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140-566: John Strachan ( / ˈ s t r ɔː n / ; 12 April 1778 – 1 November 1867) was a notable figure in Upper Canada , an "elite member" of the Family Compact , and the first Anglican Bishop of Toronto . He is best known as a political bishop who held many government positions and promoted education from common schools to helping to found the University of Toronto . Gauvreau says in the 1820s he

280-501: A brig and twelve schooners . The embarked force commanded by Brigadier General Zebulon Pike numbered between 1,600 and 1,800, mainly from the 6th, 15th, 16th and 21st U.S. Infantry, and the 3rd U.S. Artillery fighting as infantry. Dearborn, the overall army commander, remained aboard the corvette Madison during the action. Early on April 27, the first American wave of boats, carrying 300 soldiers of Major Benjamin Forsyth 's company of

420-554: A clear victory, the battle did not have decisive strategic results as York was a less important objective in military terms than Kingston, where the British armed vessels on Lake Ontario were based. York, the capital of Upper Canada , stood on the north shore of Lake Ontario . During the War of 1812, the lake was both the front line between Upper Canada and the United States, and also served as

560-521: A counterattack after the explosion, American forces regrouped outside the wall, and did not advance onto the abandoned fort until after the British regulars had left the settlement. The American loss for the entire battle was officially reported as 52 killed and 254 wounded for the Army and 3 killed and 11 wounded for the Navy, for a total of 55 killed and 265 wounded. The majority of American casualties originated from

700-487: A naval flotilla, landed on the western lakeshore and captured the provincial capital after defeating an outnumbered force of regulars, militia and Ojibwe natives under the command of Major General Roger Hale Sheaffe , the Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada . After Sheaffe's forces were defeated, he ordered his surviving regulars to withdraw to Kingston , abandoning the militia and civilians. The Americans captured

840-472: A new heavy sloop-of-war had been completed. Chauncey sortied again on July 21 with 13 vessels. Six days later, he embarked a battalion of 500 troops commanded by Colonel Winfield Scott at Niagara. Chauncey sought to relieve the British-Native blockade of Fort George , by attacking British supply lines at Burlington Heights at the western end of Lake Ontario. Winfield Scott's force disembarked east of

980-462: A new society. First, the cash-strapped Crown government in Canada could pay and reward the services and loyalty of the "United Empire Loyalists" who, originated outside of Canada, without encumbrance of debt by being awarded with small portions of land (under 200 acres or 80 hectares) with the proviso that it be settled by those to which it was granted; Second, portions would be reserved for the future use of

1120-560: A part of the terms of surrender, any troops remaining in York became prisoners of war , although those serving in the militia were "paroled," and allowed to return home so long as they do not rejoin the conflict until an official prisoner exchange had secured their "release". Members of the York Militia were ordered to relinquish their arms, and proceed to Fort York garrison. The officers of the militia were subsequently released on "parole," although

1260-479: A proclamation 16 July 1792 divided these districts into the nineteen original counties of Ontario: Glengarry, Stormont, Dundas, Grenville, Leeds, Frontenac, Ontario, Addington, Lennox, Prince Edward, Hastings, Northumberland, Durham, York, Lincoln, Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and Kent. By 1800, the four districts of Eastern, Midland, Home and Western had been increased to eight, the new ones being Johnston, Niagara, London and Newcastle. Additional districts were created from

1400-625: A provincial convention – which the government considered dangerous and seditious. Gourlay was tried in December 1818 under the 1804 Sedition Act and jailed for 8 months. He was banished from the province in August 1819. His expulsion made him a martyr in the reform community. The next wave of organised Reform activity emerged in the 1830s through the work of William Lyon Mackenzie , James Lesslie , John Rolph , William John O'Grady and Dr Thomas Morrison , all of Toronto. They were critical to introducing

1540-478: A result of sickness and exposure. During March, Chauncey and Dearborn recommended to Armstrong that when the ice on the lake thawed, they should attack the less well-defended town of York instead of Kingston. Although York was the provincial capital of Upper Canada, it was far less important than Kingston as a military objective. Historians such as John R. Elting have pointed out that this change of plan effectively reversed Armstrong's original strategy, and by committing

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1680-456: A result, Sheaffe had instructed government officials in early April 1813 to hide legislative papers in the forest and fields behind York, to ensure they would not be seized in the event of an attack. York's defences included the town's blockhouse situated near the Don River east of the town, the blockhouses at Fort York to the west, and another blockhouse at Gibraltar Point . The settlement

1820-599: A sermon that said a Christian nation needs a religious establishment, referring to the Anglican church as the establishment. He rejected the notion that clergy reserves were intended for all Protestant denominations and appealed to the Colonial Office to maintain that Anglican Church's monopoly on these plots of land. Like most Protestants of the era, he denounced the Roman Catholic Church for corruption. He rejected

