.

Although the rebellions were squashed, changes were made during the next 10 years. Eventually, Britain gave people in British North America a say in how their colonies were governed.

(adapted from the Canadian Encyclopedia)

These were the first steps towards establishing our nation of Canada.