England’s Dominions: Canada & Australia (with a little Irish thrown in for good measure)

England’s Dominions: Canada & Australia (with a little

Irish thrown in for

good measure)

Canada• 1763: (after 7 Years War), France gave Canada to England• Quebec had largest French-speaking population in Canada

– center of French cultural influence– religion: Roman Catholic

• The Quebec Act (1774): gave Quebec an appointed governor & council; made the Roman Catholic Church the established religion there

• The Canada Act of 1791: divided the colony into Upper Canada (mostly English-speaking) & Lower Canada (mostly French-speaking)

• Anglo-French antagonism continued to be a major feature of Canadian political, economic, & social life

Canada• Union Act of 1840: series of insurrections in Canada between French &

British colonists– Lord Durham sent to Canada: reported back that Canada needed to

be administered as one area with a single legislature, an appointed governor, & a greater degree of control over their own affairs

• North American Act of 1867:– Anglo-French relations still strained– feared domination by the U.S.– Ontario+Quebec+New Brunswick+Nova Scotia = Dominion of

Canada • parliamentary form of government adopted • use of English & French guaranteed by law• all matters except foreign affairs handled by Canadians

Canada• Canada’s 1st Prime Minister = John A. McDonald

– goal to expand across the continent to strengthen the Dominion

– By 1873, Canada included Manitoba, British Columbia, & Prince Edward Island

– Canadian Pacific Railway (1887): transcontinental railroad tied the eastern & western portions of the Dominion together• spurred settlement along its path• as towns grew & people/goods moved along the lines, 2

more provinces were added = Alberta & Saskatchewan• made it easier to move mining & timber resources

Canada• Relations with the U.S.– War of 1812 united Canadians (both Anglo &

French)– border conflicts & trade disputes continued after

the war– feared economic, cultural, & political domination

by the rapidly growing U.S.• political & cultural links with England, a strong

French presence in Quebec, & concern about relations with the U.S. made it difficult for Canadians to forge a distinct, clearly defined national identity

Australia• 1770: Captain James Cook “discovered” Australia & claimed

it for King George• Population: inhabited by 300,000 aborigines spread across the

entire continent– economy based on hunting, gathering, & fishing– relatively undisturbed by outsiders before Cook came

• Penal Colony: Britain had extreme overcrowding in its prisons– before U.S. independence, England sent convicts to Georgia – Australia now seemed to be a good substitute– 1788: Botany Bay received a load of British convicts– Captain Arthur Phillip=governor of the new penal colony– food in short supply, morale very low, but colony survived

Australia• Island’s move from colony to nation was facilitated by the

settlers’ ability to sustain a growing population– free settlers began to immigrate for available land– freed prisoners & discharged prison guards stayed too– found land to be conducive to sheep ranching & wheat farming

• 1850s: gold discovered in southeastern Australia – influx of settlers = improvements in transportation,

communications, & public institutions (ie. Schools & libraries)• Establishment of the Commonwealth:

– separate colonies agreed to form the Commonwealth of Australia to decrease their vulnerability to outside forces

– by 1911: all colonies united

Australia• “White Australia”– rapid immigration led to racial tensions– Asians flocked to the gold fields & were met with

prejudice & hostility• labor unions feared that Asians would lower

wages & decrease the standard of living– White settlers pressured the government to exclude

Asians, Pacific Islanders, & other “undesirables”• result: Commonwealth Immigration Restriction

Act of 1901– no more Asians could enter

The Irish Question• Prime Minister Gladstone’s most troublesome problem

• Roman Catholics in Ireland didn’t want to pay taxes to support the Anglican Church

• Roman Catholics not allowed to hold office until 1829 when the Catholic Emancipation Act was passed (passed to avoid Irish protests)

• Charles Stewart Parnell organized the Irish members of the House of Commons to vote as a bloc & gain attention for “home rule” (self-government)

• Gladstone promoted two home rule bills, but neither passed through the conservative House of Lords

• *problem still not solved today*