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UMI Behind the Loyalist Minority: American-Upper Canadians' Contributions to the Development of Early Colonial Political Opposition 1805-1828 by Andrew James Young A thesis submitted to the Department of History in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Queen's University Kingston, Ontario, Canada August 1999 copyright O Andrew James Young, 1999 National Library Bibliotheque nationale (*Iof Canada du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographic Services services bibliographiques 395 Wellington Street 395. rue Well~ngton Ottawa ON K 1A ON4 Ottawa ON KIA ON4 Canada Canada Your hkl Vofrr) retefenca Our 6le Notre relerence The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive licence allowing the exclusive permettant a la National Library of Canada to Bibliotheque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distribute or sell reproduire, preter, distribuer ou copies of this thesis in microform, vendre des copies de cette these sous paper or electronic formats. la forme de microfiche/film, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format electronique. The author retains ownership of the L'auteur conserve la propriete du copyright in thls thesis. Neither the droit d'autew qui protege cette these. thesis nor substantial extracts from it Ni la these ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or otherwise de celle-ci ne doivent Ctre imprimes reproduced without the author's ou autrernent reproduits sans son permission. autorisation. A_hstract In February 1792. Lieutenant Governor John Graves Sirncoe issued a proclamation encouraging farmers from the United States to migrate to Upper Canada and take up land in the vast new British colony. Over the next twenty years, in response to Simcoe's invitation and the colony's favorable land granting policies, large numbers of American settlers poured over the border. In the process they drastically altered the demographic complexion of Upper Canadian society. The original loyalist settlers of the region were numerically submerged by this influx of American latecomers. Contemporary observers estimated Upper Canada's population in 1791 to be around 10,000. By 181 2 this figure had climbed to approximately 136,000, of which between sixty to eighty percent were American-Upper Canadians. Between 1805 and 1828, many of these settlers chose to pursue and defend their personal agrarian interest by exercising political dissent. American-Upper Canadians actively supported the rise of three successive stages of colonial political opposition: the Weekes, Thorpe, Willcocks agitation of 1805-181 2; the Robert Gourlay agitations of 1817-1 81 9; and the coalescence of a political reform faction in the 1820's. The values and aspirations of American-Upper Canadians, as expressed through political action, played a pivotal role in the growth and gradual legitimization of oppositional movements that slowly redefined the standards by which Upper Canadian politics operated. My foremost thanks must go to my professor and advisor, Dr. Jane Errington. Without her patience and support, combined with her extensive knowledge and enthusiasm, this project would never have approached completion, and I would never have retained my survived the experience. I would like to offer further thanks to my friends among the faculty and students of the Queen's history department. My work here has been extremely rewarding and inspired my continued commitment to further education. In particular I would like to thank my second professor, Dr. James Carson, for his expertise and insight, and for the energy he displayed in his teaching. Final thanks must go to my family. To my parents who, through their consistent support, intellectually, morally, and financially, have been the cornerstone of all my achievements, in academics and in life. To my brother whose friendship and advice have grounded me in my efforts, and whose example has provided me a work ethic for which to aspire. Finally, to my love, for her constant support and for being the sunshine setting in the west. iii Abstract.. .........................................................................................................................i Acknowledgments ........................................................................................................ii ... Table of Contents......................................................................................................... III List of Maps ...................................................................................................................iv Introduction......... ........................................................................................................... Chapter One: The Question of Experience: Contrasts in Pre-Ssitiement Backgruuniis..... ? 2 Chapter TWO:"Factious Demagogues": Precursors of Dissent in Upper Canada. ..............28 Chapter Three: The War of 181 2.. ................................................................................-65 Chapter Four: "Dynamite to the Dam": Gourlay and the Resurgence of Unrest, 181 7-1 9...77 Chapter Five: "Godless Republicans": Reformers and "Aliens"in the 1820's................... 107 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................133 Bibliography................................................................................................................. 140 Vita................................................................................................................................. 151 Map 1 : Plan of the Province of Upper Canada. 1793 ..........................................11 Map 2: Map of the Located Districts in the Province of Upper Canada. 1813 ..22 Map 3: Upper Canada. c. 1800 ................................................................................. 41 Map 4: Settlement in the Niagara Peninsula before 181 2 ...................................41 Map 5: Upper Canada. c. 1818 ................................................................................. 76 Introduction In February 1792, Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe issued a proclamation encouraging farmers from the United States to migrate to Upper Canada and take up land in the vast new British colony. Over the next twenty years, in response to Simcoe's invitation and the colony's favorable land granting policies, large numbers of.American settlers poured over the border. In the process they drastically altered the demographic complexion of Upper Canadian society. The original loyalist settlers of the region were numerically submerged by this influx of American latecomers.1 Contemporary observers estimated Upper Canada's population in 1791 to be around 10,000. By 1812 this figure had climbed to approximately 136,000, of which between sixty to eighty percent were American-Upper Canadians2 Historians of early Upper Canada frequently acknowledge the arrival of American-Upper Canadians, only to ignore the active formative role the group 1 It is important for the reader to be clear on the meaning of terms. "Loyalist" identifies colonists who migrated to Upper Canada from the former thirteen colonies, during or immediately after the American Revolution, and did so to consciously avoid participating or residing in the revolutionary state. The term is also applied to the sons and daughters of these migrants whether they travelled to Upper Canada as children or were born in the colony. In the period in question, "loyalist" identity was not an abstract concept, but rather an officially endorsed social ranking. Possession of "loyalist" status was a requisite qualification for many special privileges and entitlements in Upper Canadian society, and as such the assignment of "loyalistnrank was carefully recorded. Later American settlers who arrived after the loyalists and did not qualify for that status, are referred to in this paper in most cases as "American-Upper Canadians." They are also at times described as "American colonists" or "American settlers" but the context in these cases should make it clear that the group being referred to are American-Upper Canadians as separate from loyalist-Upper Canadians. Though seemingly awkward at times, the terms are necessary in order to attempt to discuss the particular contributions of the former group. A title often used by historians to describe American-Upper Canadians is "late loyalistswbut I feel this term is inaccurate and serves to conflate all Upper Canadians with loyalist-Upper Canadians. 2 Contemporary estimates come from Michael Smith, -al View of the Province of Canada (Hartford, 1813) 62-63. Estimates of population percentage come from Smith and G.M. Craig, uerCa-tive Years (Toronto: McClelland and Stewart Ltd., 1963) 47. For an excellent discussion of the validity of contemporary estimates from this period see Donald . Akenson, The lrlsh In OrlfaLlP (Kingston: McGill-Queen's University Press, 1984) 110-1 1 1 (notes 115,117). played in colonial society. Too often, constructive responsibility for the development of Upper Canadian society is credited solely to loyalists and British administrative elites3 The parallel developmental impact of American- Upper Canadians is largely dismissed by historians intent on portraying Upper Canadian culture as an outgrowth of a distinctly loyalist,