Issues
Government in the British Colonies
The British system of colonial government had developed in the American colonies. It provided for an elected assembly, even though it had very limited powers. Even these elections were not very democratic because voting was held in public so it was possible to influence voters by threats or bribes. The English legal system allowed more individual rights than French settlers had. The head of the government in each colony was a governor or lieutenant-governor appointed by the Colonial Secretary in London. The governor was usually a member of the British ruling classes. The governor in turn was responsible for appointing government ministers in the colony. He usually appointed wealthy and influential members of the ruling families in the colony to these government positions, without consulting the ordinary people of the colony.
Lower Canada
The real leaders of Lower Canada were the wealthy English business men in Montreal and some wealthy French Canadians, not true representatives of the majority of the population. This group of wealthy men was known as the Château Clique. The assembly in Lower France was made up mainly of French-speaking Catholics. Most French-speaking Catholics in Lower Canada were farmers.
The Government in Lower Canada favoured the business interests of the English over the farming interests of the French population. The farmers objected to the use of tax money for canal building, which favoured the businessmen more than farms. Farmers needed roads more than canals. The French in Lower Canada were also concerned about losing their French culture and language, and the privileges given to the Anglican church when most of the population were Catholic.
Louis-Joseph Papineau was the leader of the French in the assembly. The assembly tried to control the government by refusing to pass taxes. Violence broke out in Montreal. Papineau's ideas became more radical and republican. Government came to a halt because the assembly did not pass bills to raise taxes to pay for government salaries. The governor continued to have salaries paid anyway, without the legal right to do so. Papineau's supporters became more radical.
In November of 1837 violence broke out between the supporters of Papineau and the government. The rebels were able to hold off an attack by British soldiers and claimed a victory at the Battle of St. Denis. At the Battle of St. Charles the government forces this time defeated the Patriotes. Papineau fled to the United States. The rebellion in Lower Canada was virtually ended by the Battle of St. Eustache, which the government forces won. The 1837 Rebellion forced the British government to look carefully at how the colonies were governed and to bring in reforms.
Upper Canada
In Upper Canada the government, like the government of Lower Canada, was run by a few wealthy families called the Family Compact, which gave privileges to the Anglican Church, controlled the best land and built canals in the interests of businessmen rather than farmers. Ordinary settlers became frustrated with this form of government. The ideas for a different kind of government came from the democratic ideas of the United States, and the new Reform movement that was taking place in Britain. (See the Peterloo Massacre website listed on Links and Resources on these pages.)
The more radical reformers wanted a republic, like that in the United States. The leader of the reformers was William Lyon Mackenzie, who used his newspaper to support the reformers. The more moderate reformers like the Baldwins broke away from Mackenzie as his ideas became more radical.
In 1837, the rebels in Upper Canada planned an uprising when the regular British troops were sent to Montreal to put down the rebellion in Lower Canada. The rebels were defeated by the loyal militia in a twenty-minute battle at Montgomery's Tavern in Toronto. Mackenzie fled to the United States. The rebels continued to make raids from bases in the United States for another year.