CHAPTER 2: THE

COLONISTS LAND
AND GOVT
MS. GARCHA
SOCIAL STUDIES 10
WHAT WAS BRITISH NORTH AMERICA LIKE IN
THE EARLY 19TH CENTURY? (1800S)
Draw a picture of what you think any of the following regions looked
like in the early 19th century. Please do not use your textbook/ google
just your imagination and prior knowledge!
Upper Canada (Southern and eastern Ontario)
Lower Canada (Quebec and along St. Lawrence)
Maritime colonies (New Brunswick, PEI, Nova Scotia, and
Newfoundland and Labrador)
 BRITISH NORTH AMERICA IN EARLY 1800S

Upper Canada forests were cleared to build farms, small communities, and roads
Lower Canada was building its economy. Montreal = busy trading capital, it
attracted Scottish and American entrepreneurs
Maritimes were long settled and stable, specialized in fishing, forestry, &
shipbuilding --> trade w Britain & U.S. kept these industries booming
North & West regions, HBC Co. claimed all lands drained by rivers flowing into
Hudson Bay, bringing a huge part of North American under its control so fur trade
expanded west. Most ppl living north & west of Great Lakes were involved in fur
trade (by 1820, any Euro immigrants living in northwest and not involved in fur
trade dropped to less than 12 people)
North West Co. based in Montreal, built its own trading relationships w Aboriginals
& explored the west
 EFFECTS ON INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES ..

Growth of colonies came at expense of Aboriginals, although they had once

been military allies of the Brits and were still a vital part of the prosperous fur
trade
Many died from diseases brought by Europeans, or they starved after losing
land & access to traditional food sources
Aboriginals often forced to give up their land to make way for European
immigrants
Those who grew crops lost their farmlands, while others lost access to
traditional fishing & hunting areas
Most newcomers paid little attn to such hardship and injustice, which continued
throughout Canadas history
 DAILY LIFE FOR COLONISTS
Ppl depended on each other & formed close communities
They looked fwd going to church or being visited by a traveling member of the clergy

Sometimes communities came together to build a small school &hire a teacher, often
paying for the service with food and lodging
Making a living in farming was hard, as it is for many ppl today. It took years to raise a
crop that could be sold. Almost everybody was in debt at one time or another, any many
had to mortgage next years crop to buy supplies.
Colonists also depended on a barter economy. For example, a farmer might pay the
local blacksmith w wheat instead of money.
Some colonists built a rlnship w Aboriginals in the area, learning from their knowledge of
land & seasons
 IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL CLASS

Upper-class ppl wanted to keep privileges they enjoyed in Britain when

they came to Canada many children of Brit aristocrats & retired Brit
army officers, came to settle in colony but had to do back-breaking
labour of clearing & maintaining farm
Cheap labour & servants were not as readily available as they had been
in Britain
Everyone needed cooperation of their neighbours some ppl didnt
adapt easily to this new way of life
Many thought of Britain, not Upper Canada, as their real home & viewed
themselves as British people transforming a raw land into part of the
 UPPER CLASS DIDNT WANT TO GIVE UP
THEIR WEALTH AND POWER..

Upper class feared American- style democracy

Britain tried to copy its own society in its Canadian colonies by
implementing large estates (tract of land covering thousands of hectares,
owned by 1 person) & tenant farmers (someone who farms land owned by
someone else, keeping part of produce as payment)

These plans angered immigrants who had hoped to escape the

class system of their homelands
Unfair land policies & bad govts based on privilege would set the
stage for violent confrontation between the classes in the colonies
PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOU ALL HAVE THE
POLITICAL CARTOON LABELED I846
 3 QUESTIONS TO ASK WHEN READING A
POLITICAL CARTOON:
1) Identify the visual elements what do you see? Take a look
at the cartoon as a whole and make a note of the drawings you see.
Ex. people, animals, other objects, and the setting or background.
2) What do these visual elements represent? Think about why
the artist would draw these images, as everything is intentional.
What is the focus of the cartoon? Are there any exaggerated
features of a person or object?
3) What is the overall message? Think about the symbols, what
they represent, the main focus, and any stereotypes depicted.
 THE PROBLEM OF LAND

Almost everyone who came to Upper Canada wanted to own and farm land
Those who chose not to farm worked in industries that supported
agriculture, such as selling seed, blacksmithing (someone who makes/ repairs stuff), and
making wagons
Many colonists arrive to find that good land was already owned by
absentee landlords (person who owns & rents out a property, but does not live in the region) and land
speculators (those who buy property at a low price and sell it at a higher price, usually without spending much of
their own money).

This was not what immigrants had expected. Advertising campaigns led
ppl to believe that they could get food, cheap farmland close to towns &
markets
THE PROBLEM OF LAND CONTINUED

Upper Canadas land problems were mainly the result of attitudes in the British govt & the
desire to duplicate the English model of land ownership in Canada
England was divided into large estates controlled by aristocrats, so the British govt
believed that aristocrats would be the best rulers for the colonies
Privileged owners of large blocks of land were also more likely, in the govts view, to
maintain strong ties to Britain
This view was contrary to the views of many immigrants, esp those from the U.S. they
thought that ppl should succeed on their own merits & efforts, and that many principles of
British policy were discriminatory & anti- democratic
Last thing Britain wanted was to allow colonists to adopt American attitudes &
values, which had previously led to the American revolution and loss of 13
American colonies
 THE IMMIGRANT EXPERIENCE
Most immigrants came from Britain, the United States, and Europe
Attracted by promises, immigrants soon learned the realities involved in
immigrating journey across the Atlantic was expensive and dangerous
Leaving home was highly emotional because immigrants likely wouldnt
see those they left behind
It took more than a month to travel from Europe to North America by ship
Some ppl didnt survive the journey, especially the poorest ppl, who had
to endure passage in the infamous coffin ships (a death ship, disease
and death were common on cargo vessels used to carry passengers in the
1800s)
INSIDE A COFFIN SHIP..
 ENSURE THAT YOU HAVE THE ISLAND OF THE SORROWS
READING. AFTER READING YOU WILL ANSWER THE FOLLOWING:

