jan 16, 1832 - Reporter speaks out
Description:
Daniel Tracey, an Irish immigrant and newspaper editor, was resentful
of Britain’s power over the Irish and Canadiens in Montréal. He founded
two newspapers, The Vindicator and The Canadian Advertiser and
published stories critical of the British-run government. In January 1832,
he criticized the government of Lower Canada in his newspaper,
The Vindicator, and called for an end to British control of the government.
Tracey was jailed for 40 days for his printed attack. After he was freed
from jail, Tracey decided to take further action. He wanted to change the
governing system, so in the spring of 1832, he ran for office in the Montréal
election. His opponent was a candidate who was backed by the British and
who supported British control of Montréal.
On May 21, as crowds gathered to vote, fights broke out. British troops,
who were stationed in Montréal, fired into the crowd, claiming that the
voters were rebelling. Three Canadiens were killed. Tracey ended up
winning the election, but he died of cholera before he could take office.
Tracey’s death highlights another issue that created tension in the 1830s.
As you learned in Chapter 7, the cholera
epidemic, brought to North America by
immigrants arriving at the time, was causing
panic among the people in Upper and
Lower Canada. As well, the immigration
boom created other conflicts.
On November 6, 1837, tensions came
to a head between a Canadien political
group and a group of British Loyalists. A
newspaper at the time called Journal Le
Canadien reported that the Canadien group
were gathered peacefully in a courtyard
at their monthly gathering when a large
group of Loyalists arrived and started
throwing stones. Once the Canadiens left
the courtyard, the Loyalists bombarded
them with stones. Then, a full-blown fight
broke out between the two groups.
Added to timeline:
chapters 7/8
Date:
