The Causes Of Canadian Confederation

Last year, our new government was formed. We agreed to what the Articles had said. It seems that now we are having issues with what we had once agreed with. In this newsletter, I will only address four of the most problematic things in the Articles of Confederation. However there are many more that will not be brought to light today.

In the year of 1867 the nation we know as Canada came into being. The Confederation in this year only came about after things had been overcome. Many political and economic pressures were exerted on the colonies and a federal union of the colonies seemed to be the most practical method of dealing with these pressures and conflicts. While Confederation was a solution to many of the problems, it was not a popular one for all the colonies involved. In the Maritime colonies views differed widely on the topic. Some were doubtful, some were pleased, others were annoyed and many were hopeful for a prosperous future.1

A decision had to be made. Newfoundland was in a position to make a choice for their future as a self-governing dominion, a british-governing dominion, or a maritime province as a part of Canada. Newfoundland chose to join the confederation of Canada, and it was quite necessary to do so. Newfoundland was already a dominion that stood outside of Canada, however could not exist on its own because of its lack of sustainability and ability to grow. Therefore, it was very necessary for Newfoundland to join the confederation of Canada.

The Articles of Confederation served as the written document that established the functions of the national government of the United States after it declared independence from Great Britain. Although, it established a weak central government, it contributed to U.S principles because The Articles of Confederation were the basis of the first government of the United States of America. The Articles were essentially the “training wheels” of the government; it was a learning point to create something much greater which became the Constitution. The problems that this weak document created, combined with the Confederation government’s ineffectual response to Shays’ Rebellion, convinced national leaders that a more powerful central government was necessary.

Two significant problems that made the Articles of Confederation a poor form of government were, the colonies couldn’t tax and there was no chief executive overseeing the colonies. After the war the colonies were in debt. One of the only ways they could pay off their debt was to tax the people in the colonies. However, the colonies had just fought in many battles against taxation so it would be unfair to be taxed after all of that. As the political cartoon shows the ship that is representing the Articles of confederation is being sunk because the colonies had no money. WIthout money the colonies couldn’t raise an army, have power over the currency, stop rebellions, or stand up to European powers. Another reason why the Articles of confederation

“I believe, from all that I can learn that the Provinces will, ere long, be one great country or nation, from the Pacific to the Atlantic. Never before was there such an important meeting as this held in the history of British America; and it may yet be said that here, in little Prince Edward Island, was that Union formed which has produced one of the greatest nations on the face of God’s earth.” However the conference went undecided on a conclusion which led to the Quebec

British Columbia is a rich and fertile land located next to the Northwest Territories. We believe that joining confederation will bring a great benefit to not only our province but to all of the others. Our deciding factors of joining the confederation are the Transcontinental Railroad, defence and allies from the provinces, and more settlement which will eventually arrive (due to the railroad) in our province. There are mountains blocking British Columbia, which is preventing us from fulfilling our full potential as a colony. British Columbia is very remote for now but if we join confederation we can offer British Columbia’s gold, fur trade, fish and lastly lumber to our country. Our confederation will be a union under the British monarchy which will create a new and successful dominion under the name of Hi’quim’inum. We would

In 1837, the Upper and Lower Canada had rebellion. They have many causes why they started this rebellion. Upper and lower Canada had many reasons why they rebelled. Some reasons are similar to Upper or Lower Canada and some reasons are different to each other.These are the similarities and differences of upper Canada and lower Canada rebellion causes.

The Articles of Confederation was an ineffective government, failing both externally and internally due to a weak central government. Externally, other nations refused to trade with America and disputed over territorial gain. Internally, the Articles of Confederation had little distinct power over the states, forcing a split into differing political parties and social stratification. With a lack of both external and internal control, the negative aspects of the Articles of Confederation prompted the nation to adopt the Constitution.

In the wake of the economic aftermath following the French-Indian War, British leaders sought to use their colonies as a means of resolving their plight. As such, they tightened their reign and Anglo-American tensions escalated as they began to pass the Sugar Act, the Stamp Act, and the Townshend Act to raise money rather than control trade. Further aggravating colonists were Britain’s land policy and the arrival of British troops. As a result, resistance within the colonies was on the rise, and the First Continental Congress organized colonial resistance to Parliament’s Coercive Acts when they met in Philadelphia in late 1774. After the battles of Lexington and Concord, Richard Henry Lee of Virginia proposed a resolution to the Second Continental

The research in this proposal primarily focuses on the rebellions that took place in both upper and Lower Canada during 1838. The time line of this proposal will include events prior to the actual rebellions as they are significant to the understanding of the causes of these uprisings. In 1837 and 1838, insurrections against the British colonial government arose in Lower and Upper Canada. Moderates hoped to reform the political system, while radicals yearned for a restructuring of both administration and society (Read , 19-21). During this time period an economic crisis had swept both Upper and Lower Canada. In Lower Canada many French habitants were suffering from famine and the accumulation of huge debts due to poor harvests. In Upper

Soon after the passing of Constitution Act of 1867, there were threats of United States expanding north. This marked the beginning of the territorial race between United States and Canada, which required urgent western expansion. British Columbia joined the Confederation in 1871 after the promise of transcontinental railway which added to urgency of western expansion. The prime minister of Canada, John A. McDonald wanted to connect the east and the west of Canada in order to occupy the west. McDonald needed to increase the population in the western Canada, which meant that large amount of farmland were needed and transcontinental railways had to be laid. This

During the years before Confederation, there was much happening in the colonies that would eventually unite to become the Dominion of Canada in 1867. The Fathers of Confederation were the architects of the plan that resulted in the proposal that would bring the individual British American colonies together under a Federalist system. There were three main conferences which were held and to be included as a Father of Confederation. These conferences were The Charlottetown Conference - 1864, The Quebec Conference - 1864, and The London Conference - 1866.

The national government of the United States had many challenges under the Articles of Confederation. The Articles caused money problems and the most essential detail, a weak government. This also caused America conflicts among each of the 13 states. These problems greatly impacted the United States and it’s government as well.

Over the course my research in class and at home I have come to conclusion that Canada west and Canada East would support confederation. Firstly, I think that Canada West would support confederation because of their current economic status. In a photo taken in 1859 of a man and woman who live in Canada West, their daily wear shows that they have clean, civilized, and expensive clothing that other colonies who aren't as wealthy can afford and or have. Their clothing shows that they have a lot of money and wealth to afford nice things such as the dress and suit they the man and woman are sporting in the photo. With great wealth comes great power which would result in a very developed, and populated town.