1960-562: A significant propaganda coup, as well as bolster support for the Democratic-Republican Party for the gubernatorial election in New York. The attack was originally planned to commence in early April, although a long winter delayed the attack on York by several weeks, threatening the political value of such an attack. In an attempt to overcome these delays, Democratic-Republicans supporters circulated proclamations of victory prior to

2100-695: A similar function to the Cabinet in England but was not responsible to the Legislative Assembly. They held a consultative position, however, and did not serve in administrative offices as cabinet ministers do. Members of the Executive Council were not necessarily members of the Legislative Assembly but were usually members of the Legislative Council. The Legislative branch of the government consisted of

2240-453: A small boat. British return fire was ineffective. The British tried to rally around the Western battery, but the battery's travelling magazine (a portable chest containing cartridges) exploded, apparently as the result of an accident. This caused further loss (including 20 killed) and confusion among the British regulars, and they fell back to a ravine at Garrison Creek north of the fort, where

2380-527: A strict interpretation of the Constitutional Act of 1791 , claiming that clergy reserves were to be given to the Church of England alone, rather than to Protestants in general. In 1826, his interpretation was opposed by Egerton Ryerson , who advocated the separation of church and state and argued that the reserves should be sold for the benefit of education in the province. Although Strachan long controlled

2520-456: A total of 153 casualties. However, historian Robert Malcomson has found this return to be inaccurate: it did not include militia, sailors, dockyard workers or Native Americans and was incorrect even as to the casualties of the regulars. Malcomson demonstrates that the actual British loss was 82 killed, 43 wounded, 69 wounded prisoners, 274 captured and seven missing, for a total of 475 casualties. Colonel William Chewett and Major William Allen of

2660-595: Is the epithet applied to an oligarchic group of men who exercised most of the political and judicial power in Upper Canada from the 1810s to the 1840s. It was noted for its conservatism and opposition to democracy. The uniting factors amongst the Compact were its loyalist tradition, hierarchical class structure and adherence to the established Anglican Church. Leaders such as John Beverley Robinson and John Strachan proclaimed it an ideal government, especially as contrasted with

2800-563: The 19th Light Dragoons , collected the military supplies they could carry and withdrew along the Don River. The American landing of 340 men at York was unopposed, with the American force burning the barracks at the fort and the military fuel yards, and looting several properties. They also seized 11 batteaux , 5 cannons and some flour, before reembarking on their ships, leaving the settlement later that night. The library books that were looted after

2940-524: The British Indian Department , and the grenadier company of the 8th Regiment of Foot, who were dispatched to the area by Sheaffe. Only the Natives initially engaged the American landing. With American cannon fire threatening the roads on the waterfront, the British units dispatched from Fort York had to traverse through the forest behind the waterfront; and were unable to reach the landing site before

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3080-771: The Chartist movement in England. The Canadian Alliance Society was reborn as the Constitutional Reform Society (1836), when it was led by the more moderate reformer, Dr William W. Baldwin. After the disastrous 1836 elections, it took the final form as the Toronto Political Union in 1837. It was the Toronto Political Union that called for a Constitutional Convention in July 1837, and began organising local "Vigilance Committees" to elect delegates. This became

3220-650: The Great Lakes including much of what would become the United States' Northwest Territory , including the modern states of Illinois , Indiana , Michigan , Ohio , Wisconsin and parts of Minnesota . After the American War of Independence ended in 1783, Britain retained control of the area north of the Ohio River. The official boundaries remained undefined until 1795 and the Jay Treaty . The British authorities encouraged

3360-691: The Kingdom of Great Britain , to govern the central third of the lands in British North America , formerly part of the Province of Quebec since 1763. Upper Canada included all of modern-day Southern Ontario and all those areas of Northern Ontario in the Pays d'en Haut which had formed part of New France , essentially the watersheds of the Ottawa River or Lakes Huron and Superior , excluding any lands within

3500-488: The Legislative Assembly . In 1827 Strachan chartered King's College, an Anglican university, although it was not actually created until 1843. In 1839, he was consecrated the first Anglican bishop of Toronto alongside Aubrey Spencer , the first Bishop of Newfoundland , at Lambeth Palace August 4. He founded Trinity College in 1851 after King's College was secularized as the University of Toronto . In 1835, he

3640-721: The Legislative Council from 1820 to 1841. He was an influential advisor to the Lieutenant-Governors of Upper Canada and the other members of the Councils and Assemblies, many of whom were his former students. The " Family Compact " were the elite who shared his fierce loyalty to the British monarchy , his strict and exclusive Toryism and the established church ( Anglicanism ), and his contempt for slavery , Presbyterians, Methodists, American republicanism , and reformism . Strachan

