Conquest and Change of Empire

The Conquest and Change of Empire

• The political, legal, and commercial institutions of Modern Quebec have been influenced by British practices

Capitulation of Montreal

• In 1759, the British seized Quebec City
• In 1760, the British took control of Montreal, marking the end of the War of Conquest
• In Europe, war between France and England continued
• During the interim, New France was controlled by the British Military
• The period of British Military control in New France is known as the Period of Military Rule

Impacts of the Change of Empires

• The change of Empires had an impact on Canadian society
• French was retained
• Roman Catholicism was retained
• Autocratic system of Royal government was implemented
• In 1760, New France transitioned from being part of the French Empire to become the Province of Quebec, part of the British Empire

The Period of Military Rule: 1760-1763

• The French military forces surrendered to British General Jeffrey Amherst in Montreal in 1760 with the Articles of Capitulation
• From 1760 to 1763, the British military governed the Colony of New France while awaiting the outcome of the conflict in Europe
• Amherst encouraged reconstruction, agriculture, and the fur trade

Rebuilding the Colony

• The war had devastated the colony through bombardment of cannons and burning of houses and farms
• Amherst enlisted soldiers to assist in the reconstruction of buildings and the resumption of agriculture
• Food was imported from the thirteen colonies to prevent a revolt

British Rule in Quebec

• The British allowed administration to continue in French
• Catholics were allowed to practice their religion
• The Custom of Paris (civil law) continued
• The Canadiens had to surrender their weapons and swear allegiance to the King of England

Emigration in Quebec after Conquest

• The Canadiens were permitted to leave the colony, but the vast majority stayed
• The Habitants stayed because New France was their home and they were "well treated” by the British
• The Habitants stayed because they were waiting for the final outcome of the Seven Years War
• 4000 administrators, fur traders, nobles, and army officers returned to France

Royal Proclamation

• With the Treaty of Paris, New France officially became a British Colony
• France ceded all territory in North America, except for two islands (St. Pierre and Miquelon)
• West of the Appalachians became Indian Territory, following Pontiac's rebellion
• The Royal Proclamation and establishment of Indian Territory angered the 13 colonies

Royal Proclamation of Canada

• To administer the territory, the British made the Royal Proclamation, Canada's 1st British Constitution.
• The Province of Quebec was created
• The main goal was to assimilate the French Canadians
• The Territory of New France was large stretching from Labrador to the Gulf of Mexico
• Quebec after conquest became small and reduced to the St. Lawrence valley exclusively

Government After Conquest

• Prior to British rule, New France had a Sovereign Council
• After the conquest, Quebec was administered by a Governor-General, appointed council and a *promised an elected assembly

Quebec's Economy

• Under New France, the economy was governed by Mercantilism - French controlled the fur trade
• After the conquest, Quebec's economy was still governed by Mercantilism, but the English controlled fur trade
• Under New France, land was divided using the Seigneurial system
• post conquest new land was divided into Townships

Religion After Conquest

• Under New France, the only religion was Catholic
• After conquest, Quebec was both Catholic and Protestant
• Citizens where not required to pay Tithe
• Jesuits were banned
• No Catholic Bishop was allowed
• Government positions were off limits to Catholics. (Test Act, p. 143)

Civil & Criminal Law After Conquest

• Under New France civil law was Custom of Paris code
• After the conquest civil law become English code
• Under New France criminal law was French code
• After the conquest criminal law become English code

Royal Proclamation Issues

• Pontiac's Rebellion and angered thirteen colonies, and the Test Act caused conflicts

Governor Murray's Instructions

• James Murray was the first British Governor-General of Quebec
• Murray was given instructions to assimilate the Canadiens via the Royal Proclamation
• Assimilation is defined as the process of making a people or person similar, process by which a people or person adopts, willingly or by fore, the culture of another people

Governor Murray's Assimilation Instructions

• Promote immigration of British colonists to make Canadians a minority
• Prohibit the entry of new Catholic priests to encourage the construction of English and Protestant schools and churches
• Apply British laws and impose English as the language of administration

Governor Murray's Relaxations

• Murray decided to adopt a conciliatory attitude toward the Canadiens, since they composed 99% of the population
• Murray allowed the use of French civil law (Coutume de Paris) in trials involving only Canadiens
• Murray authorized the use of French in the administration so that Canadiens could understand its operations
• Murray appointed British council members who shared his conciliatory approach toward Canadiens
• Murray postponed the creation of a legislative assembly that would not have been representative of the population since it excluded Catholics
• With approval from London, he allowed the appointment of a new Catholic bishop, Jean-Olivier Briand, to ally himself with the Catholic clergy to gain better control over Canadiens

The Test Act

• The test act required Canadiens to take an oath of allegiance to the British Crown

Reactions to Murray's Policies

• Different reactions to Murray's policies emerged

The French Party vs The British Party

• Supporters of Murray's views were known as the "French Party"
• Those opposed were the “British Party"
• The French Party was compose Murray's council, military officers and some nobles, who supported Murray and his policy of compromise
• The British Party was composed of merchants from Great Britain and the Thirteen Colonies, who demanded that the Royal Proclamation be applied without compromise

Murray's Downfall

• The Canadiens liked Murray's policies and wanted the removal of the Test Act
• The Catholic clergy wanted to resume collecting the tithe
• The Montrealers complained to the British Government, resulting in Murray losing his job

Status of Indigenous Peoples

• In 1755 the "Indian Department" was created
• Following the Conquest in 1760, the British took control of the French forts in Great Lakes + Ohio valley
• The British treated Indigenous people as conquered people, leading to Pontiac's revolt (1763-66)
• The revolts forced the British to grant Indigenous people exclusive rights in Great Lakes + Ohio

