SS9 April 4 Punishing the Rebels After the rebellions were defeated the leaders were treated harshly the British hoped that quick and severe punishment would deter stop future rebellions ID: 577222
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Slide1
The Aftermath of the 1837 Rebellions
SS9 – April 4Slide2
Punishing the Rebels
After the rebellions were
defeated,
the
leaders
were treated
harshly
; the British hoped that quick and
severe
punishment would
deter
(stop) future rebellions
The major leaders of the rebellion were
hanged,
while others were
transported
to Bermuda or
Australia,
which was a punishment itself due to the
conditions
on prison ships
Once they arrived, the prisoners would be used
as
slave labour,
working for little to no food on
plantations
(farms) or on public works
Slide3
A Typical Prison Ship in the 18
th
century
Take a few moments to look at this picture
Why do you think sailing in this ship would be considered punishment on its own?Slide4
Change Begins to Come
Despite punishing the rebels harshly,
Britain
realized that colonial government needed to be
reformed
to prevent future rebellions
The British Government created a
commission
(a group of people given a specific task) to investigate the rebellion’s causes and to find
solutions
It was led by
Lord Durham,
who was also appointed
governor
of Canada in spring of 1838
Unlike previous governors, Durham was seen as
independent
from the Chateau Clique and Family CompactSlide5
Durham’s Accomplishments
Although Durham was
wealthy, he was considered progressive
(supporting change or reform) and fairHe treated captured rebels
leniently (fairly) and gave most of them
pardons (removed or reduced their punishments)He also travelled to the United States and improved
relations, which stopped support for the rebels still operating from that country
However, he was seen by some in the colony as a
dictator
because he ruled
without
the support of the councils or
assembly
Furthermore, he soon lost the support of
Britain
because he was seen as going too
easy
on the old rebelsSlide6
The Durham Report
Durham decided to
retire after only about a year as governor, but submitted a report with his suggestions on how to solve the colony’s problems
The report recommended that the colonies of Upper and Lower Canada be joined as one and that they be given
responsible government
This was the idea that the governor and his councils would need the support of the Legislative Assembly instead of the king
Finally, he recommended that all of
British North America, not just Upper and Lower Canada should eventually be joined as one colonySlide7
Beyond Union
Durham’s proposal for responsible government was not full
democracy;
he only wanted the colony’s
assembly
to have control over
internal
affairs (such as
taxation
)
Britain would still have control over
foreign
affairs and the
military
However, his report caused
anger
in
Lower
Canada
The
French
would be a
minority
in the new province, meaning that the
English
would have most of the power
Durham himself believed that the
French
were an
inferior
culture; his intent was for them to be
assimilated
into
British
society
However, as they were a minority, Britain
accepted
Durham’s proposal for
uniting
the two colonies, and Britain passed the Act of
Union
in 1840, officially creating
United Canada