British North America
When the British took over New France，it had about 70，000 French settlers.The British government allowed them to stay and hoped that they would soon become assimilated into English culture.When this failed to happen，the British government allowed the French to keep their language and culture，practice their Catholic religion，and continue with their economic practices.In 1774，the English Parliament passed the Quebec Act，which allowed Catholics to become members of the appointed legislature and authorized French civil law to co⁃exist alongside British common law，with the latter continuing to hold sway in specific areas such as criminal cases.The Quebec Act also extended Quebec’s frontier to include the Great Lakes and the Ohio⁃Mississippi Valley to the south.These measures helped to win the settlers’loyalty to the British government when the 13 English colonies declared independence in 1776，and ultimately laid the foundation for Canada’s bi⁃cultural character.
The population of British North America increased dramatically during the American Revolution.More than 40，000 loyalists moved from the 13 southern colonies to Nova Scotia and Quebec.This greatly increased the English population of Quebec and caused conflict between the two peoples.The French were accustomed to the traditional system of appointed legislatures and hierarchical society，while the newly⁃arrived English were used to self government and demanded an elective assembly.As a result，the British government divided the colony of Quebec into two colonies in 1741：Upper Canada，roughly corresponding to today’s Southern Ontario，and Lower Canada which included Quebec and Montreal.In Upper Canada，where the inhabitants were mostly English，British laws were observed and the Church of England was established.In Lower Canada，French laws were observed and the Catholic religion was practiced.
By 1791，British North America had seven colonies，each with its own form of government：Newfoundland，Prince Edward Island，Nova Scotia，New Brunswick，Cape Breton Island，Lower Canada，and Upper Canada.The vast area around Hudson Bay was controlled by the Hudson’s Bay Company，while the area to the northwest stretching to the Pacific Ocean and the Arctic Ocean was directly controlled by the British government.
The northern colonies developed very quickly after the American Revolution.The British Navigation Act benefited the coastal colonies where the shipbuilding industry prospered as the law provided that all trade with Canada had to be carried in English ships.Later，the Napoleonic Wars in Europe（1799—1815）further stimulated economic development in the colonies because of the increasing demand for timber and foodstuffs in Britain.
However，Britain’s navigation policy during the Napoleonic War also caused problems for the colonies.The policy was among the main factors that caused the United States to declare war against Great Britain in 1812 and invade Canada.The War of 1812 was also due to the American ambition for expansion into British North America.The war did not change the status quo in territorial terms.To avoid future conflict，the U.S.and British governments signed a treaty in 1818 which drew the western boundary between the United States and British North America along the 49th parallel stretching to the Rockies.West of the Rockies，the treaty provided for joint control of the Oregon Territory by both Britain and the United States.
After the War of 1812，British North America’s economy developed slowly compared to that in the United States.People blamed the colonial system for this because all policies regarding British North America were made in London;the elective assemblies of the colonies had little say in the policy process.People in Upper and Lower Canada increasingly demanded political reforms in the 1830s both among the French and English⁃speaking populations.When their demands were rejected by the British government，they rose in open rebellion in 1837.
The British government put down the rebellion，and made changes in its colonial policy soon afterwards.Believing that the rebellion was largely attributable to Lower Canada’s French⁃speaking population，the government took measures to reduce the political influence of Lower Canada.It combined Upper Canada and Lower Canada into the United Province of Canada，which was governed by an appointed governor and an elected assembly.The two former colonies，now called Canada East and Canada West，had an equal number of seats in the assembly despite French⁃speaking Canada East being more populous.In addition，English was made the only official language in an effort to assimilate the French⁃speaking population.
Neither part of the new province was satisfied with the new arrangement because the governor was free to ignore the opinion of the elected assembly，and Canadians demanded more reform.In 1846，the British government granted Canada responsible government under which the governor had to respect policies decided by the elected assembly.However，the imperial government in London retained the power to make policies concerning foreign affairs，defense，trade，and the form of the constitution.In the same year，US⁃UK joint control of the Oregon territory ended and the 49th parallel boundary between the U.S and Canada extended further to the Pacific Ocean.In 1848，the first elected government was formed.