Canadian History 1840-1896 Flashcards

Vocabulary and key conceptual flashcards covering the political transitions, economic changes, and social conflicts in Canada from 1840 to 1896.

Patriotes

A political group led by Louis-Joseph Papineau that rebelled against the government in 1837-1838 in Lower Canada.

Durham Report

An 1839 report by Lord Durham that proposed uniting the two Canadas and introducing responsible government to resolve political tensions.

Act of Union

An 1840 British legislation that combined Upper Canada and Lower Canada to form the Province of Canada.

Reformers

A political group supported by the professional bourgeoisie that demanded responsible government and the protection of French Canadian rights.

Protectionism

A policy favoured by London until 1846 that encouraged the purchase of resources from within the British Empire through preferential tariffs.

Responsible Government

A system established in 1848 where the Legislative Assembly approves members of the Executive Council, making them accountable for their decisions.

Rebellion Losses Bill

An 1849 law passed by the Reform Party to compensate those who suffered property damage during the rebellions, which led to rioters burning the Parliament Building in Montreal.

Bagot Commission

An 1842-1844 report on Indian Affairs that recommended separating Indigenous children from their parents to facilitate assimilation.

Double majority

The requirement for a political party to win a majority of seats in both Upper Canada and Lower Canada to form a majority government.

Proportional representation

A political system demanded by George Brown, also known as 'rep by pop,' where the number of legislative seats is based on population size.

Reciprocity Treaty

An 1854-1866 agreement with the United States allowing the Province of Canada to trade raw materials and agricultural products without paying tariffs.

Manifest Destiny

The early 1860s American belief in the expansion and annexation of North American territories, which posed a military threat to the British colonies.

Great Coalition

An 1864 political alliance between George Brown, John A. Macdonald, and George-Étienne Cartier to solve ministerial instability.

British North America Act

The constitution that created the Dominion of Canada, which came into effect on July 1, 1867.

Power of disallowance

The legal power of the federal government to reject bills passed by the provincial governments.

Industrial Capitalism

An economic system characterized by private ownership of the means of production and the pursuit of profit by a business class through factory production.

National Policy

An 1879 economic strategy by John A. Macdonald involving high protective tariffs, a transcontinental railway, and settlement of the West through immigration.

Pacific Scandal

An 1873 political crisis involving John A. Macdonald accepting campaign funds from Hugh Allan in exchange for the Canadian Pacific Railway contract.

Chinese Head Tax

A fee implemented in 1885 to discourage Chinese immigration after the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway, where $4\%$ of Chinese workers had died during construction.

Agriculturalism

A movement promoted by the Church and figures like Curé Labelle to encourage the settlement and cultivation of new land in Quebec to prevent emigration to the USA.

Potato Famine

A period in Ireland during the 1840s where a failed potato crop led to mass starvation and forced emigration to locations like Grosse-Ile in Canada.

Red River Resistance

An 1869 uprising led by Louis Riel against Canadian surveyors to protect Métis rights, leading to the creation of Manitoba in 1870.

Numbered Treaties

A series of agreements signed between 1871 and 1921 where First Nations moved to reserves in exchange for food assistance, equipment, and education.

Indian Act

An 1876 federal law that treated First Nations members as wards of the state, prohibiting property ownership and voting rights to control and assimilate them.

Manitoba Schools Question

An 1890 controversy where the Manitoba government defunded French Catholic schools after English speakers became the majority in the province.

Ultramontanism

The belief championed by Monseigneur Ignace Bourget that the Catholic Church should exert supreme influence over all moral, ethical, and political spheres of society.

Anticlericalism

A movement supported by the Parti Rouge and Institut Canadien that opposed the Catholic Church's influence in non-religious spheres of life.

Civil Code of 1866

The legal code that upheld the legal incapacity of married women, treating them as minors who could not control their own earnings or take legal action.