Unit 2
Establishing Upper Canada
Lesson 1
Establishing Upper Canada
After the American Revolution, Britain turned its sights on developing their new colony of Upper Canada. Their focus was establishing various settlements where settlers would be encouraged to move.
Reading Strategy: Important vs. Interesting
When reading non-fiction text, good readers identify important information that connects directly to the main idea and interesting information that isn’t as vital to remember.
As we read today, use two different colours to highlight to important vs. interesting information. Then, use your important information to create a three sentence summary of each paragraph.
#1. Lieutenant General Simcoe
John Graves Simcoe (former commander of a military regiment called the Queen’s Rangers) left Britain on September 26, 1791, with his wife and children to start his new job as Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada. He was very eager to start establishing the new British colony of Upper Canada.
Simcoe encouraged settlement in Upper Canada by offering 75 hectares of land to any settler who would follow his three rules:
1. Swear an allegiance to the King of Britain
2. Serve in the Upper Canada militia in case of an attack
3. Farm the land, and make it prosperous
This promise of land attracted many Late Loyalists to Upper Canada. Simcoe had two notable political accomplishments during his term as Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada. He moved the capital city, and he put limits on slavery. Simcoe did not feel that the current capital at Newark Niagara-on-the-Lake) was safe from an American attack. He moved the capital city to York (Toronto). He also passed the Anti-Slavery Act in 1793, preventing people from acquiring new slaves and releasing children of slaves from slavery on their twenty-fifth birthday.
#2. Corduroy Roads
The first roads in Upper Canada were named “Corduroy Roads” because of their bumpy corduroy-like appearance. John Graves Simcoe hired soldiers to build these roads. The roads were important to the military as a faster method of travel during times of crisis. They also provided links between developing communities. These roads were created by cutting the logs in half, and laying the logs flat side down onto the ground side by side. Many people found these roads difficult to travel on due to their bumpy and uneven surfaces.
#3. York
York became an important settlement during Simcoe’s time as Lieutenant Governor. He favoured this settlement over Newark as the capital because of its distance from the United States, and its proximity to Lake Ontario, making it better for trade and travel purposes.
At the beginning of 1812, York had a population of 700 people. It was well on its way to becoming an important settlement with new industries developing. York was the home to tanneries, breweries, brickyards, shipbuilding, as well as pottery and potash factories.
The first streets to be built were Yonge Street and Dundas Street.
#4. Bytown
In 1800, Philemon Wright and other American settlers set up a community at Chaudière Falls (present day Hull). He had hoped to develop a thriving farm community. He soon discovered that the timber industry was a more profitable industry. Wright sent rafts of timber for export to Montréal and Québec using the waterways.
Colonel John By arrived in Bytown on September 21, 1826. He came from Britain on a mission to build a canal connecting the Ottawa River to Kingston. It was very important to connect these waterways in case the Americans cut off access to the St. Lawrence River. Through the building of the Rideau Canal, Fort Henry, an important military base in Kingston, would still be able to receive supplies for its troops. The canal was completed in 1832.