DOCSLIB.ORG

The "Guerre Des Éteignoirs" : School Reform and Popular Resistance In

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The THE "GUERRE DES ETEIGNOIRS": SCHOOL REFORM AND POPULAR RESISTANCE IN LOWER CANADA, 1841-1850. / Wendie Nelson B.A.(Honours), Simon Fraser University, 1985 THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS in the Department of History 0 Wendie Nelson 1989 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY April 1989 All rights reserved. This work may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without permission of the author. APPROVAL NAME: WENDlE NELSON DEGREE: MASTERS TITLE OF THESIS: THE "GUERRE DES ETEIGNOIRS": REFORM AND POPULAR RESISTANCE IN LOWER CANADA, 1841-1850. EXAMININti COMMITTEE: CHAIR: DAVID ROSS ~ackj~ittle,Senior Supervisor and Associate Professor, History Department ..." ................................... V"""... ............................................................... .................................-............................. Hugh Johnston, Professor History Department ..................................................*""'*""'V""' "...,...... -.. .......- v""'..: ................................................................................ HO~Day, ~rofeesor History ~epartment --. Anan Greer, Lxternal haminer History Department, University of Toronto DATE APPROVED: PART l AL COPYR l GHT LICENSE I hereby grant to Simon Fraser University the right to lend my thesis, project or extended essay (the title of which is shown below) to users of the Simon Fraser University Library, and to make partial or single copies only for such users or in response to a request from the library of any other university, or other educational institution, on its own behalf or for one of its users. I further agree that permission for multiple copying of this work for scholarly purposes may be granted by me or the Dean of Graduate Studies. It is understood that copying or publication of this work for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. Title of Thesis/Project/Extended Essay Author: - ~ - (signature) ( name (date) ABSTRACT The 1840s were a critical period in the history of Lower Canada, witnessing important changes in the economic, social and political spheres. Successive crop failures, a sharp downturn in the timber and shipbuilding industries, and a commercial crisis combined to make the latter half of the 1840s a time of economic distress. Political tensions created by the Act of Union in 1841, were, to a certain extent, alleviated by the establishment of responsible government in 1848, because it ensured that French Canadians would have an increased voice in the popularly-elected government. The role of the state was heightened, however, and, in response, new political alliances were formed in an attempt to appeal to the populace. In the social sphere, successive governments in the 1840s legislated a host of reforms, one of the most significant being the creation of a system of local government based on new school and municipal laws. The school law of 1846 was particularly important because it imposed taxes, and tightened the mechanisms for collection of those taxes. These measures precipitated a period of wide-spread resistance and revolt known as the "guerre des &teignoirs,"a phenomenon which has received little attention from historians. The "guerre des &teignoirs",the subject of this thesis, is worthy of a major study for two reasons. The first is the extent of opposition to the school law; resistance, while focussed in the District of Trois-Rivihres, occurred throughout Lower Canada, and it persisted from 1846 to the end of 1850. Secondly, an understanding of the causes of resistance to one aspect of the 1840s' social legislation, should shed light on the nature of popular response to the increased role of the state in this critical period of transition. To give the thesis an acceptable focus, a regional approach was used, analyzing resistance to the school law in the two counties where it was most overt. The thesis finds that the social reforms and political adjustments of the 1840s created tensions within and between different rural social groups. Specifically, the rural elite split over the issue of school reform. Village notables, such as the clergy and the liberal professionals, supported reform, seeing in it opportunities for employment and an increased role in local affairs. In contrast, the landowning elite vehemently opposed the school law, motivated primarily by a desire to avoid paying property taxes, but also by fear that the nascent state bureaucracy would undermine its local power. Finally, habitants resisted the school law because they resented taxes during a period of economic distress. Habitants were also motivated, however, by their hostility towards the village notables who were exerting increased control over rural society through their participation in the school system. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to acknowledge my gratitude for the financial support I received from the C.D. Nelson Graduate Memorial Scholarship. Travel grants from the John S. Ewart Memorial Fund and the Association of Canadian Studies greatly eased the expense of doing research in Ottawa and Quebec. My thanks go to Rod Day for his advice and support, especially in the final stages of the thesis preparation. Particularly, I would like to acknowledge my debt to Jack Little: firstly, for suggesting a topic which I found, and still find, fascinating and rewarding; secondly, for being such a diligent and conscientious reader and editor; and finally, for making me realize how interesting Quebec history is. DEDICATION To my family, for their loving support. TABLE OF CONTENTS . Approval .......................................................................................................................11 ... Abstract .......................................................................................................................111 ~~knowledgments.......................................................................................................... v Dedication ....................................................................................................................vi List of Tables ...............................................................................................................ix List of Abbreviations .....................................................................................................x I . Introduction ........................................................................................................1 I1. School legislation prior to the 1840s .................................................................12 I11 . Political. social and economic development during the 1840s ........................... 29 Developments in the immediate post-Rebellion period ...................................... 29 Political developments 1842-1850 .....................................................................34 Political and social role of the Catholic Church ................................................35 Economic Development .....................................................................................39 IV . School Legislation 1841-1849 ...........................................................................46 The School Laws of 1841 and 1845 ...................................................................46 The School Laws of 1846 and 1849 ...................................................................54 v . The Response of the Rural Landed Elite to the School Laws ............................. 68 The rural elite landowners ................................................................................70 VI . The Response of Village Notables to the School Laws .......................................98 VII . The Parish of St. Grdgoire ..............................................................................115 Origins ............................................................................................................115 Economic Conditions ....................................................................................... 125 Education .......................................................................................................128 VIII . Popular participation in the Guerre des Rteignoirs ........................................ 144 Violent Resistance to the School Laws ............................................................145 vii Parish Conflicts ..............................................................................................160 Significance of Popular Resistance ..................................................................167 LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1.1 Elementary Schools and Students in the Counties of Nicolet and Yamaska ..... 24 7.1 Agricultural Production per Farm Family in St . Gr6goire: 1831. 1844. 1852..................................................................................................... 126 7.2 Enrolment in St. Grdgoire Schools: 1835-1851............................................... 133 7.3 School Enrolment According to Age in St. Grdgoire. 1852.............................. 134 7.4 Attendance by Gender in St. Gr6goire Schools. 1835. 1838. 1844 and 1851 ... 135 7.5 Average Salaries of Teachers in St. Grdgoire. 1845.1851 ...............................137 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AEN Archives de l'l?v&hd de Nicolet AETR Archives de l'Ev8chd de Trois-Rivihres AJTR Archives Juridiques B Trois-Rivihres AMMASV Archives de la Maison MGre des Soeurs d7Assomptionde la Sainte Vi&rge ANQ Archives Nationales du Qukbec B
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Hamilton's Forgotten Epidemics
    Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication Ch2olera: Hamilton’s Forgotten Epidemics / D. Ann Herring and Heather T. Battles, editors. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-9782417-4-2 Print catalogue data is available from Library and Archives Canada, at www.collectionscanada.gc.ca Cover Image: Historical City of Hamilton. Published by Rice & Duncan in 1859, drawn by G. Rice. http://map.hamilton.ca/old hamilton.jpg Cover Design: Robert Huang Group Photo: Temara Brown Ch2olera Hamilton’s Forgotten Epidemics D. Ann Herring and Heather T. Battles, editors DEPARTMENT OF ANTHROPOLOGY McMASTER UNIVERSITY Hamilton, Ontario, Canada Contents FIGURES AND TABLES vii Introduction Ch2olera: Hamilton’s Forgotten Epidemics D. Ann Herring and Heather T. Battles 2 2 “From Time Immemorial”: British Imperialism and Cholera in India Diedre Beintema 8 3 Miasma Theory and Medical Paradigms: Shift Happens? Ayla Mykytey 18 4 ‘A Rose by Any Other Name’: Types of Cholera in the 19th Century Thomas Siek 24 5 Doesn’t Anyone Care About the Children? Katlyn Ferrusi 32 6 Changing Waves: The Epidemics of 1832 and 1854 Brianna K. Johns 42 7 Charcoal, Lard, and Maple Sugar: Treating Cholera in the 19th Century S. Lawrence-Nametka 52 iii 8 How Disease Instills Fear into a Population Jacqueline Le 62 9 The Blame Game Andrew Turner 72 10 Virulence Victims in Victorian Hamilton Jodi E. Smillie 80 11 On the Edge of Death: Cholera’s Impact on Surrounding Towns and Hamlets Mackenzie Armstrong 90 12 Avoid Cholera: Practice Cleanliness and Temperance Karolina Grzeszczuk 100 13 New Rules to Battle the Cholera Outbreak Alexandra Saly 108 14 Sanitation in Early Hamilton Nathan G.
