Upper Canada and the Problem with Land 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 ID: 408540
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Slide1
Socials 10
Upper Canada and
the Problem with LandSlide2
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.Slide3
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.Slide4
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
.Slide5
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.Slide6
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 groupSlide7
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
.Slide8
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
.Slide9
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.