1) Identify the disease that turned into an epidemic for the canadas.
2) Why were conditions on these ships, which added to the disease, ignored by the owners of
the ships?
3) How did the colonial govt. respond to this epidemic?
4) Where were the sick put to stop the spread of the disease?
5) When there seemed to be no hope for some people, who were extremely sick, what did
they do?
6) What was the average daily death rate?
7) How were the dead disposed of?
 THE ISLAND OF THE SORROWS READING
QUESTIONS

1) Identify the disease that turned into an epidemic for the canadas cholera (an
infectious and often fatal bacterial disease of the small intestine, typically contracted from
infected water supplies and causing severe vomiting and diarrhea)
2) Why were conditions on these ships, which added to the disease, ignored by
the owners of the ships? BC they were making a lot of money bringing a lot of
immigrants over to the Canadas, specifically cramming them into the steerage of the ships
3) How did the colonial govt. respond to this epidemic? Passed the Passenger Act
this law stopped ships for inspection at certain spots. Ship owners had to signal for on
board sickness and get a certificate of health before going onto Quebec
 THE ISLAND OF THE SORROWS READING
QUESTIONS
4) Where were the sick put to stop the spread of the disease?
Gross Ile in the St. Lawrence River
5) When there seemed to be no hope for some people, who were
extremely sick, what did they do? They ran into the woods to die
6) What was the average daily death rate? 50 people per day
7) How were the dead disposed of? Mass graves dug in a nearby bay
and bodies piled into it
SLAVERY

Many loyalists brought slaves with them into

Canada during the American Revolution
Slavery abolished everywhere in British Empire in
1833
Slavery ended in Upper & Lower Canada before it
did anywhere else in North America
 THE UNDERGROUND RAILWAY

Network of secret routes & safe houses called the

Underground Railway
Fugitives usually travelled hundreds of km on foot
Those who supported them often belonged to the
Quaker & Methodist churches
Believed slavery was a sin against God and
humankind
 THE "RAILROAD" ACTUALLY BEGAN OPERATING IN THE 1780S,
BUT BECAME KNOWN AS THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD IN THE
1830S.

Those who helped people move from place to place were known as "conductors" and the fleeing
refugees were called "passengers" or "cargo." Safe places to stop to rest were called "stations."

Places had code names to help keep the routes secret. Detroit, from which most left the United
States, was known as "Midnight." The Detroit River was called "Jordan," a biblical reference to the
river that led to the promised land. The end of the journey also had a code name, such as "Dawn."
People could communicate without being specific: "Take the railroad from Midnight to Dawn." The
refugees arrived all across Canada, from Nova Scotia to British Columbia, but most came to what is
now southwestern Ontario, to places such as Windsor, Fort Erie, Chatham and Owen Sound.

http://www.blackhistorycanada.ca/events.php?themeid=21&id=6
 HARRIET TUBMAN

Black activist
Helped hundreds of slaves escape through the Railway
Travelling the Underground Railway was risky - if caught, escaped slaves
were severely punished

America the Story of Us: Harriet Tubman | History YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bdno2YLm4Ms
 SONGS

Songs were used in everyday life by African slaves. Singing was tradition brought from Africa by
the first slaves; sometimes their songs are called spirituals. Singing served many purposes such
as providing repetitive rhythm for repetitive manual work, inspiration and motivation. Singing
was also use to express their values and solidarity with each other and during celebrations.
Songs were used as tools to remember and communicate since the majority of slaves could not
read.
Harriet Tubman and other slaves used songs as a strategy to communicate with slaves in their
struggle for freedom. Coded songs contained words giving directions on how to escape also
known as signal songs or where to meet
Ex. Tubman used Wade in the Water to tell slaves that the best escape route was along the
river. There are also directions coded into the lyrics of the song to help guide the slaves.
WAS UPPER CANADA FREE OF RACIAL
DISCRIMINATION?
Many Black immigrants were not fully accepted,
nor did their descendants find a place in govt
As a result of racism, they lived in communities
within communities, sometimes just a few families
in a small town
 PLEASE COPY DOWN & ANSWER:
IMMIGRANT WOMEN IN UPPER CANADA QUESTIONS
P. 63 64.

1) Women in Upper Canada tended to think of their own

success as being dependent on whom?
2) Where would a widow or unmarried woman live?
3) Why could a man marry down but not a woman?
4) How was the division of labour one sided?
5) Why were women expected to produce many children?
REVIEW:
IMMIGRANT WOMEN IN UPPER CANADA QUESTIONS
P. 63 64.

1) Women in Upper Canada tended to think of their own success as

being dependent on whom?
The successes/ failures of their fathers and husbands

2) Where would a widow or unmarried woman live?

With a relative
REVIEW:
IMMIGRANT WOMEN IN UPPER CANADA QUESTIONS
P. 63 64.

Why could a man marry down but not a woman?

Among the upper classes, the match had to be a arranged
with an equal or better. A man could have married
down, but a woman could not because a wife took on the
status of her husband.
REVIEW:
IMMIGRANT WOMEN IN UPPER CANADA QUESTIONS
P. 63 64.
4) How was the division of labour one sided?
Men were not expected to look after household tasks, such as cooking,
washing, or sewing, but women helped with planting, harvesting, and
other farm jobs. All women learned how to preserve food and to make
candles and soap.

5) Why were women expected to produce many children?

Children were needed to help with chores.