Post # 14: Another War?!?

December 12, 1793

Dear Journal,

The American Revolution has been finished for ten years now; it only felt like yesterday that my friends and I were so excited about not fighting anymore and were even happier that we survived the war. But, there is still tension between us and United States. Now the war against France is our top priority. We are worried that the French troops that are led by Napoleon are going to invade England by crossing the English Channel. Therefore we are going to need a strong army to protect our shores. But my problem is the poor conditions on the ships. I heard that most sailors are deserting the ships and joining the American merchant navy. They are stopping American ships and looking for deserters. Sometimes they force the Americans to work for them… I will decline the offer of joining the navy… I hope I can.

Post #13: Fur or Food or Wood

October 28, 1793

Dear Journal,

My wife and her friends researched on my decision and figured out that I will be better off with staying a farmer rather than changing professions. She said that the Hudson’s Bay Company should beat the North West Company eventually and she said that we also may be even better off if I changed to the timber industries. She explained to me that because this is used for almost everything we would get the most money from this. But I think that farming is important too but I will have to discuss this with some of my friends.

November 3, 1793

Dear Journal,

Will, Cameron, James, Spenser and I have decided that I well we will work part time in the timber industry and the farming industry (yes James’ wife convinced him to quit his existing job). We will tend the farm in the summer and work with the timber industry in the winter. While we are away, our wives will take care of the houses, barns, animals and of course the children. I know I did not write too much but no interesting things have happened.

Post #12: Fur: is it good or bad?

September 30, 1793

Dear Journal,

I didn’t understand the proses of the fur trade, so I asked one of my friends James, because he works in the industry, this is what I learned.

·         The fur trade was continuing in the background while the administrators were busy (of course)

·         The Hudson’s Bay Company set up shop along the Hudson’s Bay River (*sigh* I wonder why they called it that?) in 1760

·         In the north, the traders wait at their posts for the first nations to arrive with furs

·         However in the south, traders use Montreal as their base and travel west in search for furs

·         Somehow they started a who can collect the better fur competition

·         The North West Company(NWC) is currently in the lead because of their advantages- they had access to top quality furs and that they have metis traders (these are children from trader fathers and native mothers this gave the fathers a trading advantage)

·         This is causing traders to explore new lands and discover new cultures

This is very well the best industry to join but I might have to research more into which company is better. I am most likely to join the North West Company. If I am going to be a fur trader.

Post #11: Settling with Simcoe

July 31, 1793

Dear Journal,

Not much has happened lately until now. Just yesterday Simcoe (I already told you about him); arrived in York with his wife and servants he was going to make sure that the fort was being built. As soon as he came he had town plans drawn up because he and his family were living there it became a base for the government. He also faced many challenges he is currently living in a canvas house because he does not have a real house. I have a feeling that he might be in there for a while. Also, Sir Guy Carleton preferred Kingston as the capital of Upper Canada so Simcoe didn’t get any financial support. I don’t know how they are going to do that because York is all wildernesses. The Queen’s Rangers helped Simcoe with some of the challenges that he faced. They protected the city and served as laborers. That is a lot of events in only two days.

August 20, 1793

Dear Journal,

Now there is going to be a war. This is probably going to prevent more Europeans from coming here.  Anyways Simcoe didn’t like the United States until he realized the potential source of new settlers and that people from the Ohio valley know how to carve a farm from wilderness. He bribed the Americans to come with offers of land. His interest in creating a society like England’s leaded him to give land grants of up to 5000 acres; these people were the wealthier type. Simcoe set aside 100 acre lots to in the future grant to government officials that moved from Newark. I thought that you would like to know that he also granted land to Late Loyalists. They received between200-1000 acres.

Post #10: Purchased?

December 25, 1792

Dear Journal,

The site John Graves Simcoe chose was thought to be an unused land space, but I have a secret. I thought that is was strange that the land was cleared and flattened although the land around this spot was rolling and full of trees, so I went asking  around and I figured out that the land was used by the French and a First Nation group called Teiaigon. ln 1620, the French built a fort there. Before that the first nations ruled the land. Don’t tell Simcoe, I don’t want to crush his dreams.

Also Sir John Johnson, another one of my friends, sent me a letter that probably was supposed to come around 1790. This is what it says:                                                                                                                                                  

Good friend,

I have had quite an interesting time the past couple of years. Starting with my consultation with the Mississauga at the bay of Quinte, we agreed to a sale of the land along the north shore along Lake Ontario that includes both sides of the Humber River and Lake Simcoe. But the crown made a mistake when purchasing the land. The deed was not found for a year, and when it was found it was blank! So technically we did not purchase the land. When the crown figured out what they did wrong, they told Mississauga and redid the purchase. The government said that the new agreement was a conformation of the previous one. They gave us more land than the first one (hey not a problem).

Until next time

Sir John Johnson

Post #9: John Graves Simcoe

October 3, 1792

Dear Journal,

There is a man called John Graves Simcoe. He led the loyalists unit called the Queens Rangers during the American Revolution. Back in 1781 he was injured and brought back to England. When he got better, he married a woman from a wealthy family, and so of course he got advanced in his career. He was appointed as the first Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada.

In 1792, he arrived in Newark-the capital of the colony. He was to report to Sir Guy Carlton, governor general for the two Canadas- he was stationed in Quebec at this time. John believed that Newark was a bad choice as a capital. He was concerned about future conflict with the United States. He was concerned because Newark was close to the border between the United States and Canada, therefore being an easy target for a future conflict. His dream is to build a colony that was like England. He wanted to make a capital city called London. He first wanted to make a strong military base, he then chose York. He thought that York should be Upper Canada’s military stronghold because it is farther away from the border than Newark. Also it has a natural harbor.

Post #8: The Government

September 21, 1792                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

Dear journal,

Sorry, yesterday my candle burnt out so I could not continue writing. Today I have two candles so I can finish writing. Okay, where was I…  Most people in our British government thought that the American Revolution resulted from too much democracy. I think that the elected assemblies had gained too much power  over the appointed governors. We then faced demands from the loyalists who wanted an elected assembly. They proved their loyalty to us, but they were used to having a voice in their government. We knew that we owed something to these people, so in the Constitutional Act of 1791 they were given as little influence as possible.

The government in Upper Canada is… different. Is consists of the Lieutenant-Governor, the Executive Council and the Legislative Council. The Lieutenant-Governor had control over the colony’s crown reserves. The Executive Council advises the Lieutenant-Governor on all government matters. The Legislative Council has the power to impose taxes and laws… turns out that I didn’t need the second candle after all.

post #7: The Constitutional Act

September 20, 1792

Dear journal,

The loyalists are moving to Nova Scotia mostly in the area of the Bay of Fundy. They thought that Halifax was too far away to understand their needs. In Quebec the loyalists were moving west of Montreal they thought that they should have the same rights as us- Brittan.  But Quebec was still under the Quebec Act of 1774 (the one where the colony used the French civil law and the seigneurial land holding system). This was very offensive to the loyalists. The farmers had a right to occupy the land but did not have ownership of it.

In the next year, the loyalists sent a petition to the king that said that they should be freed from the load of French Tenures. The government responded by last year they passed The Constitutional Act of 1791. This is similar to the systems that made New Brunswick and Cape Breton. 

These are the terms and conditions of the act:

·         Quebec was then divided into two separate colonies: Upper Canada and Lower Canada.

·         The colonies had to have an assembly to raise taxes.

·         Lower Canada is allowed to continue the seigneurial system.

·         Upper Canada is allowed to fully own their land.

·         Part of Upper Canada is set aside as clergy reserves.

·         Part of Lower Canada is set aside as crown reserves.