Rebellions of 1837 were revolts against British rule in the North American colonies of Upper Canada and Lower Canada. Both colonies had an elected Legislative Assembly. But a British governor and a Legislative Council appointed by the British government still had much control over local affairs. The rebel leaders, Louis J. Papineau in Lower Canada and William Lyon Mackenzie in Upper Canada, attempted to win independence for their colonies from the United Kingdom. However, both revolts were easily defeated.
In Lower Canada,
French-speaking professionals and small merchants held a majority of seats in the Legislative Assembly. But many of them felt that the Legislative Council favored the interests of the colony’s large landowners over those of the French-Canadian, middle-class majority. Papineau was especially concerned with the English-speaking minority’s growing opposition to the traditional French civil law and landholding system in the colony. He called for the establishment of an elected Legislative Council, knowing that such a council would protect the interests of the French-Canadian people.
However, the British rejected Papineau’s proposal. Papineau then helped organize a French-Canadian protest group called the Sons of Liberty. Increasing tension led to an uprising in late 1837. Armed rebels won a battle with government forces at St. Denis but lost clashes at St. Charles and St. Eustache. Another uprising broke out in late 1838, but British troops quickly crushed it. Altogether, about 8,000 colonists joined the revolt.
In Upper Canada,
many members of the Legislative Assembly had difficulty dealing with powerful members of the Legislative Council who belonged to a group known as the Family Compact. This group consisted of officials and Anglican religious leaders who supported the policies of the Church of England. However, most of the colonists did not belong to that church and strongly opposed its influence.
In 1837, Mackenzie became convinced that moderate reformist members of the Legislative Assembly had no chance of winning British approval of their proposals for major democratic reforms. He urged the colonists to revolt. In December 1837, several hundred rebels tried to capture government military supplies in Toronto, but were defeated. Mackenzie fled to the United States. His followers in Canada attracted little support, and the uprising ended late in 1838.
Results.
Largely as a result of the uprisings, the British Parliament passed the Act of Union in 1840. This act, which took effect in 1841, united the colonies of Upper and Lower Canada into a single colony, the Province of Canada.
