Canada

What was the primary force favoring Confederation in Canada and why?

A. Plan of Investigation

"What was the primary force favoring Confederation in Canada and why?"

The investigation will cover the many forces that may have lead Canada into a Confederation. Forces were political deadlock resulting from the current political structure, and other internal affairs, the defense of Canada from external influences like the U.S. doctrine of Manifest destiny, the constant threat of intervention from the US, and the fact that the British no longer wanted to maintain troops in its colonies. Economic incentives and promises for economic development could've had influences, as well. The analysis of the Events and problems leading up to the three conferences will determine why Canada wanted to become a Confederation. Other forces that led Canada into creating the British North American Act will also decide which force was the most influential in the formation of the Confederation in Canada. The primary documents used in this investigation will be The Road to Confederation and Canada in the Making.

B. Summary of Evidence

The Great Coalition Ð'-Political parties that formed in the Province of Canada in 1864. It was a political alliance of many of the Canadian political parties who agreed to vote together in parliament. In order to reform the political system, a coalition was formed between the Clear Grits under George Brown, the Parti bleu under George-Ð"‰tienne Cartier, and the Conservatives under Macdonald. (Creighton, 62)

Charlottetown Conference in 1864 Ð'- A discussion of Maritime union of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, to reunify them into one colony failed. In Charlottetown, the Canadian delegation had proposed the foundations for a new country. (Creighton, 92)

Trent Affair Ð'-Trent Affair, the most serious diplomatic crisis between Britain and the US federal government during the American Civil War. In 1861 Charles Wilkes of the Northern navy stopped the Trent, a British merchantman in neutral waters between Havana, Cuba, and London, to take captive two Confederate emissaries to London and Paris. Britain and British North America heard news of the seizure (and violation of British neutrality) and was greeted by demands for apologies from the US and for its surrender of the diplomats. (Creighton, 7)

The Fenian Invasions-

The Fenians were Irish-American immigrants who formed an order to support the independence of Ireland, which was then occupied by Britain. Canada, as a British colony, was seen as a legitimate target. There were many such as the Niagara raid in 1866, Campobello Island Raid and many more. (Creighton, 304)

"Rep by Pop" -

Due to heavy immigration, the population of English-speaking inhabitants of Canada West soon outstripped Canada East. Under the Act of Union, 1840, however, the seats in the house were evenly divided between Canada East and Canada West. This led to calls in Upper Canada for representation by population, or "rep by pop." (Creighton, 63)

St. Albans Raid -

In 1864, Bennett H. Young of the Confederate army, escaped Northern imprisonment and fled back down south, where he proposed a Canada-based raid on the Union as a means of building the Confederate treasury and forcing the Union army to protect their northern border as a diversion. He sent 20 other escaped confederates into St. Albans, 15 miles from the Canadians Border and simultaneously robbed $208,000 from three banks in town, and escaped into Canada, where they got arrested. (Creighton, 195)

Reciprocity Treaty - Governor Elgin signed a reciprocity treaty with the United States on June 6, 1854. This treaty eliminated customs tariffs between US and Canada. The agreement also governed the rights of American and British North American fishermen, raw materials, and agricultural commodities. In 1865 the American government did not renew the 10 year treaty and it ended in 1866. (Creighton, 335)

The British North America Acts 1867Ð'-1975 (The Constitution Act) Ð'- Queen Victoria gave royal assent to the British North America Act on March 29, 1867. That act, which united the Province of Canada with the colonies of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, came into effect on July 1 that year. The act dissolved the Act of Union (1840) which had previously unified Upper Canada and Lower Canada into the united Province of Canada. (Whitelaw, 34)

C. Evaluation of sources

"Canadian Confederation." Canadian Confederation. 30 Mar. 2004. Canada. 15 Feb. 2007

This website is ran and updated by Library and Archives of Canada. It is called the National Library of Canada. This is a website created primarily on Canadian documents and archives, which tells the story of how Canada came to be, from the original four provinces in 1867 to the present. The historical essays showcase documents, articles and photographs of the people, places and events that have shaped the country of Canada. This sites purpose is to feature material from the collection of Library and Archives of Canada, including a number of rare items that would otherwise be difficult to access. It also contains pictures, audio, videos and many other artifacts that would otherwise by hard to obtain. The limitation of the Source is that it didn't have any direct sources from many of the acts and laws that passed.

Grant, Creighton D. The Road to Confederation: the Emergence of Canada, 1863

1867. Greenwood: Greenwood Group, 2000. 1-230.

This book had some information about external forces that affected the Canadian Confederation as well as many internal forces. The book was written in 1964, but despite its age, it has much useful in-depth information. The purpose of the book was to help people understand what the British North American union was. The Value of the book primarily focuses on US activity, such as the Civil War, the American Revolutionary war and many more and how it shaped Canada. It also depicts how Canadians viewed the American Civil war and based many of their government policies on America. It also talks a lot about the political struggle Canada had during that time. There weren't many limitations, except finding specific information that were difficult find and cumbersome to read.

D.