Henceforth, there must Be No Peace in the Province - no quarter for the

plunderers. Agitate! Agitate!! Agitate!!! Destroy the Revenue: denounce

the oppressors. Everything is lawful when the fundamental

In the fall of 1837 the political climate in Lower Canada was tense. Public meetings were being held in Montreal and the Richelieu Valley, calling for an end to an unjust and archaic colonial government. Louis Joseph Papineau and other leading Patriotes attended these rallies, encouraging a boycott of all imported or British goods and for the support of the Lower Assembly in their stand against Governor Gosford and the Chateau Clique. Papineau did not support their threat of arms or extremist policies and yet he did nothing to stop the Patriotes2. At the first sign of rebellion, Gosford suspended the constitution and declared martial law. Troops were sent to the villages of St. Denis and St. Charles, two Patriote strongholds, to quell any possibility of an uprising. It is ironic that the first instance of violence was initiated by government forces and not by the rebels themselves.

Give them no money to steal! Keep it in your pockets!

The British merchants and politicians, who controlled commerce, held the unfounded belief that French Canadians were opposed to the developement of industry and trade. What the Partiotes desired was an end to trade monopolies with the advancement of free trade19, thus ensuring equal participation of both British and French merchants in colonial commerce. In the months preceding the Rebellion, the Patriotes adopted the policy of boycotting all British merchants and goods. By following the Americans' example, they wished to cut off government revenue from import duties and to apply political pressure on the colonial government:

830's was a turbulent decade which witnessed all of the British North American colonies pushing for political change. In Lower Canada there was considerable disaffection amongst the colonists. A great many social, economic and political pressures contributed to the Rebellion. Over population, land shortages and waves of British immigrants created ethnic tension between the British and French settlers. The cholera epidemics merely fuelled the fire of these anxieties. Many resented that British merchants controlled the trade of the economy and the Patriotes' boycott of British goods created further animosity within the colony. Several years of crop failures had left many peasant farmers both destitute and hungry. The apathy of the Colonial Office, a series of ineffective Governors and conflict between the Assembly and the Legislative Council had left a sour taste in the mouths of the people. Politically, most colonists wanted an elected government which would represent t!

7- Wade, M. The French Canadians. Toronto: Macmillan, 1955.

menaced the rights and liberties of the French Canadian people."27

and the redress of grievances ought to precede the grant thereof

1- Decelles, Alfred D. The Patriotes of '37. Toronto: Glasgow, Brook and Company, 1920.

Allan Greer has suggested that had the British immigrants not been so closely tied with the motherland they too would most likely have sided with their fellow peasants, the French Canadians13.

The people's grievances with the British colonial government were indeed legitimate. This newly evolved political awareness was also a clear sign of the maturity of the colony. The Rebellions of 1837 and 1838 were largely the result of a desperate and frustrated people seeking an end to their economic difficulties and a voice for the majority in their government. It is quite possible that the Rebellion would never have occurred had there not be a severe economic depression across most areas of the colony. Without the cholera epidemics and the tide of British immigrants coming ashore, perhaps the French Canadians would not have felt so culturally threatened. When backed into a corner politically, economically and culturally, what other recourse did the French Canadians have?

Some common words found in the essay are:
Lower Canada, Legislative Council, French Canadians, Canada15 Rebellion, Lord Gosford, Ninety-Two Resolutions, Bond Head, British French, French Canadian, Rebellion Patriotes, lower canada, french canadians, legislative council, british government, colonial government, cholera epidemics, british immigrants, british merchants, french canadian, crop failures, rebellions 1837 1838, response british government, university toronto press, public meetings held, rebellion occurred severe,
Approximate Word count = 2015
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)