|
Royal Proclamation
| Quebec Act |
American Revolution
| Loyalists |
Attack on Quebec
The American Revolution pitted brother
against brother, father against son and husband against
wife. Some estimate that about 1/3 of the colonists
supported the revolution, 1/3 supported the British
cause and 1/3 were neutral. As the war progressed those
supporting the British cause became know as loyalist and
they became increasingly anxious about their future as
it became apparent that the cause of independence was
going to win. Many of them began to contemplate sailing
for Britain while many others considered alternative
British Colonies as destination for re-settlement.
The Canada's and the
Maritimes were the closest and easiest destinations to
travel to and a large migration of loyalists began as
the war drew to a close. It is estimated that
approximately 34,000 loyalists when to Nova Scotia,
2,000 to PEI, 10,000 to Ontario and Quebec. These colonies began to absorb
the majority of new loyalist immigration and rapid growth
occurred for the next 10 years. Although the newly
independent United States did intimidate a percentage of
British immigrants that would have migrate to the US
with hesitation, a large number considered the still
British colonies of the Maritimes and the Canada's as a
safer, friendlier alternative.
On November 9 1789,
the governor of Quebec, Lord Dorchester, gave the
title United Empire Loyalist to those that had arrived
from the 13 colonies. This was later shortened to UE on
the end of the name.
The British also began to
assert themselves on the west coast of North America
with the epic voyages and exploration of Captain James
Cook in the 1770's and Captain George Vancouver in the
1790's. The Hudson Bay Company was very active in the
mapping and exploration of the interior of present day
Canada in the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan,
Alberta and British Columbia with |
