Fast Tracking Confederation in The 1860s
For anyone who'd like to know more about Canada's journey to Confederation.
Enjoy :)
In the 1860’s, both Britain and British North America (BNA) leaned toward the idea of the colonies joining together as a sovereign nation. However, during this time BNA was facing several problems, and their economic dependence created a need to remain an imperial body to Britain. This situation only worsened when Britain’s attitude changed toward its colonies, as Britain did not wish to exhaust resources in supporting British North America. Overall, the process of Confederation for the colonies was “telescoped” when they were in dire need of support, thus forcing the idea of Canada to become a reality. This paper will discuss factors such as American expansion, loss of Britain’s support system, loss of free trade, the need for an intercontinental railway, and how they brought about a faster move towards Confederation.
The American Civil War was a prominent issue that pushed BNA toward a Confederation movement. The fear of an American invasion as well as “Fenian raids and annexationist sentiments in the United States were proof of the danger which inspired British North Americans to cling to Great Britain for support”. Britain no longer wanted to finance the defence of BNA colonies and requested that Canada become responsible for its own protection. In 1862, “as a show of goodwill, the Macdonald-Cartier government proposed a bill allocating $1 million to maintain a militia of 50,000 men”. This bill was defeated, thus, British authorities were disappointed and from then on, “they would be receptive to any project to unite the North American colonies, which would solve the problem of North American defence”. Furthermore, the United States purchased Alaska in March 1867 which increased the threat posed by American manifest destiny, therefore BNA colonies were concerned about their future. Obligation would oblige Britain to respond to any military aggression against BNA but Britain had no interest in it, and the best British defence against the United States was a BNA federation. “Confederation thus had powerful support from London, especially from Colonial Secretary Edward Cardwell”. BNA had a growing need of support in defending itself during Fenion raids and expansion of the United States, therefore the colonies were reliant upon Britain for loans and protection during difficult times as they attempted to prosper and grow into their own country. On the other hand, Britain wanted an integrated Canada that could take care of itself, and this meant that the colonies would be better off as one union that could claim and protect their territory together.
Without a doubt, the necessity of borrowing funds from older countries was a significant aspect of the BNA. Great Britain was a principal source of capital, immigrants (needed for development), a market for Canadian products, and a major source of imports. Therefore, the tie with Great Britain was both politically and economically valuable to and helped to prevent integration with the United States. Even more so, the BNA colonies saw, “imperialism [as] a protection against continentalism”. In 1860, the per capita volume of British investment in the colonies of North America was much higher than the amount of British investment in the United States. Moreover, when “delegates at the Quebec Conference stated that the ‘present and future prosperity’” of the colonies depended on continuing under the British Crown, “they were recognizing an important politico-economic fact” which revolved around the security of an imperialistic future. Unfortunately, Britain expressed frustration as they were not able to escape from the obligation of defending the provinces, thus, “the British were able to imply in 1865 and 1866 that without Confederation, there would be a question mark over both the Intercolonial loan guarantee and the willingness of the British to protect the provinces”. Therefore, it seems that the British were not enthusiastic about continuing such great amounts of support for BNA, and expected the colonies to become more independent through Confederation. In gaining independence, they would continue to be an asset for trade and less reliant on Britain for assistance. Therefore, Britain threatened the idea of continued assistance for BNA in an irritated way in order to bring about an independent and confederated Canada that would hopefully improve the business climate of the North American colony. At first, political union of BNA was only an idea, “the subject of occasional dinner speeches when wine raised a man's sights, softened political asperities, and broadened his horizons,” yet Confederation became a practical issue only at a time of overwhelming crisis – at just the moment when the lack of an agreed procedure for common governance would have been most fatal to its achievement”.
