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Union (Reasons for Union (Shifting Trade Relations (In the 1850s, Britain…
Union
Reasons for Union
Politcal Deadlock
Canada East and
Canada West had the same
amount of seats in parliament.
That made it nearly impossible to
make any important decisions, as
both sides voted against each other
-
Shifting Trade Relations
In the 1850s, Britain decides to let British
North America deal with their own trade relations.
At the time, Britain had started make their own goods.
The mercantile system wasn't working anymore.
Britain had started free trade with other countries,
British North America no longer had a guaranteed
market for their goods
In 1854, British North America
signed a trade agreement
with the USA. It was called
the Reciprocity Treaty
This allowed for goods from
both countries to flow past
the border with no taxes.
For ten years, that's what happened.
But, the USA decided they were not getting
enough out of the treaty. They ended it.
Military
The Canadians feared an American
attack. At the time, Manifest Destiny was
a huge threat. Manifest Destiny was the American
belief that their world view should be spread around the world.
This scared British North Americans because Americans were
moving west, and they had just bought Alaska from Russia.
The Americans would sooner or later move north. After the Civil War as well, the Americans had a large army with nothing to do. United, the colonies could fend off an American attack. Also, the Fenians were attacking the borders. Union would help show the Fenians that they were independent from Britain.
Good Business Sense
Businesses would benefit from
Confederation. The inland colonies could
have access to the ports in the
Maritimes. The Maritimes could have
access to a larger market in the
Province of Canada.
Reasons Against Union
The Maritime Colonies
None of the Maritime
colonies initially
wanted to unite as
a country. In fact,
most colonies were
against it as many
thought it would
end their economic
prosperity. At the
time, the Golden Age
of the Maritimes
was taking place.
The economy thrived
on wind,wood,sail, and
coal. Many thought that
the times would end if they united
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia originally
did not want to
join Confederation.
They shared the same
concern that New
Brunswick did.
Also, they feared that
union may end their
peoples economic
prosperity. It also did
not help that politician
Joseph Howe was
opposing Confederation
on all fronts. As the
leader of the 1837
rebellion in the colony,
Howe was a well known
face. He told the
Nova Scotians that union
would end the Golden
Age of wind, wood,
and sail. In the end
though, the railway
intrigued many.
The assembly
voted for union.
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island
felt very isolated from
the other colonies. It
was an island, and
at the time, there were
no bridges to the mainland.
Very few had boats. The
railway would likely not
benefit them. The island
stayed out of Confederation
until 1873
New Brunswick
New Brunswick initially
did not want to join
Confederation.
They felt that their
opinion would not be
heard in the government.
Britain pressured them
to join, so in the end,
they voted to join. New
Brunswick was one of the
first four colonies to join
Confederation.
Newfoundland
Newfoundland was closer
to Britain than any other
colony. Britain had settled
the land, and most people
in Newfoundland were British
The people were more invested
in their ties to Britain than
union. Newfoundland stayed
out of Confederation until
1949.
Also, the colonies feared that
if they joined, they would have
little to no voice in the
government, as they were
so far away from where they
suspected the capital would
be.