Atlantic Colonies: Economy, Classes & Reciprocity

The Atlantic Colonies

• The Atlantic colonies consisted of Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia.
• Newfoundland was known for its fisheries.
• PEI was known for its agriculture.
• Nova Scotia was known for its shipping and coal mines.
• Joseph Salter, a New Brunswick businessman and politician, owned a large shipbuilding company in the 1850s and became Moncton's first mayor in 1855.

Social Classes

• Upper Class: Very wealthy individuals.
• Working Class: Laborers with less wealth.
• Middle Class: Professionals and government officials.

Reciprocity Treaty

• A reciprocity treaty involves a give-and-take agreement.
• The Reciprocity Treaty was an agreement between the Atlantic colonies and the United States that eliminated taxes on trade.
• The Atlantic Colonies gained access to U.S. markets for fish, timber, and agricultural products.
• The US gained access to Canadian fisheries.
• In 1854, Britain and the US signed the Reciprocity Treaty, which allowed free trade.
• In 1865, the United States ended the Reciprocity Treaty.

American Civil War Impact

• The American Civil War (1861–1865) was a conflict between the United States and 11 Southern states that seceded to form the Confederate States of America.
• The war increased demand for agricultural products and natural resources from the Atlantic colonies.

Miscellaneous

• The Marco Polo ship was renowned as the fastest ship in the world.
• The boom in American railway building in the 1850s increased demand for goods from the Atlantic colonies.
• Free trade is trade between different countries without taxes or restrictions.
• A civil war - is a war between several nations.
• World War - is a war within a country

French Influence in Canada East

• In the 1800s, French speakers known as Canadiens formed the majority in Canada East (present-day Quebec).
• Canadiens were descendants of early French settlers, predominantly Catholic, and largely belonged to the working class.
• Despite prosperity for some business people in the mid-1800s, the working class in Canada East earned low wages.
• Seigneurs were wealthy landowners who rented land to Canadian farmers; the Papineau family owned 178,000 acres along the Ottawa River.
• Louis Joseph Papineau was a key politician in the 1800s and a leader in the Lower Canadian rebellions of 1837.
• The Papineau family's main business was sawmills, renting and selling land to thousands of Canadiens.
• Men often sought jobs in the lumber industry.
• Farmland was divided among children upon their parents' death.
• Urbanization increased in Canada East, with the urban population rising from 5% in 1800 to 20% by 1867.
• Seigneur is a landowner who owned large areas of land and lent small parcels to farmers for their use.
• Assimilate means to bring into conformity or adapt to the customs and attitudes of a group.
• Nationalism is a desire for people sharing a common culture, language, and history to form an independent nation.

Changes in Canada West

• During the first half of the 1800s, numerous British immigrants arrived in Canada West (present-day Ontario).
• Settlers occupied fertile land inhabited by First Nations.
• By the 1850s, Canada West transitioned from isolated settlements to an interconnected network of farms, towns, and cities.
• Crops and timber were initially transported by ships to Europe and the United States, benefiting those near ports, rivers, or canals.
• The railway construction boom in the 1850s improved transportation and connected Canada West and East.
• Towns such as Canada and Brantford became commercial hubs for surrounding settlements.
• Railway expansion led to the establishment of more towns offering services to rural populations.
• Farmers sold grain to mills, which converted it into flour for distant markets.
• Railways generated jobs and business opportunities for immigrants in the towns and cities of Canada West.

Immigration and Social Issues

• Thornton Blackburn, a Black American, escaped to Canada West after slavery was outlawed in the British Empire in 1833.
• Many people lived on less than $200 a year and could not afford to buy their own house.
• Between the 1840s and 1860s, Canada's population tripled to 1.5 million.
• Large numbers of British, Irish, and Black American immigrants arrived.
• By the 1860s, Irish immigrants had become the largest ethnic group in Canada West.
• Irish immigrants faced financial struggles and job competition.
• Conflicts arose between Irish Catholics and Protestants, who held secret meetings and trained to defend their communities.
• The Orange Order, a Protestant group, influenced politics and firefighting in Toronto during the second half of the 1800s.
• Conflicts between Catholics and the Orange Order led to nine major riots in Toronto between 1849 and 1864.

Slavery and the Underground Railroad

• Slavery was abolished in British North America in 1833 but remained legal in the southern United States.
• The Underground Railroad, a secret network, aided enslaved Black people in escaping to Canada West.
• The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 in the United States allowed owners to recapture escaped slaves, leading more people to flee to British North America.
• Approximately 30,000 to 40,000 people arrived via the Underground Railroad.
• Harriet Tubman, an escaped slave herself, worked as a conductor on the Underground Railroad, making 19 trips and guiding 300 people to freedom.
• Slavery was finally abolished across the United States after the American Civil War ended in 1865.

First Nations

• Some First Nations, like the Mississauga, adopted European-style agriculture.
• The government refused to acknowledge Mississauga land ownership.
• The Credit River Mississauga were forced to leave in 1847.
• Ojibwe leaders helped First Nations start Farms but the land was taken by settlers.
• Catherine Sutton and David Sawyer traveled through Canada West to help local bands start farms in places such as the Garden River Reserve, Owen Sound, and Rice Lake.
• The Massey company became the largest Factory by employing 700 people in Toronto by 1886.