The Road To

Confederation

Cranny, Michael William. Horizons: Canadas Emerging Identity. Prentice Hall Ginn Canada, 2009.

Brenda Ball, John Lyall, and Tom Morton. Nelson BC Socials 9 Student Resource. Nelson Canada 2018
 Station One

Economic
Pressures
Summarize cards A, B, and
C
A Read Me
Britain’s economic relationship with the
colonies, was changing. In 1846, the
British government repealed the Corn
Laws, which were part of the
Navigation Acts and gave preferential
treatment to British colonies. Canadian
grain came into Britain with lower tariffs
than grain from other countries. This
helped Canadian producers by
increasing prof- its, but limiting the
import of grain from other countries
made bread in Britain expensive. This
contributed to the starvation the Irish
suffered during the Potato Famine. By
repealing the laws and not restricting
itself to Canadian grain, Britain could
buy wheat, flour, and other products
at the lowest price—from any country.
B Read Me
The end of the Corn Laws drove the
colonies into an economic depression.
Although Canadians exported timber
and agricultural products, they
manufactured very little. With the old
economic relationship now in tatters,
and with few factories or industries,
Canadians began to look at the union
of all of the colonies as a way of helping
their economy. Joining together would
mean larger markets, more industry, and
better transportation systems. A more
independent Canadian government
could develop its own economic
policies—policies that would serve
Canada rather than Britain.

C Read Me
In 1865,the United States cancelled the
Reciprocity Treaty. This treaty had
given the colonies of British North
America favoured trade status with
reduced tax rates. This resulted in
reduced trade between the colonies
and the United States. Some of the
colonies became increasingly
concerned about their economic
welfare. The Atlantic colonies had
resource-based economies, so they
benefited from trade relations with
Britain, the United States, and others.
British Columbia had rising debt as the
Cariboo Gold Rush came to an end
and was looking for economic
solutions.
 Station Two

Manifest
Destiny
Create a sketch or cartoon
to illustrate the card A & B
A Read Me
Confederation opened up another
possibility—that of expansion to the West.
The vast western territories, which were
held by the Hudson’s Bay Company,
could be annexed to Canada, and
therefore denied to the United States.
Canadians were suspicious of American
intentions in the West. After all, American
politicians made speeches about Manifest
Destiny, which claimed that the destiny of
the United States was to own all of North
America. Americans had already invaded
Canada twice— during the American
Revolution and during the War of 1812.
The small, scattered colonies of British
North America had almost no defences
against American aggression, but the
United States would be less likely to invade
a united, sovereign country.
B Read Me
The American Civil War, which began in
1861, heightened the threat. When the
war ended in 1865, the army of the
victorious northern states could have
easily invaded Canada because it had
more soldiers than the total population
in all the Canadian colonies. Britain had
also angered the North by supporting
the South during the war, providing
warships and money. Confederates
(southerners) had been able to attack
the northern states by travelling through
Canada. Many wondered if the North
would retaliate against Britain by
sending the army into Canada.

C Read Me

• Annex to take over a territory and

add it to the territory of another
country
• Manifest Destiny an American idea
that it was the fate of the United
States to control all of North
America
• American Civil War also called
the War Between the States, it
began in 1861 and ended in 1865.
The industrialized North fought the
agricultural South. A divisive issue
was slavery, which the South
supported.
 Station Three

Need for a
Railroad
In your notebook, explain
what were the difficulties
before a railroad, and
what positive changes a
railroad would bring.
A Read Me B Read Me

By 1860, each of Canada West, Unfortunately by 1860, the Grand

Canada East, Nova Scotia, and
New Brunswick had its own
railway. However, no railway
joined the colonies. The United
Province of Canada was
separated from the Atlantic
colonies by the mountains in
Gaspe and the northern part of
the state of Maine. The St.
Lawrence River froze each
winter, stopping water
transportation between the
colonies.
Trunk Railway, which ran from
Sarna in Canada West to Reviere-
du-Loup in Canada East, was
bankrupt. The Great Western
Railway, which ran from the
Niagara River to Windsor, also
developed financial trouble.
Railway building in the British North
American colonies came to a halt.
However, some politicians and
businessmen were beginning to
dream of a new country united by
a railway.

C Read Me
An intercolonial railway
would overcome these
obstacles. The distance
between the colonies would
seem much shorter. An
intercolonial railway would
increase trade among the
colonies and speed up mail
delivery. In case of war,
especially attack by the
United States a railway would
move troops quickly from on
colony to another.
 Station Four

Political
Pressures
In your notebook, explain
what were the main
conflicts in the Province of
Canada before
Confederation.
A Read Me
In the Province of Canada, ruling
two very different groups with
one government was
challenging, especially as the
population grew. In Canada
West, the Liberal Party wanted to
diminish French political power in
the Province of Canada and
assimilate French Canadians. The
Conservative Party wanted to
uphold the government. The
leaders of both parties eventually
agreed that unifying the colonies
through Confederation offered a
better chance to resolve the
political conflict over Canada
East.
C Read Me
Political parties were a relatively
new concept in pre-
Confederation Canada. A
political party attracts people
who have similar ideas and
goals. In Canada, political
parties formed to represent the
interests of the French and the
English. Other groups, including
Aboriginal peoples, had no
representation and no party.
Parties developed a platform,
which described the changes
they wanted to make and how
they would achieve their goals.
B Read Me
With Confederation,
Canada West and
Canada East would have
their own local
government but would
also work together under
one federal, or centralized,
government
D Read Me
The government of the Province of
Canada was filled with
independent politicians who
answered to no one. These
members could topple a
government by voting against one
of its bills, a situation that created
crisis after crisis as governments
tried to survive. The government of
Canada was always made up of
a number of parties—a coalition. If
even one party left the coalition,
the government would fall.
Governments survived by doing
nothing. People hoped that
Confederation would
bring change.
 Station Five

