Confederation

Confederation refers to the process of federal union in which the British North American colonies of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and the Province of Canada joined together to form the Dominion of Canada. The term Confederation also stands for 1 July 1867, the date of the creation of the Dominion.

British North America (Canada) in 1864

LINK: Population of the Provinces over the Years

Why Become a Country?

1. The American Threat

UNCLE TOM'S CABIN

An anti-slavery novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Published in 1852, the novel had a profound effect on attitudes toward African Americans and slavery in the U.S. and is said to have "helped lay the groundwork for the Civil War".

*most read novel of the 19th Century

NOTE: Compare to Birmingham 1963

Slavery had divided the United States.

Remember, the southern states made most of their money using slaves as laborers in agriculture. The southern states produced 75% of the world's cotton!

Out of fear that slavery would be abolished and destroy their business, most slave states joined the Confederation, wanting to become their own country.

The Union (the states in the north) fought against this idea, which resulted in the American Civil War.

This video, which is Part 1 of 2, is a great video to watch in its entirety.

At least watch the following clips:

1:43 - 3:33

9:19 - 12:18

13:20 - 15:46

Interesting Facts of the American Civil War

The Union Army of 2,100,000 soldiers was nearly twice the size of the Confederate Army of 1,064,000.
It was the deadliest war in American history. There were around 210,000 soldiers killed in action and 625,000 total dead.
Thirty percent of all Southern white males between the ages of 18 and 40 died in the war.
Around 9 million people lived in the Southern states at the time of the Civil War. Around 3.4m were slaves.
Sixty six percent of the deaths in the war were due to disease.
Only 1 in 4 Southern farmers owned slaves, but it was the rich and powerful farmers who owned them.
Many of the Southern men already knew how to shoot a gun from hunting. The Northern men tended to work in factories and many didn't know how to fire a gun.
Bayonets were sharp blades attached to the end of rifles.

What does the Civil War have to do with Canada?

In this 1861 cartoon, John Bull, the symbol of Britain, asks "Brother Jonathan," a reference to the Americans, where they are running to. The Americans respond, "Just gwine [going] to take Canada."

A well-trained American army could easily take British North America (annexation)!

This is an excerpt from the July 2, 1866, Annexation bill, calling for the colonies of British North America to be incorporated into the United States.

Union song sung by soldiers:

Secession first he would put down, Wholly and forever, And afterwards from Britain's crown, He Canada would sever.

(Yankee marching song sung to the tune of "Yankee Doodle" 1861).

2. The Fenians

In the United States, some Irish soldiers who had served in the American Civil War joined the Fenians. They plotted an armed invasion of British North America. The Fenians believed that the British colonies were vulnerable to attack and planned to take them hostage until Britain granted independence to Ireland. Many colonists feared that sentiments among Fenian immigrants would spill over into British North America.

Orangeville Volunteers of 1866, Ready to Meet the Fenian Raiders

Were the Fenians Terrorists or Freedom Fighters?

ARTICLE: "When Irish Immigrants Were America's Most Feared Terrorist Group"

3. Change in Britain's Attitude Towards Its Colonies

North America had been a source of riches for Britain for more than 200 years. To keep control of the land and its valuable fur, fish, and timber resources, Britain had fought many lengthy and costly battles.

For example, Britain sent more than 10 000 troops to British North America to defend it from any danger posed by the American Civil War.

This statement was published in the London Times on October 15, 1864.

4. Better Together

In Canada West, John A. MacDonald (Conservative Party) and George Brown (Liberal Party) were arch rivals but agreed Confederation would be the best solution
George-Etienne Cartier, the leader of Canada East, believed the union would also be best for the French
The Great Coalition between these leaders were formed, with a vision of united all the British colonies together (August 1864)

C H A R L O T T E T O W N C O N F E R E N C E - September 1864

The Maritime colonies of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island considered creating their own union and met to discuss this possibility. Their biggest fear of joining Canada is the size difference in population and they might lose their voice and power.

John A. Mac Donald and friends asked to join the party which was called the Charlottetown Conference - a first of 3 sets of meetings held between 1864 and 1866.

This photo was taken on the steps of Government House in Charlottetown in September 1864.

5. Economic Benefits: Railroads

The Maritimes wanted access to new trade partners in British North America. Railways were an importance condition to joining Canada.

