Letter to the Inhabitants of Canada

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On May 29, 1775, the Second Continental Congress sent a formal letter to the Province of Quebec inviting it to join in the American Revolution. While the letter was rejected it does provide insight into the revolutionary ideals of the American colonists.

Contents

[edit] Background

The acquisition of Canada following the French and Indian War (1754–1763)[1] allowed Britain to control the entire Eastern seaboard of North America, and brought the former French colony of Quebec into a much closer relationship to the American colonies. Yet, there were still many differences in the colonies as the vast majority of people in Quebec spoke only French and were Roman Catholic because so few colonists returned to France following the British victory in the French and Indian War.[2] This is especially important with the British enacting the Quebec Act in 1774 as part of the five pieces of legislation labeled by American colonists as the "Intolerable Acts". This measure was used to fortify the position of the British in Canada through guaranteeing the right of French Canadians to practice Roman Catholicism. It is largely perceived by many historians to be damage control in the province of Quebec, in order to prevent them from joining the independence movement in the American colonies.[3]

[edit] The writing of the letter

The Second Continental Congress met on May 10, 1775, following the Battle of Lexington in which colonial forces encountered a large British force on April 18th and had managed to drive it back to Boston. This victory resulted in Congress opening session with great excitement and hope.[4] This is shown throughout the document as the colonists threaten to invade Canada if it does not join their cause.[5] While the letter does list all the misdeeds that were done to the colonies by the British government, the most important aspect might be the appeal to Canada to claim its right to govern itself. It does so through quoting Montesquieu and using language that would provide sympathy to the American colonies. Asking the residents of Quebec if they would “render yourselves the ridicule and detestation of the world, by becoming tools, in their hands, to assist them in taking that freedom from us, which they have treacherously denied from you.”[6]

[edit] Results and implications of the letter

Despite the formal letter sent to Quebec and the numerous pleas from people within in the colony, Quebec was to ultimately stay in British hands and fight against the American colonies in their war for independence. Despite a brief invasion by forces under Richard Montgomery[7], Canada was a relatively strong colony for Britain for a large part due to the strict leadership of Guy Carleton[8], despite attempts to bring the revolutionary spirit of the American colonies into Quebec.[9]

[edit] References

  1. ^ "French and Indian War." Dictionary of American History. 7 vols. Charles Scribner's Sons, 1976. Reproduced in History Resource Center. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Group.
  2. ^ George M. Wrong, Canada and the American Revolution: The disruption of the first British Empire, (New York: The MacMillan Company, 1935), 19.
  3. ^ "Quebec Act of 1774." Gale Encyclopedia of U.S. Economic History. Gale Group, 1999. Reproduced in History Resource Center. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Group.
  4. ^ Canada and the American Revolution, 272-273.
  5. ^ A Letter to the Inhabitants of the Province of Quebec, Extract from the minutes of Congress
  6. ^ A Letter to the Inhabitants of the Province of Quebec, Extract from the minutes of Congress
  7. ^ "Canada and the American Revolution." Dictionary of American History. 7 vols. Charles Scribner's Sons, 1976. Reproduced in History Resource Center. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Group
  8. ^ Wrong, Canada and the American Revolution, 280–290.
  9. ^ Alfred Leroy Burt, The Old Province of Quebec, (Toronto: The Ryerson Press, 1933), 145

[edit] External links