Opposition to
Confederation
In your notebook, explain
what were the main
reasons people were
opposed to
Confederation.
A Read Me
First, the colonies felt that if they
were joined together in a
federation, they would lose their
independence. There would be
a central government, and it
would most likely control
defence, foreign affairs, money,
postage, and taxation. Although
Britain already controlled some
of these areas of responsibility,
many colonists preferred dealing
with London, which was far
away, rather than a new
government located in Canada
West or Canada East.
B Read Me
Second, most people did not feel
any great attachment to the
people of the other colonies.
French Canadians felt they had
little in common with English-
speaking Canadians. They had no
desire to become even more of a
minority in a larger, mostly English-
speaking country. Nor did the
people in the Maritime colonies
feel that they should be part of a
greater “Dominion of Canada.”
Their economies had closer links to
Britain and eastern United States
than to the Canadas.

C Read Me
Third, the idea of Confederation
started “at the top.” The
population at large had to be
convinced, which was not easy.
In addition, Confederation could
cost a lot of money, which would
have to be paid for with more
taxes. Victorian Canadians were
as skeptical of what politicians
promised as people are today.
Those who wanted union had to
convince people that their
proposal had merit, which
involved a lot of time and effort.
 Station Six
British
Columbia's
path to
Confederation
In your notebook, explain
what were the main
reasons people were
opposed to
Confederation.
A Read Me
Until the mid-1800s, the population
of British Columbia was
predominantly Indigenous. With a
series of gold rushed starting in 1850,
and influx of migrant workers began
to change this. As miners arrived
from Europe, China, the U.S., and
elsewhere, violent conflicts erupted
with First Peoples communities,
including the Fraser Canyon War of
1858. The First Peoples did not
consider themselves to be
inhabitants of a British colony, an
the miners and other workers were
encroaching on the lands they had
inhabited for thousands of years.
C Read Me
In the early 1860’s, the Cariboo
Gold Rush resulted in more
prospectors and settlers arriving
from Great Britain and the
colonies of eastern British North
America. Once the gold rush
ended, however, the economy
of the colony slowed down.
Those in favour of joining
Canada, many of them British or
of British descent – believed that
doing so would encourage
economic growth.
B Read Me
Governor James Douglas
instructed governments
agents to sign treaties with
First Peoples to settle territorial
disputes and create reserves
to protect First Peoples lands.
However, after Douglas’s term
as Governor ended, the new
governor ceased the treaty
process. He offered First
Peoples no compensation for
the takeover of their lands
D Read Me
Thus, one of British Columbia’s
conditions for joining Canada
was the construction of a new
road through the Rockies
within three years, to join the
new province with the rest of
the country. The government
offered to build a railway
instead. Having reached an
agreement that met their
conditions, British Columbia
joined Canada in 1871.
 Station Seven
Fathers of
Confederation
Pick one of the important
figures from confederation
and conduct research.
Hewitt Bernard, secretary Sir Alexander Campbell Sir Charles Tupper
William Henry Steeves Sir Adams George Archibald John Hamilton Gray, N.B.
Edward Whelan Sir Hector-Louis Langevin William Henry Pope
William Alexander Henry Sir John A Macdonald William McDougall
Charles Fisher Sir George-Etienne Cartier Thomas D'Arcy McGee
John Hamilton Gray, P.E.I. Sir Étienne-Paschal Taché Andrew Archibald Macdonald
Edward Palmer George Brown Jonathan McCully
George Coles Thomas Heath Haviland John Mercer Johnson
Sir Samuel Leonard Tilley Sir Alexander Tilloch Galt Robert Duncan Wilmot
Sir Frederic B. T. Carter Peter Mitchell Sir William Pearce Howland
Jean-Charles Chapais James Cockburn John William Ritchie
Sir Ambrose Shea Sir Oliver Mowat
Edward Barron Chandler Robert Barry Dickey
A Research the Following B Research the Following

• Name: • Name:
• Birth and Death • Birth andNaDeath
• Location: • Location:
• Role and Significant • Role and Significant
Contributions: Contributions:

C Research the Following D Research the Following

• Name: • Name:
• Birth and Death • Birth and Death
• Location: • Location:
• Role and Significant • Role and Significant
Contributions: Contributions:
 Station Seven
Map of Canada
1867
Examine the map of Canada in 1867 and answer the
questions.
A Answer the Question B Answer the Question

Why might the colonies of What type of problems

British North America existed between the
have felt threatened by separate colonies of
the United States? British North America
(Consider that the United (think about
States purchased Alaska geography, the
from Russia on March 30, economy, and
1867.)
transportation)?

C Answer the Question

What parts of British

North America might
have been more suited
geographically to join
the United States than
to join the other British
North American
colonies?