Another issue that increased the pace of Confederation was the end of BNA`s free trade agreement with the US. In addition to this loss of free trade, the colonies lacked funding for railways and roads that would facilitate the transportation of goods between them. On top of this, the existing railways were creating debt and in “1866, Joseph Howe identified pressure from the bondholders of [said] unprofitable Canadian railways as one of the major factors driving the British government's support of Confederation”. This debt would also be greatly alleviated by pooling together the taxes from each colony thus making Confederation even more appealing. “Canadian debt reached $50 million. The Reciprocity Treaty with the United States was about to expire and Canada had no choice but to turn to the markets of the British Atlantic colonies. When the Reciprocity Treaty came to an end in 1866, fewer markets were available to Canada,” and “a union of the British colonies in North America would open up new markets”. Overall, Confederation promised to make the railway project more feasible as the colonies could combine resources. Furthermore, anti-Confederation sentiment that grew out of the fears of urban working classes, were lessened when the advantages of colonial union were explained to them through the fact that a railway would finally be built to bring them affordable food from Canada.
Confederation began as a simple idea and distant dream for BNA colonies, yet events and circumstances during the 1860s altered the time frame for this aspiration, as the colonies were forced into uniting for their common good at a time of crisis. The America Civil War and Fenian raids created a great need for military assistance from Great Britain, while American expansion and the purchasing of Alaska added to the threat of invasion. Along with these events, Britain was distancing itself from the financial obligation of supporting BNA colonies, and promoting the development of a united, more independent and prosperous Canada. This led the colonies to believe that Confederation would be a good choice in order to become politically and economically stronger. Lastly, the end of the US free trade agreement and lack of British funding for a railway led the colonies to believe that Confederation of the BNA colonies would open up new markets, and the pooling of resources would be advantageous for building an intercontinental railway to easily transport goods. By and large, Confederation was the best root the colonies could take at the time, even if it came about sooner than expected.
References
Andrew Smith, "The Reaction of the City of London to the Quebec Resolutions, 1864-1866," Journal of The Canadian Historical Association 17 (2006): 1-24.
Ged Martin. Britain and the Origins of Canadian Confederation, 1837-67 (UBC Press, 1995) 1-291.
Ged Martin, “Launching Canadian Confederation: Means to Ends, 1836-1864,” The Historical Journal 27, 3 (1984): 575-602
Wilfred I. Smith, "Confederation and the British Connection," Pan American Institute of Geography and History 66 (1968): 15-24.
Ged Martin, “Launching Canadian Confederation: Means to Ends, 1836-1864,” The Historical Journal 27, 3 (1984): 580.
Wilfred I. Smith, "Confederation and the British Connection," Pan American Institute of Geography and History 66 (1968): 16.
"Canadian Confederation." Library and Archives Canada. Government of Canada, n.d. Web. 19 Nov 2010.
"Canadian Confederation." Library and Archives Canada. Government of Canada.
"Canadian Confederation." Library and Archives Canada. Government of Canada.
"Canadian Confederation." Library and Archives Canada. Government of Canada.
Martin, “Launching Canadian Confederation: Means to Ends, 1836-1864,” 583.
Andrew Smith, "The Reaction of the City of London to the Quebec Resolutions, 1864-1866," Journal of The Canadian Historical Association 17 (2006): 4.
Wilfred I. Smith, "Confederation and the British Connection," 18.
Wilfred I. Smith, "Confederation and the British Connection," 18.
Smith, "The Reaction of the City of London to the Quebec Resolutions, 1864-1866," 5.
Smith, "The Reaction of the City of London to the Quebec Resolutions, 1864-1866," 5.
Smith, "The Reaction of the City of London to the Quebec Resolutions, 1864-1866," 5.
Ged Martin. Britain and the Origins of Canadian Confederation, 1837-67 (UBC Press, 1995) 145.
"Confederation." Canadian Encyclopaedia. Web 29 Nov 2010.
Martin, “Launching Canadian Confederation: Means to Ends, 1836-1864,” 588.
Smith, "The Reaction of the City of London to the Quebec Resolutions, 1864-1866," 10.
Martin, “Launching Canadian Confederation: Means to Ends, 1836-1864,” 590.
"Canadian Confederation." Library and Archives Canada. Government of Canada.
"Canadian Confederation." Library and Archives Canada. Government of Canada.
Smith, "The Reaction of the City of London to the Quebec Resolutions, 1864-1866," 21.