    [Show full text]
  • Free Land Attracted Many Colonists to Texas in 1840S 3-29-92 “No Quitting Sense” We Claim Is Typically Texas
    “Between the Creeks” Gwen Pettit This is a compilation of weekly newspaper columns on local history written by Gwen Pettit during 1986-1992 for the Allen Leader and the Allen American in Allen, Texas. Most of these articles were initially written and published, then run again later with changes and additions made. I compiled these articles from the Allen American on microfilm at the Allen Public Library and from the Allen Leader newspapers provided by Mike Williams. Then, I typed them into the computer and indexed them in 2006-07. Lois Curtis and then Rick Mann, Managing Editor of the Allen American gave permission for them to be reprinted on April 30, 2007, [email protected]. Please, contact me to obtain a free copy on a CD. I have given a copy of this to the Allen Public Library, the Harrington Library in Plano, the McKinney Library, the Allen Independent School District and the Lovejoy School District. Tom Keener of the Allen Heritage Guild has better copies of all these photographs and is currently working on an Allen history book. Keener offices at the Allen Public Library. Gwen was a longtime Allen resident with an avid interest in this area’s history. Some of her sources were: Pioneering in North Texas by Capt. Roy and Helen Hall, The History of Collin County by Stambaugh & Stambaugh, The Brown Papers by George Pearis Brown, The Peters Colony of Texas by Seymour V. Conner, Collin County census & tax records and verbal history from local long-time residents of the county. She does not document all of her sources.
    [Show full text]
  • Hoosiers and the American Story Chapter 3
    3 Pioneers and Politics “At this time was the expression first used ‘Root pig, or die.’ We rooted and lived and father said if we could only make a little and lay it out in land while land was only $1.25 an acre we would be making money fast.” — Andrew TenBrook, 1889 The pioneers who settled in Indiana had to work England states. Southerners tended to settle mostly in hard to feed, house, and clothe their families. Every- southern Indiana; the Mid-Atlantic people in central thing had to be built and made from scratch. They Indiana; the New Englanders in the northern regions. had to do as the pioneer Andrew TenBrook describes There were exceptions. Some New Englanders did above, “Root pig, or die.” This phrase, a common one settle in southern Indiana, for example. during the pioneer period, means one must work hard Pioneers filled up Indiana from south to north or suffer the consequences, and in the Indiana wilder- like a glass of water fills from bottom to top. The ness those consequences could be hunger. Luckily, the southerners came first, making homes along the frontier was a place of abundance, the land was rich, Ohio, Whitewater, and Wabash Rivers. By the 1820s the forests and rivers bountiful, and the pioneers people were moving to central Indiana, by the 1830s to knew how to gather nuts, plants, and fruits from the northern regions. The presence of Indians in the north forest; sow and reap crops; and profit when there and more difficult access delayed settlement there.
    [Show full text]
  • History of American Democracy Syllabus
    History of American Democracy Course Syllabus Professor David Moss Fall 2015 HISTORY OF AMERICAN DEMOCRACY (USW 39, HBS 1139) Professor David Moss Harvard University, Fall 2015 Mondays and Wednesdays, 3:30-5:00 Location: HBS – Aldrich 207 Today we often hear that American democracy is broken—but what does a healthy democracy look like? How has American democratic governance functioned in the past, and how has it changed over time? This course approaches American history with these questions in mind. Based on the case method, each short reading will introduce students to a different critical episode in the development of American democracy, from the drafting of the Constitution to contemporary fights over same-sex marriage. The discussion-based classes will encourage students to challenge each other’s assumptions about democratic values and practices, and draw their own conclusions about what “democracy” means in America. This course is ideal for anyone interested in deepening his or her practical and historical understanding of the American political process, and for those interested in gaining experience with the case method of instruction frequently used in business and law schools. Note: This course, when taken for a letter grade, satisfies the General Education category of United States in the World, as well as the requirement that one of the eight General Education courses also engage substantially with Study of the Past. When taken for a letter grade, it also meets the Core area requirement for Historical Study A. COURSE ORGANIZATION AND OBJECTIVES The course content surveys key episodes in the development of democratic institutions and practices in the United States from the late 18th century to today.
