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Royal Proclamation
| Quebec Act |
American Revolution
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Attack on Quebec
The American
Revolution was slow in coming and was one of the most
important events in North American history. After the
end of the Seven Years War in 1762, many of the English
colonists along the Atlantic seaboard felt they would be
able to migrate west and find new land to settle on.
With the threat from the French removed, there would be
nothing to fear during westward expansion. The colonies
felt that they had participated as partners in the
defeat of the French and would share in the spoils
within a benevolent and protective British Empire.
Britain had emerged
from the conflict bathed in glory and victory. Her
empire now stretched around the world and continual
expansion would inevitably transpire. The
challenges that remained were financial and structural.
The debt that had been built up during the 7 Years War
had to be paid down and the budget brought under
control. A fundamental belief in economic philosophy
relating to mercantilism was that the colonies existed
for the benefit of the mother country. Now that peace
was established and threats removed from the colonies in
North America, they would have to pay their share of the
costs to maintain law and order, the military, and
various other costs including the paying down of the
debt. The
British were also anxious to have English colonists move
into the newly won former French colony of Quebec and
slowly begin the process of Anglicizing it. One Act of
Parliament was intended to force potential settlers for
the Ohio country to resettle in Quebec first and then
proceed from there. It was hoped that this would help
increase the percentage of English subjects in Quebec.
The former Indian allies in the Ohio and Mississippi
valleys were also to be granted lands for their support
against the French.
The failure by the
British to recognize a way in which the colonists could
participate in government in London and the passage of
various Acts which directly imposed taxes and
obligations upon the colonists fuelled a growing
resentment among many of the leading citizens of the
colonies. These acts were referred to as the intolerable
acts and slowly an awakening of the colonies indigenous
power was expedited by resistance to these acts. There
were many in Parliament that recognized the growing rift
with the colonies but the governing party and fractions
took a hard line against appeals for some sort of
participation by the colonies and insisted on obedience
to the crown.
With civil unrest and mob resistance growing the British
began to revoke some of the colonial charters and strip
power form some of the colonial legislatures. A
Continental Congress was called for leaders of the
colonies to assemble and discuss developing affairs. By
July 0f 1776 the Declaration of Independence was
proclaimed and America had separated.
Invitations were
constantly issued to Nova Scotia, Quebec and the other
British Colonies to join the 13 rebelling colonies but
none were answered. Hostilities had begun in 1775 and in
December 1775 an American army under Benedict Arnold
attacked Quebec City in an attempt to force Quebec into
the rebel camp and join the southern colonies against
the British. The attack was defeated and Quebec was
never really threatened again during the war.
The war continued with victories and
defeats for both sides until 1781 when the Americans and
their French allies defeated Lord Cornwallis and the
British army at the Battle of Yorktown. This marked the
end for British efforts to force the 13 colonies back
into the British Empire and peace was negotiation. The
remaining British colonies which comprised present day
Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, PEI, Newfoundland, Quebec
and Ontario became a safe haven for British loyalists
and were to slowly develop separately from the United
States until they were prepared to unite as Canada in
the 1860's and some later.
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