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Events that led to Canada's Confederation, By Zahin Akhand
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American Manifest Destiny
Throughout the 1840s, many Americans thought that the United States had a "manifest destiny" to conquer and dominate all of North America. Canada was concerned with the United States' discussion of expansion and manifest destiny. There was an increasing possibility that the American army would occupy most of, if not all of, Canada. Confederacy was driven by ideas of manifest destiny and concern over American expansion, as were many of Canada's early policies following Confederation. -
Act of Union
In July 1840, the British Parliament approved the Act of Union, and was proclaimed in Montreal on February 10th, 1841. By combining the colonies of Canada West/Upper Canada & Canada East/Lower Canada under one government, it created the new Province of Canada. This set the fundamental framework from which Canada will become the nation it is today, as a result of Confederation in 1867. -
Repeal of the Corn Laws
The Corn Laws throughout the British Empire effectively eliminated grain taxes, promoting trade between Britain and its colonies. However, Britain repealed the Corn Laws in 1846. As a result, Canada's grain shipments to Britain drastically decreased, causing an economic downturn. The repeal of the Corn Laws served as another proof that Britain was freeing its hold on the colonies. Canada had a motivation to separate from Britain and become independent because Britain was letting go of Canada. -
Political Deadlock, 1850s - 1860s
The Province of Canada had 15 different governments in 15 years, which meant the Act of Union of 1841 was a fail. With no clear majority in the competition between French and English Canadian interests, their votes were nullified. One solution was to combine Canada's province with the other British North American colonies, including Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, and P.E.I. Additionally, a union would increase English Canadians' political influence over French Canadians. -
American Civil War
The U.S. Civil War, caused by slavery, was between the Confederate states in the south and the Union states to the north. The war, 1861 to 1865, killed nearly a million Americans and divided the nation. At the time, Britain needed the cotton from the Southern U.S. for their textile factories, which the U.S saw as support for the Confederacy. The public sentiment in the U.S. turned against Britain and, by extension, Canada. Newspapers in the U.S. threatened Canada with annexation or invasion. -
American Civil War
“Fear of an American take over during the Civil War was perhaps the leading cause of Canadian Confederation.” - Douglas Francis, Richard Jones, and Donald Smith, Historians -
Great Coalition Formed
Early 1860s Canadian political life was characterized by instability and deadlock. In Canadian history, the Great Coalition of 1864 proved to be a historic moment. It succeeded in releasing central Canadian politics from their standstill and contributing to the birth of a new nation. The partnership brought together Conservatives and Reformers to advance constitutional reform. The Charlottetown Conference, and later Confederation, was made possible by this. -
Charlottetown Conference
The Charlottetown Conference was from September 1-9, 1864, in Charlottetown, with more meetings later in Halifax, Saint John, and Fredericton. Delegates from New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and P.E.I organized the conference to consider the union of their 3 provinces. They were encouraged for union of all the British North American colonies by a contingent from the Province of Canada. The Quebec and London Conferences followed after, and they all worked towards Canada's Confederation on July 1, 1867 -
Quebec Conference
The Quebec Conference was held from October 10 to 24, 1864, to discuss a proposed Canadian confederation. The delegates presented the 72 Resolutions. Authored by Macdonald, these resolutions outlined the plan for the new nation. The delegates established a framework for a “federal system” of government. Ties with Britain would be maintained and the British constitution would continue to apply in Canada. Canada was to become a constitutional monarchy and representative democracy. -
St. Albans Raid
St. Albans, Vermont, was raided by a group of Confederate agents based in Canada. Great Britain and the United States were quite tense during this American Civil War battle of this northernmost land action. Events like the St. Albans Raid heightened fears and concerns about American conflict and expansion into the north (modern-day Canada), leading up to Canada's Confederation. -
U.S' withdrawal from the reciprocity agreement
In 1854, a reciprocity treaty was signed between the U.S and British North America. The agreement was set to be renewed in 1865, but the US chose not to do so. Trade with the U.S had become more important to British North America, and its economy would suffer if reciprocity was to end. This increased anti-Americanism and drew the British colonies in North America closer. Support grew for a union between the colonies to increase their economic power in negotiating trade agreements for themselves. -
Fenian raids
A group of Irish people in the United States established a militia called the "Fenian Brotherhood," after the Civil War. The Fenians demanded that Britain give up its claims to Ireland and restore its independence. Consequently, the nearest members of the British Empire, Canada, was attacked by the Fenians. Their attacks changed Canada's public opinion, and as a result, they tipped in favor of Confederation, giving politicians in Canada and the Maritimes the mandate to pursue a union. -
London Conference
In London, England, 16 representatives from Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick met with the British government. Delegates considered the Québec Resolutions during the course of the 3-month meeting, forming the framework for the British North America Act. They decided on the name "Canada" for the new nation and made it a Dominion. -
British North America Act
The British Parliament passed the British North America Act and it was proclaimed into law by Queen Victoria on March 29, 1867, coming into effect on July 1, 1867. The Dominion of Canada became a nation with its own parliament, containing 4 initial provinces: Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Québec, and Ontario. Fathers of Confederation considered John A. Macdonald, George Brown, George - Étienne Cartier, Charles Tupper, D’Arcy Mcgee, Amor de Cosmos, Louis Riel, Joey Smallwood, and John Amagoalik.