Pontiac's Rebellion

• Several Indian nations revolted under the leadership of Pontiac, a chief of the Odawa nation

The Quebec Act

• Guy Carleton replaced James Murray to ensure the loyalty of French Canadians to Great Britain
• Carleton convinced the Crown to repeal the Royal Proclamation and replace it with the Quebec Act in 1774

Government Under the Quebec Act

• Governor-General: Guy Carleton
• The Test act was replaced by Oath of loyalty to King
• Catholics could hold government positions
• Legislative Council created laws, but there was No assembly

Territory Under the Quebec Act

• The territory of Quebec increased by 300% and include: Great Lakes, Labrador, Ohio Valley, Upper Mississippi Valley

Quebec Act Relaxations

• French civil law was reinstated
• British criminal law maintained (trial by jury)
• Habeas Corpus maintained
• Catholics were allowed to practice
• Bishop allowed
• Tithe allowed
• Protestant rights continued

Reactions to the Quebec Act of 1774

• British merchants were pleased with gains in territory via the (fur trade), but upset about the absence of an elected assembly and the numerous concessions made to the French (only 1% of the population)
• French Elite were seigneurs, clergy, notaries and doctors, pleased to keep seigneurie and French civil law, and had restored religious rights for Catholics (5% of the population)
• Common people were pleased to keep Catholic religion and French civil law
• 13 colonies were upset by Loss of the Ohio valley, absence of democracy and presence of French civil law and the Catholic religion

American Invasion

• The Americans in the thirteen Colonies living were discontented with British rule because the Royal Proclamation reserved the Ohio Valley as “Indian Territory.", and numerous taxes were imposed on the 13 colonies to repay debt from the 7 Years War.
• These taxes were seen as illegal, and the Americans claimed "No taxation without representation."

American Revolt

• The Americans boycotted British goods and organized protests
• In 1770, 5 Americans killed in the Boston Massacre
• In 1773 the Boston Tea Party protested tax on tea
• In 1774, the British responded by closing the port of Boston, sending more troops and imposing the “Intolerable Acts, including the Quebec Act

Other Grievances With Britain

• The Sugar Act was imposed in 1764, taxing several imported products
• The Stamp Act was imposed in 1765, taxing all official documents
• The Quartering Act was imposed in 1765 required the colonists to house and feed British soldiers
• The Townshend Acts was imposed inr 1767, taxing imported products
• The Tea Act allowed British East India to sell Tea without normal Taxation

Canadiens and the American Revolt

• Letters were sent to encourage the Canadiens to join the rebellion, however, Seigneurs and the clergy stayed loyal to the British, while Common People remained neutral
• Some British Merchants were sympathetic to Americans, however Stayed loyal to make profits trading with great Britain
• 1775, The Americans invaded and captured Montreal but were not able to take Quebec City

The American Revolution & Consequences

• in 1776, United States declared its independence
• The Treaty of Paris in 1783 ended the conflict
• Quebec lost territory south of the Great Lakes, and fur trade was redirected towards the northwest
• Indigenous people were forced to flee

The Loyalists

• Loyalists were people in the Thirteen Colonies who remained loyal to Britain
• Over 100,000 Loyalists left the USA between 1783 and 1790, and 10,000 came to Quebec settling west of Montreal.
• The English-speaking population of Quebec increased from 1% to 6%
• Created English institutions: schools and hospitals
• They wanted British civil laws and an elected assembly, eventually pushing British government to replace the Quebec Act with the Constitutional Act of 1791

Colonial Economy

• The fur trade, fishing, and agriculture remained the main economic activities in Quebec as British merchants became increasingly influential
• Protectionism (taxing imported goods) helped Canadian economic output
• The Northwest company was founded in 1779 to compete with Hudson Bay Company
• Farmers converted from subsistence farming to intensive production

Socio-Demographics in Quebec Post Conquest

• By 1790, 6% of the population was anglophone
• The Loyalists changed the culture of Quebec by introducing religious diversity
• The British Loyalist population often lived in cites and were part of the administration
• Immigration of Acadians and a high birth rate among other francophones saw the population grow from 65,000 in 1766 to 161,000 in 1790, consolidating the use of French

Bourgeoisie in Quebec Post Conquest

• A bourgeoisie emerged from Quebec society composed of professionals like doctors, notaries, small-scale merchants, and craftspeople.
• Used newspapers to become the voice of francophones

Catholic Church Post Conquest

• The Quebec Act of 1774 confirmed the rights of the Catholic Church, encouraging the Canadien population to remain loyal to Great Britain
• Catholic literacy rates were very low among francophones, dropped to 4% in early 19th century due to Lack of teachers, textbooks, etc.
• Catholicism was in charge of schools and hospitals
• By 1790 there was around 40 primary schools, or around 1 school for every 4000 people
• Rich Canadiens sent their children to high quality Boarding schools, while less well of students had little opportunity for education, which created a two speed society

Anglican Church

• Anglicism is a Christian religion based on the Bible and had been the official religion of England since the 16th century
• The first Anglican church was founded in Nova Scotia in 1787 by Charles Inglis who was a loyalist
• The King George ordered Governor James Murray to open the first Anglican anglophone school in 1766 in Quebec
• In 1790 in Quebec, there were far more schools teaching English than French
• This was done in hopes to encourage the Canadiens to assimilate into anglophone society
• After 1790, Anglicans in Montreal started the Christ Church on Notre-Dame Street, which burned down in 1803