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The Province of Lower Canada (French: Province du Bas-Canada) was a British colony
British colonization of the Americas

British colonization of the Americas began in the late 16th century, before reaching its peak after colonies were established throughout the Americas, and a protectorate was established over the Kingdom of Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean....
 on the lower Saint Lawrence River
Saint Lawrence River

Saint Lawrence River is a large river flowing approximately from southwest to northeast in the middle latitudes of North America, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean....
 and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence
Gulf of Saint Lawrence

Gulf of Saint Lawrence , the world's largest estuary, is the outlet of North America's Great Lakes via the Saint Lawrence River into the Atlantic Ocean....
 (1791-1841). It covered the southern portion of the modern-day Province of Quebec
Quebec

Quebec , in French language, Qu?bec , is a Provinces and territories of Canada in the Central Canada and Eastern Canada regions of Canada....
, Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
, and the Labrador
Labrador

Labrador is a region of Atlantic Canada. Together with the island of Newfoundland from which it is separated by the Strait of Belle Isle, it constitutes the province of Newfoundland and Labrador....
 region of the modern-day Province of Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador

Newfoundland and Labrador is a Provinces and territories of Canada of Canada, on the country's Atlantic Ocean coast in northeastern North America....
.

Province of Lower Canada was created by the Constitutional Act of 1791
Constitutional Act of 1791

The Constitutional Act of 1791 was an Act of Parliament of the Parliament of Great Britain which changed the government of the province of Quebec to accommodate the many English-speaking settlers, known as the United Empire Loyalists, who had arrived from the United States following the American Revolution....
 from the partition of the British colony of the Province of Quebec (1763-1791) into the Province of Lower Canada and the Province of Upper Canada
Upper Canada

The Province of Upper Canada was a British colony located in what is now the southern portion of the Province of Ontario in Canada. Upper Canada officially existed from 26 December 1791 to 10 February 1841 and generally comprised present-day Southern Ontario and, until 1797, the Upper Peninsula of what is now part of the U.S....
.

Lower Canada consisted of part of former French colony
French colonization of the Americas

The French colonization of the Americas began in the 16th century, and continued in the following centuries as France established a French colonial empire in the Western Hemisphere....
 of New France
New France

The Viceroyalty of New France was the area French colonization of the Americas by France in North America during a period extending from the exploration of the Saint Lawrence River, by Jacques Cartier in 1534, to the cession of New France to Spain and Kingdom of Great Britain in 1763....
, populated mainly by French Canadians, which was ceded to Great Britain after that empire's victory in the Seven Years' War
Seven Years' War

The Seven Years' War lasted between 1756?1763 and involved all of the major European powers of the period. The war pitted Kingdom of Prussia and Kingdom of Great Britain and a coalition of smaller German states against an alliance consisting of Archduchy of Austria, Early Modern France, Russian Empire, Kingdom of Sweden, and Electorate of Sa...
, also called the French and Indian Wars
French and Indian Wars

The French and Indian Wars is a name used in the United States for a series of conflicts in North America that represented the actions there that accompanied the European dynastic wars....
 in the United States.






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The Province of Lower Canada (French: Province du Bas-Canada) was a British colony
British colonization of the Americas

British colonization of the Americas began in the late 16th century, before reaching its peak after colonies were established throughout the Americas, and a protectorate was established over the Kingdom of Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean....
 on the lower Saint Lawrence River
Saint Lawrence River

Saint Lawrence River is a large river flowing approximately from southwest to northeast in the middle latitudes of North America, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean....
 and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence
Gulf of Saint Lawrence

Gulf of Saint Lawrence , the world's largest estuary, is the outlet of North America's Great Lakes via the Saint Lawrence River into the Atlantic Ocean....
 (1791-1841). It covered the southern portion of the modern-day Province of Quebec
Quebec

Quebec , in French language, Qu?bec , is a Provinces and territories of Canada in the Central Canada and Eastern Canada regions of Canada....
, Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
, and the Labrador
Labrador

Labrador is a region of Atlantic Canada. Together with the island of Newfoundland from which it is separated by the Strait of Belle Isle, it constitutes the province of Newfoundland and Labrador....
 region of the modern-day Province of Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador

Newfoundland and Labrador is a Provinces and territories of Canada of Canada, on the country's Atlantic Ocean coast in northeastern North America....
.

History

The Province of Lower Canada was created by the Constitutional Act of 1791
Constitutional Act of 1791

The Constitutional Act of 1791 was an Act of Parliament of the Parliament of Great Britain which changed the government of the province of Quebec to accommodate the many English-speaking settlers, known as the United Empire Loyalists, who had arrived from the United States following the American Revolution....
 from the partition of the British colony of the Province of Quebec (1763-1791) into the Province of Lower Canada and the Province of Upper Canada
Upper Canada

The Province of Upper Canada was a British colony located in what is now the southern portion of the Province of Ontario in Canada. Upper Canada officially existed from 26 December 1791 to 10 February 1841 and generally comprised present-day Southern Ontario and, until 1797, the Upper Peninsula of what is now part of the U.S....
.

