Canada's Confederation History

Confederation Overview

• July 1 is Canada's birthday, marking the anniversary of the union of colonies into the Dominion of Canada.
• Key leaders held conferences between 1864 and 1867 to discuss and establish the details of Confederation.
• Representatives from the Province of Canada attended the Charlottetown Conference to promote a larger union with the Maritime colonies.
• Artist Rex Woods created the painting, The Fathers of Confederation, in 1967.

Separate Colonial Governments

• The British colonies operated independently, pursuing their own best interests with locally elected representatives.
• These colonies handled political, economic, and military issues separately.
• Leaders considered the idea of Confederation as a solution to their separate challenges.

A Land Divided

• British North America consisted of separate regions with different challenges to unify it.
• Rupert's Land and the North-Western Territory were controlled by the British through the Hudson's Bay Company.
• By 1864, the Hudson's Bay Company sought to sell its interests due to a decline in the fur trade.
• The territory was home to First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people.

Threats from the United States

• British North America's large size and inadequate defense system could made it vulnerable to American expansion.
• Some Americans claimed lands south of the Great Lakes populated by First Nations.
• The Americans displaced the Potawatomi and Cheyenne nations in search of resources.
• Many Americans believed it was their clear right and duty to expand throughout North America, referred to as manifest destiny.

The American Civil War

• The American Civil War(1861-1865) was a conflict over slavery, as southern states seceded to form a nation where slavery was legal.
• Britain remained neutral but continued to trade with both sides.
• The northern states won the war, ending slavery and increasing American resentment toward Britain.
• A threat to British North America was implied in the divided support during the war.

Annexation by the United States

• Post-Civil War, the large, well-trained American army could easily dominate the poorly defended British colonies.
• Fear of American annexation increased, spurred by pursuit of manifest destiny.
• Annexation refers to the incorporation of a territory into another territory.
• In 1866, Congressman Nathaniel Banks introduced an Annexation bill in the U.S. Congress.

Threats from Irish Nationalists

• The Irish Republican Brotherhood (Fenians) opposed British rule over Ireland, forming as a secret society in 1858.
• Some Irish soldiers who had served in the American Civil War joined the Fenians.
• The Fenians planned armed invasions of British North America, aiming to hold it hostage until Britain granted independence to Ireland.

The United States Purchases Alaska

• The Annexation bill did not pass.
• Since 1859, the threat of annexation by the United States had been steadily increasing, so Russia offered to sell Alaska to the United States.
• The transaction was finalized in March 1867 for $7.2 million

Economic Issues

• North America provided riches to Britain for over 200 years.
• Britain fought costly battles to maintain control of its valuable resources.

Defence Costs to Britain

• Britain helped protect British North America from Fenian takeovers and annexation threats.
• In 1862, Britain sent over 10,000 troops to defend British North America during the American Civil War.

Historical Significance Focus

• The goal is to understand the past by researching events, people, and developments.
• In order to truly understand this text, relevant questions should be asked, like:
  • Did the event, person, or development create a long-lasting change?
  • If so, how many people were affected, and were they affected profoundly or deeply?
  • Was this the first time that an event such as this occurred or an idea such as this was introduced?
  • Does this event, person, or development reveal something about the past that is different from the present?
  • How did the significance of this event, person, or development vary for different people?

Case Study: Fenian Raids

• Fenian raids were small, failed invasions into British North America between 1866 and 1871.
• They raised fear in New Brunswick after targeting Campobello Island in April 1866.

Reactions to Fenian Raids

• Increased distrust of their neighbors south of the border was reported.
• There were 10 colonial soldiers killed in action.

Economic Need

• After the United States cancelled a favorable Reciprocity Treaty with British North America in 1865, there was a negative effect on economy.
• New markets for the colonies' products and resources were needed because of this.

Potential Issues in British North America

• Cartier believed that the union would deliver protections, independence, and a better future for the French,.

Conflicts in the Province of Canada

• Ruling two different groups was challenging and the government grew politically unstable, but Confederation offered a solution.
• Confederation would mean that Canada West and Canada East would each have its own local government.

Great Coalition and Legislative vs. Federal Union

• In June 1864, Macdonald, Brown, and Cartier formed an unlikely alliance and began discussing unification of the colonies.
• A federal union would give power to the central government, helping to run their own affairs.

Concerns in Canada East

• Concerns were addressed directly.
• They include religious/language protection, in exchange for a loss of power
• Canada East Premier Cartier pushed back on these concerns and spoke on the need to unite.

Concerns in the Atlantic Colonies

• The Atlantic colonies had resource-based economies.
• They benefited from strong trade relationships with Britain, the United States, and beyond.

Prince Edward Island

• Their main industries were timber, farming, and shipbuilding.
• The main concern was the loss of power from a central government.

Botheration Letter

• Nova Scotia was happy with their situation and did not want to create problems.

New Brunswick

• Politically split because of Confederation.
• Others were concerned that a union would result in being under the command of Canada and result in unwanted control.

A Possible Maritime Union

• A union with the Province of Canada would destroy the Maritime colonies' power and independence, so Gordon believed that a Maritime union would have to occur.

Economic Benefits

• Pooling tax dollars will allow the colonies to pay for resources.

Inclusion of the Northwest Region

• Hudson's Bay Company owned the rights to the fur trade.
• There was worry about the willingness to to sell the dominion to the US.

Potential Trouble

• Macdonald believed that something needed to be done about the situation.
• They saw the lands as something that needed to be purchased.

Inclusion of the Pacific Coast

• A significant economic decline occurred to the Pacific Coast as a result of the increase in gold.
• With debt rising, British Columbia was considering a union with the other colonies.

ByTown

• By the time of Confederation in 1867, Ottawa had been the capital.

The Dominion of Canada

• July 1, 1867, became known as Dominion Day.

The Youth Council

• Was established to build a sense of community.
• Was intended to explore and share the rich history of Ottawa/

Other relevant facts

• Macdonald was originally appointed, but was succeeded by a former member a month later.
• Queen Victoria knighted him because of the the important role he played.
• Queen Victoria's proclamation met protests because people felt they had no say.
• The group did not know the importance of the event.
• The air was so politically charged that you could feel it in "every part"