1837 Rebellion

Essay by EssaySwap ContributorHigh School, 11th grade February 2008

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Throughout history there have been many famous and well-known occurrences. Without a doubt, one of the most famous and well-known happenings in the past was the Rebellion of 1837. With the 1837 Rebellion came many different views and thoughts on what affect the Rebellion might have on the two Canadas. The 1837 Rebellion affected in many ways, many different parts of the Canadas. With the facts of the past many believe that this Rebellion may have had the greatest affect on Canada as a country before it was a country. The Rebellion of 1837 lead to a peaceful compromise of the French-English joining together creating Canada.

The Rebellion of 1837 to some is thought of as the American Revolution in the Canada colonies.1 The Rebellion of 1837 was caused by a number of things. Probably the most significant cause of the Rebellion was the American Revolution. The American Revolution greatly influenced the Quebec Act and the Loyalist settlement of Upper Canada, and resulted in the developement of the 1837 Rebellion.2 The Rebellion of 1837 was also motivated by the issues and stress building between British and colonial governments and the developement of Loyalism throughout the colonies. The demand for a self-government during this period was growing strong and was stirring the British colonies.3 Two political cultures in Upper Canada at this time played their role also in the developement of this Rebellion. The "Reformers" and the "Radicals" made up these distinguishable groups. These groups were only a minority in the Upper Canada population, but did affect the way people in Upper and Lower Canada viewed the political structure of the colonies. These different political views began to bring violence into the Rebellion of 1837. The "Radicals" led by Louis Joseph Papineau, in Quebec and William Lyon Mackenzie in Ontario and not the "Reformers" were the ones behind most of the violence in Upper Canada during this period.4