By , they had the necessary support of the Catholic Church. Confederation was justified on the grounds that French Canadians would get back their provincial identity. Their capital would once more be Quebec City. French Canadians feared anglophone domination of government. But Confederation would grant French Canadians their own legislature and a strong presence in the federal Cabinet. Of all the proposed changes, Confederation was the least undesirable for French Canadians.
The conference was already underway. Discussions for Maritime union were not making much progress. The Canadians were invited to submit their own proposals for a union of the BNA colonies. The idea of a united country quickly took over. A month later, the colonies called a second meeting to discuss Confederation. At the Quebec Conference , the delegates passed 72 Resolutions.
These explicitly laid out the fundamental decisions made at Charlottetown , including a constitutional framework for a new country. The Resolutions were legalistic and contractual in tone.
They were deliberately different from the revolutionary tone of the American Constitution, which had been drafted a century earlier.
See also: Quebec Conference of ; Constitutional History. The Canadian Resolutions outlined the concept of federalism. Powers and responsibilities would be divided between the provinces and the federal government.
See also: Distribution of Powers. Cartier pushed hard for provincial powers and rights. Macdonald was keen to avoid the mistakes that had led to the US Civil War. He advocated for a strong central government. A semblance of balance was reached between these two ideas. The Resolutions also outlined the shape of a national Parliament. There would be an elected House of Commons based on representation by population , and an appointed Senate. Each region would have an equal voice in the appointed chamber.
The resolutions also included specific financial commitments. These included the construction by the new federal government of the Intercolonial Railway from Quebec to the Maritimes. The colonies recognized they needed to improve communications and grow economically. Railways between the colonies would boost economic opportunity through increased trade. They would also make borders more defensible by enabling the quick movement of troops and weaponry.
See also: Railway History. Some Maritime delegates declared that the building of a rail line was a precondition of their joining Canada. All except Newfoundland enjoyed prosperous economies. They felt comfortable as they were. The bulk of the population, especially in Nova Scotia and PEI, saw no reason to change their constitution just because Canada had outgrown its own.
Even Newfoundland, despite economic difficulties in the s, postponed a decision on Confederation in In an election in , they decisively rejected it. See also: Newfoundland and Labrador and Confederation. The more prosperous PEI resisted almost from the start. A small, dedicated group of Confederationists made little headway until early in the s. At that time, PEI was badly indebted by the construction of a railway.
It joined Confederation in in return for Canada taking over its loan payments. See also: PEI and Confederation. Nova Scotians were divided. Confederation was popular in the northern areas of the mainland and in Cape Breton. But along the south shore and in the Annapolis Valley — the prosperous world of shipping , shipbuilding , potatoes and apples — the idea seemed unattractive or even dangerous.
Conservative Premier Charles Tupper was ambitious, aggressive and confident. He went ahead with Confederation anyway.
He was convinced that in the long run it would be best for Nova Scotia, and perhaps also for himself. Tupper briefly served as prime minister in His government was not up for re-election after Confederation was finalized. By that time, it was too late for the 65 per cent of Nova Scotians who opposed the idea. New Brunswick was only a little more enthusiastic. Later that day, Tituba, possibly under coercion, confessed to the crime, encouraging the authorities On March 1, , in a crime that captured the attention of the entire nation, Charles Lindbergh, Jr.
Lindbergh, who became an international celebrity A bomb explodes in the Capitol building in Washington, D. A group calling itself the Weather Underground claimed credit for the bombing, which was done in protest of the ongoing U. Mantle was an idol to millions, known for his remarkable power and speed and his everyman personality.
Sign up now to learn about This Day in History straight from your inbox. Native Americans had lived and hunted in the region that would become Yellowstone for hundreds of years before the first Anglo explorers arrived. Abundant game and mountain streams teeming But historians have been able to flesh out the social and political dynamics at play in these conferences by consulting the letters and journals of the Mothers of Confederation.
They not only provide a view into the experiences of privileged women of the era, but draw attention to the contributions those women made to the historic record and political landscape. The broad decisions of Charlottetown were refined and focused into 72 resolutions, which became the basis of Confederation. He instructed his governors in North America in the strongest language possible, to promote the idea, which they did.
The London Conference , from December to February , was the final stage of translating the 72 Resolutions of into legislation. It was proclaimed into law on 1 July , which Canadians now celebrate as Canada Day. Despite their exclusion, Confederation had a significant impact on Indigenous communities.
In , the federal government assumed responsibility over Indigenous affairs from the colonies. Seeking to develop, settle and claim these lands, as well as those in the surrounding area, the Dominion signed a series of 11 treaties from to with various Indigenous peoples, promising them money, certain rights to the land and other concessions in exchange for their traditional territories.
Most of these promises went unfulfilled or were misunderstood by the signatories. The years following Confederation saw increased government systems of assimilation, including reserves , the Indian Act and residential schools. Yukon was created in and the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan in Where do you live? Was it part of Canada in ? After years of political debate , there were three historic meetings in Quebec City, Charlottetown and London, England to decide the future creation of Canada.
The original painting by Robert Harris burned during the fire that destroyed most of the Centre Block of the Parliament Buildings in Today, the tribute copy of it, by Rex Woods, hangs in a committee room at Parliament. The main difference between the two is the addition of a portrait of Robert Harris and three more delegates to the London Conference of who were officially recognized in
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