|
Guy Carleton | Jay's
Treaty | Black
Loyalists | Alexander
Mackenzie | Simon Fraser |
David Thompson |
John Graves Simcoe |
Captain George Vancouver |
The Northwest Company |
Prevost's Conciliation |
Tecumseh |
The War of 1812 | Lord Selkirk
|
Newfoundland |
Constitution Act 1791
The
story of Newfoundland has always been the story of the
cod. The fisheries were the richest in the world and
many countries established summer and year round fishing
bases along the shores of Newfoundland. It was not until
the English Civil War and the rise of Cromwell that
England built a fleet strong enough to protect
it's interests in Newfoundland.
By 1775 the lines of
communication and trade routes were firmly established
with the Ne England colonies. Boston was the main
destination when leaving Newfoundland and New England
served as a middleman between Newfoundland and the West
Indies. Fish went to the West Indies and sugar, rum and
other suppliers came from Boston. The British government
had discouraged settlement in Newfoundland in the
believe that transitory fishing bases was the most
efficient way to work the Grand Banks.
Once the American
Revolution began trade with New England was cut off but
demand for fish by the British navy and army exploded.
New travel routes opened up with Britain, Ireland, the
Maritimes and Quebec. these areas also began to be the
suppliers of foodstuffs and other supplies while the
Newfoundland economy boomed during the war years. The
population of Newfoundland had reached the point where
it could maintain itself and grow at a fast or slow
rated depending upon the economy and the number of
people leaving for various reasons.
From 1783 to 1789 the
demand for fish drove a boom in Newfoundland and the
transitory fishery was substantially replaced by a
permanent fishing population. This, along with the
American Revolution sparked a demand for more efficient
government and regulation of the colony from Britain. In
1809 the colony of Labrador was united with Newfoundland
as one colony again. During the
era of the Napoleonic wars that lasted until 1815
Newfoundland grew strong and stable due to the exclusion
of other countries fishing vessels and the expansion of
ship building to carry their catch, the growth of the
sealing industry. St Johns became he recognized economic
and political centre of the colony and with the
reopening of the European markets in 1813 the demand for
cod soared. A middle class developed in the colony and
this group began to take a lead in political affairs and
the growth of responsible government began to solidify.
The first civil courts were
established in 1791 and John Reeves was appointed the
first chief justice. The British navy still had
considerable influence on the affairs of Newfoundland
but this power was slowly eroding and the indigenous
power base slowly growing. Newfoundland had grown into
its own distinct society and outgrown the role as just a
resource supplier in a mercantilist system.
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