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Exploring the Religious Roots of Upper Canadian Political Culture Denis Mckim Document generated on 09/28/2021 8:11 p.m. Ontario History God & Government Exploring the Religious Roots of Upper Canadian Political Culture Denis McKim Volume 105, Number 1, Spring 2013 Article abstract This article focuses on a debate that raged in Upper Canada during the early URI: https://id.erudit.org/iderudit/1050747ar and mid-nineteenth century over the degree to which civil authorities should DOI: https://doi.org/10.7202/1050747ar assume responsibility for promoting societal virtue. Supporters of state-aided Christianity, many of whom were Tories, clashed with critics of close See table of contents church-state ties, many of whom were Reformers. The catalyst for this conflict was the Clergy Reserves endowment. Drawing on works that situate British North American affairs in an expansive interpretive framework, this article Publisher(s) maintains that the Upper Canadian debate over state-aided Christianity was subsumed within a larger conflict regarding the church-state relationship that The Ontario Historical Society originated in early modern England and played itself out across the North Atlantic World. ISSN 0030-2953 (print) 2371-4654 (digital) Explore this journal Cite this article McKim, D. (2013). God & Government: Exploring the Religious Roots of Upper Canadian Political Culture. Ontario History, 105(1), 74–97. https://doi.org/10.7202/1050747ar Copyright © The Ontario Historical Society, 2013 This document is protected by copyright law. Use of the services of Érudit (including reproduction) is subject to its terms and conditions, which can be viewed online. https://apropos.erudit.org/en/users/policy-on-use/ This article is disseminated and preserved by Érudit. Érudit is a non-profit inter-university consortium of the Université de Montréal, Université Laval, and the Université du Québec à Montréal. Its mission is to promote and disseminate research. https://www.erudit.org/en/ 74 ONTARIO HISTORY OD & Government Exploring the Religious Roots of Upper Canadian Political Culture* By Denis McKim Introduction ers, who drowned out his remarks and subjected the would-be spokesman to a esse Ketchum, a prominent barrage of “eggs, apples, stones, and [oth- businessman and Reformer, er] such missiles.” e Tory “mob” then Jmounted a platform that had marched west along King Street from the been erected outside the courthouse in courthouse, which was located between York, Upper Canada, in March of 1832. Church and Toronto Streets, to the He intended to convey to the “very great Lieutenant Governor’s residence, which crowd” amassed before him the sense was located between Simcoe and John of disapproval felt by himself and other Streets, where they oered “three times “friends of reform” regarding an allegedly three cheers for the King [William IV], fraudulent petition that had recently cir- and three times three cheers for John culated among the town’s inhabitants. Colborne.” Still brimming with energy, Bearing upwards of 1,500 signatures, the Tories proceeded to make an egy the petition expressed “approbation of of William Lyon Mackenzie, an associ- the administration of our worthy and ate of Ketchum’s and a leading Reformer, excellent Lieutenant Governor, Sir John which they hoisted on a pole and parad- Colborne.” Yet Ketchum’s attempts to ed through the “principal Streets” of the denounce the petition—and, by implica- town before nally burning it in front of tion, the colony’s conservative Lieuten- the oces of Mackenzie’s newspaper, the ant Governor—were rendered futile by Colonial Advocate.1 a rowdy contingent of Tory sympathiz- Responsibility for these events, in * For their helpful comments on dras of this article the author wishes to thank Helen Dewar, Brad Miller, Todd Webb, and Ontario History’s anonymous reviewer. 1 Christian Guardian, 28 March 1832, 79; Patriot 3 April 1832, unpaginated. Ontario History / Volume CV, No. 1 / Spring 2013 OH spring 2013.indd 74 02/03/2013 10:30:18 PM 75 the opinion of “An Eye Wit- ness” writing in the Christian Abstract Guardian, lay not with the is article focuses on a debate that raged in Upper Cana- “poor ignorant creatures” who da during the early and mid-nineteenth century over the carried them out, but rather degree to which civil authorities should assume responsi- bility for promoting societal virtue. Supporters of state- with Upper Canada’s “state paid aided Christianity, many of whom were Tories, clashed priests.” ese individuals were with critics of close church-state ties, many of whom were purportedly guilty of inciting Reformers. e catalyst for this conict was the Clergy Re- the mob to behave in such a serves endowment. Drawing on works that situate Brit- disgraceful manner on account ish North American aairs in an expansive interpretive amework, this article maintains that the Upper Cana- of their desire to thwart the dian debate over state-aided Christianity was subsumed Reformers’ eorts to eliminate within a larger conict regarding the church-state rela- government aid for the clergy of tionship that