On July 1, 1867 Canada West, Canada East, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia became one country: Canada!

Ultimately the construction of the railway brought P.E.I and British Columbia into the new country.

Challenges:

1. Canada's First Political Scandal

In 1872, Sir Hugh Allan, a Canadian businessman, donated over $350,000 to Macdonald's election campaign. In return for the money, Macdonald told Allan that his company would get the contract to build the railway.

2. Indigenous Land

The route of the railway travelled through the Northwest, affecting indigenous communities.

3. Labour Shortage: Hired Chinese Workers

Approximately 17,000 Chinese were hired and were expected to perform the most dangerous jobs. They received $1 per day compared to white workers who got between $1.50 and $2.50.

T H E L A S T S P I K E

This photo shows Donald Smith, an investor in the railway, driving in the last spike of the Canadian Pacific Railway on November 7, 1885, in Craigellachie, British Columbia.

CLASS NOTES

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Why did Canada decide to become a country?

Reason 1 - DEFENCE: Uniting colonies’ separate political, economic, and defence systems might solve various issues faced by colonies; would make the new country prosperous, strong, and capable of defending itself.
Reason 2 - AMERICAN THREAT: Various threats from the United States caused colonists to fear and distrust the Americans: territorial expansion based on manifest destiny; American resentment toward Britain and British North America after the Civil War); talk of annexation of British North America by the United States; the purchase of Alaska.
Reason 3 - FENIANS: Invasions by Fenians heightened the need to join together for defence and added to the colonists’ distrust of the U.S. government.
Reason 4 - ECONOMY: Economic issues, including the cost of defence, increased the need to pool resources; cancellation of the Reciprocity Treaty caused economic problems, forcing colonies to look for trading relationships among themselves.

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Province of Canada:

Pros:

greater ability to defend itself against invaders
ability to expand territory
resolution to political conflicts
change in governmental representation (based on population size)
greater influence over others
for Canada West, assimilation of French Canadians
for Canada East, protection of French rights.

Cons:

for Canada East, loss of French culture, religion, and language.

Joined: yes.

Newfoundland:

Pros:

greater ability to defend itself against invaders
sharing of resources and costs to help its struggling economy.

Cons:

loss of independence, identity, influence, resources, and economic prosperity.

Joined: no.

Prince Edward Island:

Pros:

greater ability to defend itself against invaders
sharing of resources and costs to help the struggling economy.

Cons:

loss of independence, identity, influence, and economic prosperity.

Joined: no.

Nova Scotia:

Pros:

greater ability to defend itself against invaders
sharing of resources and costs to help the struggling economy.

Cons:

loss of independence, identity, influence, resources, and possibly economic prosperity
loss of good relations with Britain and the United States.

Joined: yes.

New Brunswick:

Pros:

greater ability to defend itself against invaders
sharing of resources and costs to help the struggling economy.

Cons:

loss of independence, identity, and influence.

Joined: yes.

Northwest:

Pros:

greater ability to defend itself against American expansion
sharing of resources and costs to help the struggling economy.

Cons:

would lose the traditional ways of life when greater numbers and very different people arrived
would give up political control to a government that was a long way away both in terms of distance and way of life.

Joined: no.

British Columbia:

Pros:

greater ability to defend itself against invaders;
sharing of resources and costs to help struggling economy;
improved governmental system;
building of transportation link to the rest of Canada;
help with building infrastructure to accommodate the sudden growth in population.

Cons:

lack of connection with the rest of the country (if there is no transportation link)
loss of ties with the United States.

Joined: no.

Because you're dying to know when each province/territory joined Canada:

Alberta: September 1, 1905

British Columbia: July 20, 1871

Manitoba: July 15, 1870

New Brunswick: July 1, 1867

Newfoundland: March 31, 1949

Northwest Territories: July 15, 1870

Nova Scotia: July 1, 1867

Nunavut: April 1, 1999

Ontario: July 1, 1867

Prince Edward Island: July 1, 1873

Quebec: July 1, 1867

Saskatchewan: September 1, 1905

Yukon: June 13, 1898

B O N U S F E A T U R E:

How do we judge historical figures? Heroes? Villains? Both?

Read the following article about John A. Macdonald and decide for yourself.

Article: Here is what Sir John A. Macdonald did to Indigenous people

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