    [Show full text]
  • A TIMELINE for GOLDEN, COLORADO (Revised October 2003)
    A TIMELINE FOR GOLDEN, COLORADO (Revised October 2003) "When a society or a civilization perishes, one condition can always be found. They forgot where they came from." Carl Sandburg This time-line was originally created by the Golden Historic Preservation Board for the 1995 Golden community meetings concerning growth. It is intended to illustrate some of the events and thoughts that helped shape Golden. Major historical events and common day-to-day happenings that influenced the lives of the people of Golden are included. Corrections, additions, and suggestions are welcome and may be relayed to either the Historic Preservation Board or the Planning Department at 384-8097. The information concerning events in Golden was gathered from a variety of sources. Among those used were: • The Colorado Transcript • The Golden Transcript • The Rocky Mountain News • The Denver Post State of Colorado Web pages, in particular the Colorado State Archives The League of Women Voters annual reports Golden, The 19th Century: A Colorado Chronicle. Lorraine Wagenbach and Jo Ann Thistlewood. Harbinger House, Littleton, 1987 The Shining Mountains. Georgina Brown. B & B Printers, Gunnison. 1976 The 1989 Survey of Historic Buildings in Downtown Golden. R. Laurie Simmons and Christine Whitacre, Front Range Research Associates, Inc. Report on file at the City of Golden Planning and Development Department. Survey of Golden Historic Buildings. by R. Laurie Simmons and Christine Whitacre, Front Range Research Associates, Inc. Report on file at the City of Golden Planning and Development Department. Golden Survey of Historic Buildings, 1991. R. Laurie Simmons and Thomas H. Simmons. Front Range Research Associates, Inc.
    [Show full text]
  • Under the July Monarchy (1830-1848)
    REPRESENTATIONS OF “LE TRAVAIL” UNDER THE JULY MONARCHY (1830-1848) by Rebecca Terese Powers A dissertation submitted to Johns Hopkins University in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Baltimore, Maryland July, 2015 Representations of le travail under the July Monarchy ABSTRACT This project traces the definition of a social reality of labor under the July Monarchy. More specifically, it investigates how the ubiquitous but elusive term travail – understood as manual, non-agricultural work – operates at different levels of discourse in the 1830s and 1840s. To underline this specific cultural context, I employ the French travail rather than the English “work” or “labor.” French workers expected improved social conditions after their contribution to the 1830 Revolution, but were promptly denied this by the new Constitutional Monarchy. Their frustration came to a head in 1848, when they again revolted, demanding the right to work – le droit au travail. This moment is often considered the dawn of the French labor movement, but I contend that it is in the years leading up to 1848 that travail undergoes its most dramatic definition and consecration as a modern value. In order to better understand how the term took on such significance, I examine a variety of cultural documents, both literary and what we would today consider paraliterary. The corpus includes novels by Honoré de Balzac and George Sand; moralist inquiries by René Villermé and Honoré-Antoine Frégier; Jules Michelet’s historiography of the French people; and writings by the workers themselves, whose first-hand accounts of physical labor were becoming increasingly influential.
