Lower Canadian Rebellion Research Paper

The Lower Canadian Rebellion of 1837-38: The Cause of Accumulating Events
The Rebellions of 1837 were a pair of Canadian armed uprisings that occurred in 1837 in response to frustrations in political reform and ethnic conflict. The rebellions occurred in two Canadian colonies: Lower Canada and Upper Canada. The Lower Canadian Rebellion was a larger and more sustained conflict pursued by French and English Canadian rebels against the British colonial government. The Upper Canadian Rebellion was an unsuccessful uprising in Upper Canada against the Family Compact. Although the Upper and Lower Canadian Rebellions differed, they shared the common goal of establishing a responsible government. In November 1837 the Lower Canadian Rebellion began
The effects of nationalism in Lower Canada had begun gaining popularity after the war of 1812. This was inevitable because the war of 1812 was fought for the survival of British North America. The war united the French and English speaking colonies against a common enemy. This unity allowed the French and English speaking colonies to successfully push the Americans back. "After defeating the Americans, the inhabitants of British North America were left with a sense of pride, which sparked the initial growth of nationalism in the two Canadas" . This growing nationalism caused suspicion of American democratic ideas and republicanism, which further frustrated the Canadas with the British Government. This, in turn, prompted Canadian nationalism to diverge in too two different directions. The first form of nationalism was the rally of Canadians of British descents against the perceived threat from the United States. The second form of nationalism was led by Louis-Joseph Papineau and his Partie Patriote. The Partie Patriote promoted French Canadian culture, rights and interests. However, the views became increasingly radical and the party was divided by a conflict of interest. Nevertheless, Papineau remained at the head of the Partie Patriote. In 1834, the Partie Patriote demanded for a responsible elected Legislative Council/Executive Council before the
The evolution of the Lower Canadian Rebellion can be observed by the occurrence of the following events: Firstly, the displeasure between the French and the English; this disagreement was the beginning of the downfall that forced the Lower Canadians to question their position in British North America. Secondly, the birth of nationalism in Lower Canada was essential to the Rebellions. After the war of 1812 Lower Canada was filled with pride, this pride took on the primary form of the Partie Patriote. Lastly, to ignite the explosive mixture of nationalism and feuding cultures into a Rebellion there needed to be the rejection of the Ninety-Two Resolutions. The rejection of the Ninety-Two Resolutions was the final element which pushed the rebellion into a full fledged armed insurrection. Although the Lower Canadian rebellions of 1837-38 had failed, the people had gained much from there failure. The rebellion was the first step in the right direction towards gaining the responsible government that Lower Canada had sought after. Furthermore, Lord Durham's report to the British Government was exactly the solutions to what Upper and Lower Canada had been looking for. Perhaps the Upper and Lower Canadian Rebellion of 1837 were the initial events that would lead to Canadian confederation in