Lower Canada Riots Tensions in Canada were rising in the 30s and in 1837 and 1838 the political conflict in Upper and Lower Canada exploded into violent rebellions. Causes: -After the War of 1812 much of the best unfarmed land was given to wealthy British immigrants. As a result, many Canadien and Loyalist farmers were forced to farm on land with poor soil. As a result, poverty occurred. -Daniel Tracey, an Irish immigrant and newspaper editor, was resentful of Britain's power over the Irish and Canadiens in Montreal. So he founded two newspapers and criticized the government in it. He was jailed for 40 days as a result. He wanted to change the governing system in Canada, so he ran for office in Montreal. On election day, fights broke out. He ended up winning, but died of cholera before taking office. -A major fight happened between the Canadiens and Loyalists on November 6th, 1837. After this riot, the Patriotes began to organize rallies and prepare for a rebellion. They also began to boycott British goods. There were two fights. The first one, the Patriotes won. Two days later, the British army added 400 more soldiers and defeated the Patriotes. With most of the Patriotes dead, they imprisoned the rest. The Patriotes who were left tried to fight back, but lost. The victorious British army then looted and burned the houses of the rebels. Papineau and other Patriote leaders fled to the States.
Riots in Upper Canada Politics in Upper Canada had become increasingly violent. William Lyon Mackenzie was a major supporter of the Patriotes. He campaigned for the Reformers cause giving fiery speeches. In Upper Canada, the Tories had used the support of recent British immigrants to win the 1836 election. However, they had used bribery and corruption to win. The had gained the support of the new British immigrants by branding the Reformers as dangerous radicals. As a result, riots broke out between Mackenzie's Reformers angered by the Tory campaign and the supporters of the Tories during the election. When Lieutenant-Governor Sir Francis Bond Head found out about the uprising in Lower Canada, he sent the troops who were stationed in Upper Canada to help defeat the rebels. Mackenzie realized that the conflict in Lower Canada was distracting the British. He saw an opportunity for Reformers in Upper Canada to stage their own rebellion. On Dec. 5th, 1837 Mackenzie and 800 supporters marched down Yonge Street in Toronto. The next day they marched towards the downtown area to obtain more guns and ammunition. The British forces gathered troops and outnumbered them. Two days later they were defeated. Mackenzie managed to escape to the US. He tried to gather supporters in the US. The rebels could not gain enough support and eventually gave up.
