Cause Of 1837 Rebellions In Lower Canada

The rebellion of 1837, were 2 armed uprisings that took place in Upper and lower Canada. A key shared goal was responsible government, which was eventually achieved In the incidents aftermath. Both of the rebellions were motivated by frustration with the government at the time. The revolt in Lower Canada was the more violent of the two. Both events inspired the pivotal Durham Report which led to the union of the two colonies at the time, and the arrival of a responsible government - critical events on the road to canadian nationhood. Many people felt like they had no voice In what was happening. The social and economical changes led to people to demand changes-political and social. Many big term causes was the economic decline as prices

Politicians and councils were not apart of the riots of breakouts, just ordinary farmers and families. The rebellions weren't just led by one person or government group, it was led by many groups of ordinary people with a passion to bring change to Canada. Farmers were particularly angry as they felt the government was particularly against them. They wouldn't let the farmers or their children get proper education. In Upper Canada, a group of wealthy upper- class white men made up the Executive controlled economy and government of Upper Canada. The group was named the “Family Compact”. There was another group in Lower Canada called the “Chateau Clique” which were a group of men who also controlled the political and economical power, but in Lower Canada. The Church of England, Bank of Upper Canada, and the Law Society of Upper Canada, were organizations that formed the base of the Family Compact. The Compact held financial and legal administrative authority over the colony. The Family Compact and Chateau Clique were bringing outrage to the public with their favouritism towards the British and that the groups were not doing anything about the poverty in Upper and Lower Canada. Farmers joined together with lower classed families to demand change so that the Family Compact and Chateau Clique were given less power and the government took

The english and french couldn't ever decide a political standpoint which brought riots and dissatisfaction with the government. Not only did the 2 groups never agree the government never took the time to listen to the people's ideas, and left the public out of any voting or choice. The government structure was led by the British Monarch which led down to the governor general, executive council, and legislative council. THe government's decisions started to get worse and worse with their favoritism towards England and its supporters. Their attempts to encourage commercial and industrial development failed as the farmers started demanding change for the problems they were facing such as their education rights, road conditions, and really how they were treated. Many leaders in East Canada wanted to end the Act Of Union. Louis-Hippolyte LaFontaine, a reformer leader from Canada East, disagreed as he was an attorney-general and was in charge of making sure the government and the public followed. He didn't support the violence of the rebellion, but instead joined Robert Baldwin, a reformer from Canada West, to pursue responsible government. In 1848 LaFontaines and Baldwins Reformers won a majority, and this was the first time the English and French achieved a political goal