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Republic of Lower Canada

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Republic of Lower Canada
République du Bas-Canada
1838
Flag of Lower Canada
  
Territories claimed by the Republic of Lower Canada
  
Territory of present-day Canada
StatusUnrecognized
CapitalNapierville
Common languagesFrench, English
GovernmentRepublic
President 
• 1838
Robert Nelson[1]
LegislatureRepresentative Democracy
Historical eraLower Canada Rebellions
22 February 1838
9 November 1838
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Lower Canada
Province of Canada
Today part of

The Republic of Lower Canada was a break-away state proclaimed in the aftermath of the Rebellions of 1837–1838. The defeat of the rebellion meant that the state could never be properly established.

History

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Origins

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A British colony since 1763, Canada was divided in two distinct entities in 1791: Lower Canada, mainly inhabited by the descendants of the colonists of New France, and Upper Canada, mainly inhabited by British colonists. Lower and Upper Canada had very frequent tensions with each other, which made governing difficult.[2]

Declaration of independence and 1838 invasions

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Nelson declared himself president and read the Declaration of Independence of Lower Canada in front of thousands of people cheering him along in Napierville, Quebec.[3]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Boissery 1995, p. 73.
  2. ^ Barczewski et al. 2014, p. 118.
  3. ^ Boissery 1995, p. 73, 76.

Sources

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  • Boissery, Beverley (1995). A Deep Sense of Wrong: The Treason, Trials and Transportation to New South Wales of Lower Canadian Rebels After The 1838 Rebellion. The Osgoode Society for Canadian Legal History. ISBN 1-55002-242-3.
  • Barczewski, Stephanie; Eglin, John; Heathorn, Stephen; Silvestri, Michael; Tusan, Michelle (October 30, 2014). Britain since 1688: A Nation in the World (1st ed.). Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-317-60660-4.
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