Canadian Museum of History exhibition highlights events and people that led to Confederation

Gatineau, Quebec, November 27, 2014 — The Canadian Museum of History is looking forward to Canada’s 150th birthday by looking back at the dramatic, 30-year journey to Confederation. 1867 – Rebellion and Confederation, presented until January 4, 2016, explores the origins of Canadian democracy through the eyes of the people who fought, negotiated and made compromises to achieve self-government for British North America.

“When Confederation was proclaimed on July 1, 1867, it was the culmination of many years of political, social, economic and cultural upheaval for a society in transition,” states Mark O’Neill, President and CEO of the Canadian Museum of History. “By exploring the conflict and cooperation, advances and setbacks that led to the founding of modern Canada, 1867 – Rebellion and Confederation presents visitors with a unique opportunity to enrich their knowledge of how our country came to be, and to understand the origins of the democratic rights, symbols and values that we take for granted today.”

Developed by the Canadian Museum of History, the exhibition tells the story of Confederation by describing pivotal moments between 1837 and 1867, as the colonies of British North America first sought and attained responsible government, then worked together to found a new nation. Visitors are taken through the 1837–1838 rebellions, the unlikely alliance of francophone and anglophone reformers, the violent rioting of those seeking to maintain the status quo and the slow process of debate and negotiation that led to self-government for a united Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. The exhibition introduces a wide range of historical figures, from rebel leaders Louis-Joseph Papineau and William Lyon Mackenzie to Fathers of Confederation John A. Macdonald and George-Étienne Cartier.

1867 – Rebellion and Confederation comes to life through the creative presentation of more than 200 artifacts — many never before seen together or exhibited in public — drawn from the Museum’s own collections as well as from 41 Canadian and two international institutions. One of the highlights is the British North America Act, which established the Dominion of Canada and became our Constitution. The original document, on loan from Britain’s Houses of Parliament, will be displayed from July 1, 2015 to January 4, 2016. Until then, visitors will see the ceremonial copy given to Canada to mark the legal patriation of our Constitution in 1982.

Another highlight is the ship’s bell from the SS Queen Victoria, which carried Canadian delegates to the historical Charlottetown Conference in 1864. The bell is on loan from the Township of Gouldsboro in Maine, where it ended up after the ship sank in a hurricane.