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How do you think someone living in Canada East (Quebec) during the pre-Confederation era would feel if they saw this flag?
THINK
How and where do you think John Henry Dunn and Isaac Buchanan, the creators of this flag, would have used it to get their message across?
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Details
Date 1841-1842
Materials - Silk
Transcript
British Rule and British Institutions
1842
Dunn & Buchanan
Historical Context
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- Responsible government depends on the support of representatives elected by the people.
- The Tories — Crown-appointed members of conservative local elites who had monopolized power in the settler colonies — condemned responsible government as anti-British.
- The imperial crown and motto on this banner reminded people that responsible government had long been practised in Britain, and was therefore appropriate for a British colony.
Responsible government is a government that depends on the support of an elected assembly. In Canada, this system of government was achieved by an unlikely pair.
Reformers Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine and Robert Baldwin put aside their cultural and linguistic differences when, in 1848, they formed the first responsible government in the Province of Canada.
Newly empowered elected officials could now play an increasingly important role in the daily lives of ordinary people.
Tories — Crown-appointed members of conservative local elites who had monopolized power in the settler colonies — condemned responsible government as disloyal and anti-British, because they feared it would weaken Canada’s connection to Britain.
Reformers, people who supported the idea of responsible government, like John Henry Dunn and Isaac Buchanan, reminded Tories that Britain itself had long practised responsible government. They emphasized this point with an imperial crown and a pro-British motto on this banner.
Responsible government is a government that is responsible to the people and that depends on the support of an elected assembly, as opposed to a government appointed directly by the Crown. In Canada, this system of government was achieved by an unlikely pair.
Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine and Robert Baldwin put aside their cultural and linguistic differences when their Reform Party won a solid majority in the 1848 election. At that time, Governor General Lord Elgin called on the two men to form the first responsible government in the United Province of Canada.
Newly empowered elected officials could now play an increasingly important role in the daily lives of ordinary people. Colonial legislatures passed laws that established public school systems, reorganized municipal governments, expanded prisons and asylums, and broadened voting rights. A greater number of men, including African-Canadian property owners, could now vote. Many other groups, however, such as women, poor men and Indigenous people, were not entitled to vote.
Tories — Crown-appointed members of conservative local elites who had monopolized power in the settler colonies — condemned responsible government as disloyal and anti-British. They feared that domestic self-government would weaken links to the Crown and to Britain.
Reformers, people who supported the idea of responsible government, like politicians John Henry Dunn and Isaac Buchanan, reminded Tories that Britain itself had long practised responsible government. Dunn and Buchanan emphasized this point with an imperial crown and a pro-British motto on this banner.
- Responsible government depends on the support of representatives elected by the people.
- The Tories — Crown-appointed members of conservative local elites who had monopolized power in the settler colonies — condemned responsible government as anti-British.
- The imperial crown and motto on this banner reminded people that responsible government had long been practised in Britain, and was therefore appropriate for a British colony.
Responsible government is a government that depends on the support of an elected assembly. In Canada, this system of government was achieved by an unlikely pair.
Reformers Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine and Robert Baldwin put aside their cultural and linguistic differences when, in 1848, they formed the first responsible government in the Province of Canada.
Newly empowered elected officials could now play an increasingly important role in the daily lives of ordinary people.
Tories — Crown-appointed members of conservative local elites who had monopolized power in the settler colonies — condemned responsible government as disloyal and anti-British, because they feared it would weaken Canada’s connection to Britain.
Reformers, people who supported the idea of responsible government, like John Henry Dunn and Isaac Buchanan, reminded Tories that Britain itself had long practised responsible government. They emphasized this point with an imperial crown and a pro-British motto on this banner.
Responsible government is a government that is responsible to the people and that depends on the support of an elected assembly, as opposed to a government appointed directly by the Crown. In Canada, this system of government was achieved by an unlikely pair.
Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine and Robert Baldwin put aside their cultural and linguistic differences when their Reform Party won a solid majority in the 1848 election. At that time, Governor General Lord Elgin called on the two men to form the first responsible government in the United Province of Canada.
Newly empowered elected officials could now play an increasingly important role in the daily lives of ordinary people. Colonial legislatures passed laws that established public school systems, reorganized municipal governments, expanded prisons and asylums, and broadened voting rights. A greater number of men, including African-Canadian property owners, could now vote. Many other groups, however, such as women, poor men and Indigenous people, were not entitled to vote.
Tories — Crown-appointed members of conservative local elites who had monopolized power in the settler colonies — condemned responsible government as disloyal and anti-British. They feared that domestic self-government would weaken links to the Crown and to Britain.
Reformers, people who supported the idea of responsible government, like politicians John Henry Dunn and Isaac Buchanan, reminded Tories that Britain itself had long practised responsible government. Dunn and Buchanan emphasized this point with an imperial crown and a pro-British motto on this banner.
Summary
- Responsible government depends on the support of representatives elected by the people.
- The Tories — Crown-appointed members of conservative local elites who had monopolized power in the settler colonies — condemned responsible government as anti-British.
- The imperial crown and motto on this banner reminded people that responsible government had long been practised in Britain, and was therefore appropriate for a British colony.
Essential
Responsible government is a government that depends on the support of an elected assembly. In Canada, this system of government was achieved by an unlikely pair.
Reformers Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine and Robert Baldwin put aside their cultural and linguistic differences when, in 1848, they formed the first responsible government in the Province of Canada.
Newly empowered elected officials could now play an increasingly important role in the daily lives of ordinary people.
Tories — Crown-appointed members of conservative local elites who had monopolized power in the settler colonies — condemned responsible government as disloyal and anti-British, because they feared it would weaken Canada’s connection to Britain.
Reformers, people who supported the idea of responsible government, like John Henry Dunn and Isaac Buchanan, reminded Tories that Britain itself had long practised responsible government. They emphasized this point with an imperial crown and a pro-British motto on this banner.
In-Depth
Responsible government is a government that is responsible to the people and that depends on the support of an elected assembly, as opposed to a government appointed directly by the Crown. In Canada, this system of government was achieved by an unlikely pair.
Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine and Robert Baldwin put aside their cultural and linguistic differences when their Reform Party won a solid majority in the 1848 election. At that time, Governor General Lord Elgin called on the two men to form the first responsible government in the United Province of Canada.
Newly empowered elected officials could now play an increasingly important role in the daily lives of ordinary people. Colonial legislatures passed laws that established public school systems, reorganized municipal governments, expanded prisons and asylums, and broadened voting rights. A greater number of men, including African-Canadian property owners, could now vote. Many other groups, however, such as women, poor men and Indigenous people, were not entitled to vote.
Tories — Crown-appointed members of conservative local elites who had monopolized power in the settler colonies — condemned responsible government as disloyal and anti-British. They feared that domestic self-government would weaken links to the Crown and to Britain.
Reformers, people who supported the idea of responsible government, like politicians John Henry Dunn and Isaac Buchanan, reminded Tories that Britain itself had long practised responsible government. Dunn and Buchanan emphasized this point with an imperial crown and a pro-British motto on this banner.