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1837 Rebellion Research Paper

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The Impact of the Rebellions of 1837-38 By:Ishan Imagine a party taking place in a courtyard in the early 19th century. Everyone’s having fun, but after a while, the mood darkens as British loyalist forces close in on the courtyard and start a full-blown stone fight just because it was a Canadian political party. This event actually happened right before the 1837 Rebellion! The British loyalists attacked Canadian politicians with stones! After this fight, the Canadian politicians decided to start planning an insurrection big enough to rock British political rule over both Lower Canada and Upper Canada. The attack was later implemented on December 7, 1837. This battle was the first time that ordinary people demanded change. The …show more content…

This was done during the Act of Union, signed in 1841. Both Canadian sides, Lower Canada and Upper Canada, had the same goal of reducing British rule. Each side also believed that they were not strong enough alone and if they did not work together, a responsible Canadian government could not be achieved. This is when the idea of a rebellion began, along with the courtyard fight. Ordinary people living a normal life that had a problem with the taxes and government rule decided to form a group with politicians to try to overthrow the government. An important politician in this was William Lyon Mackenzie, the mayor of Toronto before the rebellions. He had strong thoughts about the government, so he decided that it was time to run them out of office. He led the first rebellion in 1837, then continued as a journalist and a member of the government. When the Act of Union was signed, both sides joined together into the province of Canada. This new province had one goal, and that goal was to have many Canadian politicians leading and to achieve a responsible government. Once it was signed, the countdown to a responsible government began. If a responsible government was achieved, then Canada would actually be united and freed from British …show more content…

This also happened after the Act of Union. There were three social classes in 19th century Canada, the upper class, middle class, and lower class. The upper class were the wealthiest citizens that owned many acres of land and a large estate. They would hire many people in the lower class as slaves that would clean up the house and cook for them. Instead of working on farms, men and women would work in or own businesses in the city. The middle class would have acres of land too, but less than the upper class. The middle had one or two slaves and a large house. They would also work in businesses down in the city. The lower class were just above slaves. They owned acres of land, but significantly less than the middle and upper class. They would have a farmhouse of decent size, and large families to make work on the farm easier. Because of their poverty, they would only work on the farm. The lower class were also expected to build a road in front of their homes. This ranking system was established by the British. The British would charge high taxes, mainly affecting the lower class, who had a hard time affording it. The middle and upper class would not care. The lower class eventually decided to fight along with the angry politicians, known as the Rebels. After the Canadians were met with defeat, the British noticed that the way the colonies were run was not good and had to be fixed to gain the Canadian lower

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