Lower Canada consisted of part of former French colony
French colonization of the Americas

The French colonization of the Americas began in the 16th century, and continued in the following centuries as France established a French colonial empire in the Western Hemisphere....
 of New France
New France

The Viceroyalty of New France was the area French colonization of the Americas by France in North America during a period extending from the exploration of the Saint Lawrence River, by Jacques Cartier in 1534, to the cession of New France to Spain and Kingdom of Great Britain in 1763....
, populated mainly by French Canadians, which was ceded to Great Britain after that empire's victory in the Seven Years' War
Seven Years' War

The Seven Years' War lasted between 1756?1763 and involved all of the major European powers of the period. The war pitted Kingdom of Prussia and Kingdom of Great Britain and a coalition of smaller German states against an alliance consisting of Archduchy of Austria, Early Modern France, Russian Empire, Kingdom of Sweden, and Electorate of Sa...
, also called the French and Indian Wars
French and Indian Wars

The French and Indian Wars is a name used in the United States for a series of conflicts in North America that represented the actions there that accompanied the European dynastic wars....
 in the United States. Other parts of New France ceded to Britain became the Colonies of Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia is a Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada located on Canada's southeastern coast. It is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada....
, New Brunswick
New Brunswick

New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only Constitution of Canada bilingual province in the federation. The provincial capital is Fredericton....
 and Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island

Prince Edward Island is a Canada Provinces and territories of Canada consisting of an island of the same name. The Maritimes is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population ....
.

Rebellion

Like Upper Canada, there was political unrest and a rebellion challenged the British
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 rule of the predominantly French
French people

French people can refer to:* The legal residents and citizens of France, regardless of ancestry. For a legal discussion, see French nationality law....
 population. After the Patriote Rebellion
Lower Canada Rebellion

The Lower Canada Rebellion is the name given to the armed conflict between the rebels of Lower Canada and the United Kingdom colonial power of that province....
 was crushed by the British army and Loyal
Loyal (Lower Canada)

The Loyals were opponents of the Patriotes during the Lower Canada Rebellion in 1837 and 1838.Loyal volunteers, such as those recruited from the Doric Club, were instrumental in quelling the uprising....
 volunteers, the 1791 Constitution was suspended on March 27 1838 and a special council
Special Council of Lower Canada

The Special Council of Lower Canada was an appointed body which administered Lower Canada until the Act of Union created the Province of Canada....
 was appointed to administer the colony.

The provinces of Lower Canada and Upper Canada were combined as the United Province of Canada in 1841, when the The Union Act came into force. Their separate legislatures were combined into a single parliament with equal representation for both constituent parts.

Constitution


The Province of Lower Canada inherited the mixed set of French and English institutions that existed in the Province of Quebec during the 1763-1791 period and which continued to exist later in Canada-East (1841-1867) and ultimately in the current Province of Quebec (1867-).




Population


 Population of Lower Canada, 1806 to 1841
Year Census estimate
1806 250,000
1814 335,000
1822 427,465
1825 479,288
1827 473,475
1831 553,134
1841 650,000


See also

  • the Canadas
    The Canadas

    Upper Canada and Lower Canada, collectively referred to as the Canadas, were two British colonization of the Americas in Canada. They were both created by the Constitutional Act of 1791 and abolished in 1841 with the union of Upper and Lower Canada....
  • Canada East
    Canada East

    Canada East was the eastern portion of the United Province of Canada. It consisted of the southern portion of the modern-day Canada Province of Quebec, and was primarily a French language region....
    , period after the Act of Union (1840)
  • List of Lieutenant Governors of Quebec
  • Timeline of Quebec history
    Timeline of Quebec history

    This article presents a detailed timeline of Quebec history. Events taking place outside Quebec, for example in English Canada, the United States, UK or France, may be included when they are considered to have had a significant impact on History of Quebec....
  • National Patriotes Day
    National Patriotes Day

    National Patriotes' Day is a statutory holiday observed annually in the Canada province of Quebec, on the Monday preceding 25 May. The holiday was instated by the Government of Quebec in 2003, according to the then Premier of Quebec Bernard Landry: "to underline the importance of the struggle of the patriots of 1837 1838 for the national r...
  • Acadia
    Acadia

    Acadia was the name given to lands in a portion of the French colonial empires in northeastern North America that included parts of eastern Quebec, the Maritimes, and modern-day New England, stretching as far south as Philadelphia....
  • Cajun
    Cajun

    Cajuns are an ethnic group mainly living in Louisiana, consisting of the descendants of Acadian exiles and peoples of other ethnicities with whom the Acadians eventually intermarried on the semitropical frontier....
  • French colonial empire
  • French and Indian War
    French and Indian War

    The French and Indian War was the North American chapter of the Seven Years' War, known in Canada as the War of the Conquest. The name refers to the two main enemies of the British: the royal French forces and the various Indigenous peoples of the Americas forces allied with them....


Further reading

  • Robert Christie
    Robert Christie

    Robert Christie was a lawyer, journalist, historian and political figure in Lower Canada and Canada East.He was born in Windsor, Nova Scotia in 1787, the son of a Scotland immigrant....
    . A History of the Late Province of Lower Canada, Quebec City: T. Cary/R. Montreal: Worthington, 1848-1855 (Internet Archive: )
  • François-Xavier Garneau
    François-Xavier Garneau

    Fran?ois-Xavier Garneau was a nineteenth century French Canadian notary, poet, civil servant and liberal who wrote a three-volume history of the French Canadian nation entitled Histoire du Canada between 1845 and 1848....
    . History of Canada : from the time of its discovery till the union year, Montreal : J. Lovell, 1860 (Internet Archive: )


External links