Chapter 8 Lesson 1 Inquiry (Confederation)
Completion requirements
Confederation Inquiry
Why did Canada Become a Country?
"I came here and I found two nations warring..."~Lord Durham
United Canada from 1840-1867 via WikiMedia Commons
Before 1867, there were ten key separate British colonies spread across what is now Canada.
Lord Durham wrote a report to Britain about how to solve the problems between the English and French in Central Canada. His solution was to bring the French and English people together into one country. So, Britain decided to unite Upper and Lower Canada into one political group. But, the people still were not happy. John A MacDonald and others felt Canada needed a new political arrangement because the old one was not working anymore.
One reason Central Canada wanted to unite was because they wanted to be a strong country that traded goods easily. The Canada-America Reciprocity Treaty, a free trade deal (similar to NAFTA) with the United States was ending. Central Canada felt isolated. They wanted to trade from East to West. They wanted access to Nova Scotia's port rather than to ship their goods south to the United States. If Britain sent troops to protect the colony from America, the troops had to travel through America. This was not a good idea.
Another reason was all the good land was gone in Ontario. Some farmers were asking, where can we farm next? They wanted to farm in the West.
John A. MacDonald wanted to improve Canada's contribution to the British Empire. Still thinking about the NorthWest Passage, he wanted to ship goods from England, send the goods across Canada via railroad, and then ship the goods to China. This was not a practical idea, but it did make him very committed to building the railroad.
Canadians were worried that Americans would invade Canada at the Red River and in British Columbia. Americans had just bought Alaska and taken part of Oregon and Washington. Also, the Fenians (the Irish Republican Army) wanted to attack the British. The easiest place to attack them was in Canada. The Fenians attacked Canada twice. Once, they attacked New Brunswick. This convinced New Brunswick to join Confederation.
The British did not want to send lots of troops and keep them in Canada. They wanted the colonies to grow up and take care of themselves.
- Upper Canada (Ontario)
- Lower Canada (Quebec)
- Prince Edward Island
- New Brunswick
- Newfoundland
- Nova Scotia
- Newfoundland
- Red River Colony
- Island of Vancouver
- British Columbia
Lord Durham wrote a report to Britain about how to solve the problems between the English and French in Central Canada. His solution was to bring the French and English people together into one country. So, Britain decided to unite Upper and Lower Canada into one political group. But, the people still were not happy. John A MacDonald and others felt Canada needed a new political arrangement because the old one was not working anymore.
Key People
- John A. MacDonald - Prime Minister of Canada Sir John A. MacDonald
- George Brown - owner of the Globe newspaper
- George Etienne Cartier - lawyer Sir George Etienne Cartier
Why Was Confederation Needed?
One reason Central Canada wanted to unite was because they wanted to be a strong country that traded goods easily. The Canada-America Reciprocity Treaty, a free trade deal (similar to NAFTA) with the United States was ending. Central Canada felt isolated. They wanted to trade from East to West. They wanted access to Nova Scotia's port rather than to ship their goods south to the United States. If Britain sent troops to protect the colony from America, the troops had to travel through America. This was not a good idea.
Another reason was all the good land was gone in Ontario. Some farmers were asking, where can we farm next? They wanted to farm in the West.
John A. MacDonald wanted to improve Canada's contribution to the British Empire. Still thinking about the NorthWest Passage, he wanted to ship goods from England, send the goods across Canada via railroad, and then ship the goods to China. This was not a practical idea, but it did make him very committed to building the railroad.
Canadians were worried that Americans would invade Canada at the Red River and in British Columbia. Americans had just bought Alaska and taken part of Oregon and Washington. Also, the Fenians (the Irish Republican Army) wanted to attack the British. The easiest place to attack them was in Canada. The Fenians attacked Canada twice. Once, they attacked New Brunswick. This convinced New Brunswick to join Confederation.
The British did not want to send lots of troops and keep them in Canada. They wanted the colonies to grow up and take care of themselves.