    [Show full text]
  • Cholera in Worcester: a Study of the Nineteenth- Century Public Health
    Alan Ira Gordon, “Cholera in Worchester: A 19th –Century Public Health Movement” Historical Journal of Massachusetts Volume 42, No. 1 (Winter 2014). Published by: Institute for Massachusetts Studies and Westfield State University You may use content in this archive for your personal, non-commercial use. Please contact the Historical Journal of Massachusetts regarding any further use of this work: [email protected] Funding for digitization of issues was provided through a generous grant from MassHumanities. Some digitized versions of the articles have been reformatted from their original, published appearance. When citing, please give the original print source (volume/ number/ date) but add "retrieved from HJM's online archive at http://www.wsc.ma.edu/mhj. 142 Historical Journal of Massachusetts • Winter 2014 1849 Cholera Prevention Poster Created by the New York Sanitary Committee, under the sanction of the Medical Counsel of New York City. Source: New York Historical Society, made available through Wikimedia commons, the free media repository. 143 Cholera in Worcester: A Study of the Nineteenth-Century Public Health Movement ALAN IRA GORDON Abstract:1 This study compares the municipal, medical, and social responses in Worcester to two national cholera outbreaks: the epidemics of 1849 and 1866. While public attitudes towards both epidemics demonstrate the misguided idea that cholera was a disease of moral intemperance, the medical and municipal responses to the later epidemic reveal a shift in emphasis from finding a cure to preventing the disease. When confronting the later epidemic, Worcester’s municipal leaders mobilized resources to promote sanitation. Worcester’s response to these two epidemics offers a case study of the important role cholera played in the rise of the public health movement in America.
    [Show full text]
  • Chapter 13: North and South, 1820-1860
    North and South 1820–1860 Why It Matters At the same time that national spirit and pride were growing throughout the country, a strong sectional rivalry was also developing. Both North and South wanted to further their own economic and political interests. The Impact Today Differences still exist between the regions of the nation but are no longer as sharp. Mass communication and the migration of people from one region to another have lessened the differences. The American Republic to 1877 Video The chapter 13 video, “Young People of the South,” describes what life was like for children in the South. 1826 1834 1837 1820 • The Last of • McCormick • Steel-tipped • U.S. population the Mohicans reaper patented plow invented reaches 10 million published Monroe J.Q. Adams Jackson Van Buren W.H. Harrison 1817–1825 1825–1829 1829–1837 1837–1841 1841 1820 1830 1840 1820 1825 • Antarctica • World’s first public discovered railroad opens in England 384 CHAPTER 13 North and South Compare-and-Contrast Study Foldable Make this foldable to help you analyze the similarities and differences between the development of the North and the South. Step 1 Mark the midpoint of the side edge of a sheet of paper. Draw a mark at the midpoint. Step 2 Turn the paper and fold the outside edges in to touch at the midpoint. Step 3 Turn and label your foldable as shown. Northern Economy & People Economy & People Southern The Oliver Plantation by unknown artist During the mid-1800s, Reading and Writing As you read the chapter, collect and write information under the plantations in southern Louisiana were entire communities in themselves.
    [Show full text]
  • Sir William Edmond Logan, Father of Canadian Geology: His Passion Was Precision
    Sir William Edmond Logan, Father of Canadian Geology: His Passion Was Precision Charles H. Smith, Geological Survey of Canada (retired), Ottawa, ON, Canada K1H 5P5, [email protected] illiam Edmond Logan (1798–1875) was a self-taught geologist who entered the geo- Wlogical profession following more than 20 years in accounting and copper-smelter management. His practice of geology arose from a desire to understand the sources of coal and ores. Because eminent British geologists recognized his abilities, he was selected (1842) to establish the Geological Survey of Canada. Logan directed the Survey for over a quarter of a century, and his achievements as a geologist, administrator, and force in Canada’s eco- nomic development gained him national and international renown. Early Years Logan at age 58. From a painting, Logan was born in 1798 in Montreal, the son of a prosperous baker and property by G.T. Berthon, commissioned by owner. Education was a priority for the family; at age 16, Logan was sent to high school in the Canadian Institute. Published Edinburgh, Scotland, where he excelled. At age 18, he enrolled in Edinburgh University, in Zaslow (1975). attending classes in logic, chemistry, and mathematics. Although his academic achieve- ment was high, he left after one year to follow commercial pursuits in London, in the counting house of his uncle, Hart Logan. First Job meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, in Liverpool; the maps came to the attention of Henry De la Beche, From 1817 to 1831, Logan worked diligently in London, devel- director of the Ordinance Geological Survey of Great Britain.
