Chapter 2: The English Colonial Period and Bytown (1759-1855)
Introduction to Season 2
The second chapter of the history of Ottawa begins with the Fall of New France to the English in 1759 and continues until City of Ottawa is proclaimed on 1 January 1855. During that time, the United States became an independent nation and tried twice to invade what’s now Canada. English settlers moved into the Ottawa Valley, constructed the Rideau Canal, created a series of settlements, particularly Bytown and Hull, experienced intercommunal discord between English, French, Indigenous, Catholic, and Protestant, built city infrastructure, including a railroad and incorporated as a city three times in five years.
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Episode 1: Indigenous Relations
As the French withdraw from North America and Nouvelle France fades into memory, the English assert their new role as the preeminent European power and face resistance from various Iroquois and Anishinaabe peoples. This culminates in Pontiac’s War and the separate peace signed by the different nations of the Indigenous alliance. For references, look here.
Episode 2: The Quebec Act
Cited as one of the so-called “Intolerable Acts” that justified the American Declaration of Independence, this act was intended to create a balanced compromised between the French population and the English ascendancy in the former French colony. While it empowered certain aspects of Quebec society, it also limited participation in the government by propertied citizens, creating a centralized and enlarged province, without the democratic guarantees that normally existed in British colonies. For a reading list, check here.
Episode 3: The Revolution Next Door
Several colonies of the future United States of America rebel against the Crown, attempting to create an independent nation. While some colonies rebel, others do not, and the Continental Congress attempts to spread revolution into all British colonies in North America, by invading Quebec. For references, see here.
Episode 4: The Loyalists Come North
Loyalist settlements and land grants extend from their base on the Saint Laurence and Lake Ontario, up the Cataraqui and Rideau Rivers, in the direction of Ottawa. This movement created a long series communities along the Rideau Waterway, many of which still stand today. The first settlers enter the Ottawa area. For more reading, click here.
Episode 5: The Loyalists Approach Ottawa
Loyalist settlements and land grants extend from their base on the Saint Laurence and Lake Ontario, up the Cataraqui and Rideau Rivers, in the direction of Ottawa. This movement created a long series communities along the Rideau Waterway, many of which still stand today. The first settlers enter the Ottawa area. For more reading, click here.
Episode 6: Upper Canada
The Constitutional Act of 1791 divided Canada into Upper and Lower Canada. This was to be especially important for the Ottawa Valley, as the north shore would be administered by one political system, and the south by another. This meant that the two provinces would also have different populations with different forms of local governance, with Lower Canada continuing the old seigneurial system, and Upper Canada adopting a township-based system of development. For references, click here.
