THE QUEBEC ACT

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THE QUEBEC ACT
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Background

• France valued the fur-trading lands of North
  America.
• But by the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713, they had to
  give up Hudson Bay, Acadia, Newfoundland, and
  vast lands south of the Great Lakes.
• They kept P.E.Island and Cape Breton (and small
  areas of what we now call New Brunswick).

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Background

• To offset these losses, France built a series of
  forts across N. America and established new
  industries at Quebec and Trois Rivieres.
• Also, because they felt surrounded by the
  English, they built the fortress of Louisbourg in
  the 1720s.

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Background

• In the 1740s war resumed between England and
  France. England used this as an excuse to
  blockade Louisbourg, cutting it off from supplies
  from France. England captured Louisbourg in 1745,
  but it was returned to France in 1748, by the
  Treaty of Aix-la-Chappelle.

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What was the English reaction to this?

• The English needed a naval base stronger and more
  effective than Annapolis, as a counterpoint to
  Louisbourg.
• So, they established the town of Halifax in an
  area known as Chebucto Bay.

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EXPULSION OF THE ACADIANS

• Fighting again started over control of the Ohio
  River valley in 1754, and the English demanded
  oaths of allegiance from the Acadians. They
  refused, and were deported.

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Seven years war

• England and France were involved in war in Europe
  from 1756-1763 (Seven Years). In N. America, the
  French lost Louisbourg (again) and Quebec was
  defeated.

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Treaty of Paris

• By the Treaty of Paris which ended the war,
  France lost everything except the islands of St.
  Pierre and Miquelon in the Gulf of St. Lawrence
  (and territory in the Caribbean).

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• 1763

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ROYAL PROCLAMATION 1763

• After the conquest, the British hoped to
  assimilate the French people.
• Benjamin Franklin many will chuse to remove if
  they can be allowed to sell their lands,
  improvements and effects the rest, in that
  thin-settled country, will in less than half a
  centurybe blended and incorporated with our
  people in both language and manners
• The proclamation divided the newly acquired
  territory into four colonies, which would be
  easier to governQuebec, East Florida, West
  Florida, and Grenada.

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Losses under the Proclamation

• Protestant churches and schools were erected in
  an attempt to convert the population and
  facilitate the disappearance of Roman Catholicism
  among the inhabitants.
• The new judicature was to be responsible for
  determining criminal and civil cases "according
  to Law and Equity as nearly as may be agreeable
  to the laws of England."
• A civilian government was to be established.

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Consequences of the British Acquisition of New
France

• Acadians were deported from Prince Edward Island
  to make room for English settlers.
• About 3 of les Canadiens living in the St.
  Lawrence valley returned to France.
• James Murray was appointed first governor of the
  territory. (He was sympathetic to the French.)

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Consequences of the British Acquisition of New
France

• Catholic priest, Jean-Olivier Briand, urged his
  parishioners to submit to the king and to all
  those who share his authority.
• Murray did not introduce an elected Assembly to
  rule instead, he ruled with the assistance of an
  appointed council made up of seigneurs and R.C.
  clergy.

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The Quebec Act 1774

• Americans were creating many problems for England
  (they later rebelled and declared independence).
• To deal with the unrest in Quebec, both Murray
  and his successor, Sir Guy Carleton, urged
  England to make concessions to the French. It
  did.

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Terms of the Act

• The Roman Catholic Church would be allowed to
  continue owning land and may collect tithes.
• French civil law would be restored, but British
  criminal law still in effect.
• Roman Catholics would be free to practice their
  religion.
• Roman Catholics would not have to profess to the
  religion of England in order to hold public
  office.
• The seigneurial system of land ownership was
  upheld.
• The Quebec border was expanded.
• No elected assembly was created (who wanted this?)

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So..

• The English colonists felt betrayed. They called
  it another Intolerable Act.
• In England, many people viewed the Act
  unfavourably.
• The small group (200) of English merchants in
  Quebec were not pleased, because they wanted to
  dominate an elected assembly.