    [Show full text]
  • Chapter 10 the Making of Middle Class America
    CHAPTER 10 THE MAKING OF MIDDLE CLASS AMERICA The American Nation: A History of the United States, 13th edition Carnes/Garraty Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman © 2008 TOCQUEVILLE: Democracy in America n May 12, 1831: French aristocrats Alexis de Tocqueville and Gustave de Beaumont arrived in New York City n Believed Europe was headed from aristocratic past to democratic future and wanted to prepare for change by studying U.S. n Wrote De la Démocratie en Amérique, which appeared in English as Democracy in America in 1836 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman © 2008 TOCQUEVILLE: Democracy in America n Democracy in America: “No novelty in the United States struck me more vividly than the equality of conditions.” n Inequality not supported by institutions or public opinion and paled when compared to Europe Reality n 1830s and 1840s: wide and growing gap between rich and poor in cities n 1828 Richest 4% in NYC controlled 50% of wealth n By 1845 controlled 67% n Tocqueville failed to see poor n Little interest in effects of industrialization and urbanization n Did note wages higher than Europe and cost of living lower n Most of contact was with elite Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman © 2008 THE FAMILY RECAST n Growth of cities undermined the family as a unit of economic production n Those with jobs were removed from the house during working hours 6 days a week n Paid in cash n Husband had to surrender control of home to wife because he was gone so much n Gains and losses for women n More power in domestic
    [Show full text]
  • Period 5: 1844 to 1877 Overview: As the Nation Expanded and Its
    Period 5: 1844 to 1877 Overview: As the nation expanded and its population grew, regional tensions, especially over slavery, led to a civil war — the course and aftermath of which transformed American society. Key Concept 5.1: The United States became more connected with the world as it pursued an expansionist foreign policy in the Western Hemisphere and emerged as the destination for many migrants from other countries. I. Enthusiasm for U.S. territorial expansion, fueled by economic and national security interests and supported by claims of U.S. racial and cultural superiority, resulted in war, the opening of new markets, acquisition of new territory, and increased ideological conflicts. A. The idea of Manifest Destiny, which asserted U.S. power in the Western Hemisphere and supported U.S. expansion westward, was built on a belief in white racial superiority and a sense of American cultural superiority, and helped to shape the era’s political debates. B. The acquisition of new territory in the West and the U.S. victory in the Mexican- American War were accompanied by a heated controversy over allowing or forbidding slavery in newly acquired territories. C. The desire for access to western resources led to the environmental transformation of the region, new economic activities, and increased settlement in areas forcibly taken from American Indians. D. U.S. interest in expanding trade led to economic, diplomatic, and cultural initiatives westward to Asia. II. Westward expansion, migration to and within the United States, and the end of slavery reshaped North American boundaries and caused conflicts over American cultural identities, citizenship, and the question of extending and protecting rights for various groups of U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Land, Debt, and Taxes: Origins of the U.S. State Default Crisis, 1839 to 1842
    Land, Debt, and Taxes: Origins of the U.S. State Default Crisis, 1839 to 1842. John Joseph Wallis, Richard E. Sylla, and Arthur Grinath III 2 Of all the United States’s abundant resource endowments perhaps the most generous was arable land. The new nation possessed hundreds of millions of acres of good land, whose inherent fertility could be exploited only by the development of transportation and financial systems. Not surprisingly, the new American states embarked on ambitious plans of infrastructure investment in canals and banks financed by extensive public borrowing, much of it from foreign investors. Apparently ambition exceeded ability. By 1842, eight states and the Territory of Florida were in default on their loans. Four states would ultimately repudiate all or part of their debts. It was a debt and default crisis not unlike late 20th century emerging-market crises. As the title of Reginald McGrane’s classic Foreign bondholders and American State debts suggests, most of the scholarly attention paid to the 1840s crisis focuses on international financial aspects and what happened when the states found themselves unable to meet their interest obligations.1 Later in the 1840s, American states began rewriting their constitutions to change their fiscal institutions in ways designed to reduce the frequency of default crises in the future. They drew lessons from the mistakes they believed they had made in the in the 1820s and 1830s when debts for canals, banks, and railroads were incurred. If we are to understand why the states changed their constitutions, we need to understand and explain why, when, and how they borrowed in the first place.
    [Show full text]