originated in early modern England and certain churches. “An Eye Wit- played itself out across the North Atlantic World. ness” urged Reform-oriented Résumé: Cet article examine un débat qui a fait rage en Upper Canadians to continue Haut-Canada pendant la première moitié du 19e siècle, concernant le degré auquel les autorités civiles devaient their campaign against state- assumer la responsabilité de promouvoir la vertu dans sanctioned denominational hi- la société. Ceux qui préconisaient un soutien de l’État au erarchy, and to “prevail on His christianisme (dont grand nombre de Tories) s’opposaient Majesty’s Government to with- aux adversaires de liens étroits entre Église et État (en hold… support for all ministers grande partie des Réformateurs). Au coeur du conit étai- 2 ent les réserves du clergé (terres réservées au soutien du of religion.” clergé protestant). Se basant sur des oeuvres qui enisa- Recent years have wit- gent les aaires de l’Amérique du Nord Britannique dans nessed a veritable renaissance in un cadre d’interprétation plus large, cet article traite ce the writing of Canadian politi- débat du Haut-Canada comme partie d’un conit plus généralisé concernant les relations entre l’Église et l’État, cal history. oughtful works, conit qui a eu ses origines en Angleterre aux débuts de many of which pertain to the l’ère moderne et s’est manifesté par la suite dans tous les nineteenth century, have been pays de l’Atlantique du Nord. produced on topics ranging from the part played by ideas in shaping Canada’s political develop- all of their insightfulness and diversity ment, to the evolving role of the state, to such works have typically accorded short the contributions of ordinary people to shri to the close relationship between movements of political protest.3 Yet for religion and early Canadian political 2 Christian Guardian, 28 March 1832, 79. 3 For ideas see Jerey L. McNairn, e Capacity to Judge: Public Opinion and Deliberative De- mocracy in Upper Canada, 1791-1854 (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2000); for the state see Bruce Curtis, e Politics of Population: State Formation, Statistics, and the Census of Canada, 1840- 1875 (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2001); for popular politics see Ian Radforth, “Political Demonstrations & Spectacles During the Rebellion Losses Controversy in Upper Canada,” Cana- dian Historical Review 92:1 (March 2011), 1-41. OH spring 2013.indd 75 02/03/2013 10:30:19 PM 76 ONTARIO HISTORY culture that found expression in the re- is article, through an examination marks of “An Eye Witness.”4 is lack of of Upper Canadian political culture’s emphasis seems odd, given that several of deep religious roots, seeks to address the most contentious issues within pre- this historiographical gap. It focuses Confederation politics—debates over on a polarizing debate that raged in the which denominations’ clergy would be colony during the early and mid-nine- permitted to perform marriage ceremo- teenth century over the degree to which nies, struggles over sectarian schools, the civil authorities should assume responsi- ever-vexatious Clergy Reserves endow- bility for promoting societal virtue. e ment—were expressly religious concerns, debate brought into focus the existence while many of the people involved in in Upper Canadian society of ingrained determining the character of early Cana- politico-religious dierences of opinion. dian politics—John Strachan, Egerton Supporters of state-aided Christianity, Ryerson, George Brown—were deeply many of whom were Tories, clashed with religious individuals. e lack of empha- critics of close church-state ties, many sis devoted to the interplay between reli- of whom were Reformers. e catalyst gion and early Canadian political culture for this conict was the Clergy Reserves also seems odd in view of the fact that endowment, which Governor General historical works investigating politico-re- Lord Sydenham described in 1840 as “[a] ligious topics have proliferated in recent perpetual source of discord, strife and years elsewhere in the world, including hatred.” 6 Drawing on works that situate Britain and, especially, the United States, British North American aairs in an ex- with the latter playing host to lively de- pansive interpretive framework, this arti- bates over whether the early republic can cle maintains that the Upper Canadian be viewed as a “Christian Nation.”5 debate over state-aided Christianity was 4 For a noteworthy exception to this pattern see Michael Gauvreau, “Covenanter Democracy: Scottish Popular Religion, Ethnicity, and the Varieties of Politico-Religious Dissent in Upper Cana- da, 1815-1841,” Histoire Sociale 36:71 (2003), 55-83. For older works on politico-religious topics see John S. Moir, Church and State in Canada West: ree Studies in the Relation of Denominationalism and Nationalism, 1841-1867 (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1959); and Goldwin French, Parsons and Politics: e Role of the Wesleyan Methodists in Upper Canada and the Maritimes om 1780 to 1855 (Toronto: Ryerson, 1962).
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