3780-556: The Native warriors and a small number of militiamen at Fort York, while most of the militia and the companies of the 8th Regiment of Foot positioned themselves at the town's blockhouse. British Army: Major General Roger Hale Sheaffe Army of the North: Major General Henry Dearborn The Americans fleet appeared off of York late on April 26. Chauncey's squadron consisted of a ship-rigged corvette ,

3920-663: The Royal Newfoundland Fencibles , a small squad from the 49th Regiment of Foot , and thirteen soldiers from the Royal Artillery . There were also 40 or 50 Mississaugas and Ojibwe warriors, and the Canadian militia . The American naval squadron was spotted by British sentries posted at the Scarborough Bluffs on April 26, who alerted the town and its defenders using flag signals and signal guns. The Militia

4060-465: The U.S. 1st Rifle Regiment , landed about 6.4 kilometres (4 mi) west of the town, supported by some of Chauncey's schooners firing grapeshot . The American force intended to land at a clear field, west of Fort York, but strong winds pushed their landing craft 3.2 kilometres (2 mi) west of their desired landing site, towards a wooded coastline in today's Humber Bay . Forsyth's riflemen were opposed only by Native warriors, led by James Givins of

4200-646: The War of 1812 , where he became rector of St. James' Church (which would later become his cathedral) and headmaster of the Home District Grammar School . This school, also known as "The Blue School," taught students from five to seventeen and emphasized a practical means of learning. Students recited abridged speeches from the House of Commons, learned Latin, and were encouraged to ask questions of their fellow pupils. A conservative, Strachan supported his nation during

4340-663: The buildings of the Legislative Assembly , and Government House , home to the Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada. It was alleged that the American troops had found a scalp there, though folklore had it that the "scalp" was actually the Speaker 's wig. The Parliamentary mace of Upper Canada was taken back to Washington and was only returned in 1934 as a goodwill gesture by President Franklin Roosevelt . The Printing Office, used for publishing official documents as well as newspapers,

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4480-475: The parliament comprising legislative council and legislative assembly . When the capital was first moved to Toronto (then called York) from Newark (present-day Niagara-on-the-Lake ) in 1796, the Parliament Buildings of Upper Canada were at the corner of Parliament and Front Streets, in buildings that were burned by US forces in the War of 1812, rebuilt, then burned again by accident in 1824. The site

4620-547: The 3rd York Regiment of militia tried to arrange a capitulation, assisted by Captain John Beverley Robinson , the acting Attorney General of Upper Canada . The process took time. The Americans were angry over their losses, particularly because they believed that the ship and fort had been destroyed after negotiations for surrender had already begun. Nevertheless, Colonel Mitchell of the 3rd U.S. Artillery agreed to terms. While they waited for Dearborn and Chauncey to ratify

4760-654: The American Army of the North , at Albany, New York during February. Both Dearborn and Chauncey agreed with Armstrong's plan at this point, but they subsequently had second thoughts. That month, Lieutenant General Sir George Prévost , the British Governor General of Canada , travelled up the frozen Saint Lawrence to visit Upper Canada. This visit was made necessary because Major General Roger Hale Sheaffe , who had succeeded Brock as Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada ,

4900-573: The Americans had not inflicted crippling damage on the Provincial Marine on Lake Ontario, and they admitted that by preserving his small force of regulars rather than sacrificing them in a fight against heavy odds, Sheaffe had robbed the Americans of decisive victory. Secretary of War Armstrong wrote, "[W]e cannot doubt but that in all cases in which a British commander is compelled to act defensively, his policy will be that adopted by Sheaffe – to prefer

5040-653: The Americans started their landings. Sheaffe had also ordered a company of the Glengarry Light Infantry to support the Natives at the landing, but they became lost in the outskirts of the town, having been misdirected by Major-General Aeneas Shaw , the Adjutant General of the Canadian Militia, who took some of the militia north onto Dundas Street to prevent any wide American flanking maneuver . After it became apparent that no landing would occur east of

5180-626: The Americans, who abandoned a portion of the captured goods before they departed from York, while the remaining supplies were set on fire during the Second Battle of Sacket's Harbor in May 1813. As the American attack on York occurred on the first of New York's three-day election period, the battle did not directly benefit the Democratic-Republic Party as Armstrong had originally envisioned. However, early proclamations of victory issued prior to

5320-486: The British Political Unions to Upper Canada. Political Unions were not parties. The unions organised petitions to Parliament. The Upper Canada Central Political Union was organised in 1832–33 by Dr Thomas David Morrison (mayor of Toronto in 1836) while William Lyon Mackenzie was in England. This union collected 19,930 signatures on a petition protesting Mackenzie's unjust expulsion from the House of Assembly by

5460-585: The Crown (for which 22,345 acres (9,043 ha) were set aside), where the revenues would be remitted to the Church. The act also provided for the creation of parish rectories , giving parishes a corporate identity so that they could hold property (although none were created until 1836, prior to the recall of John Colborne , in which he created 24 of them). They were granted lands amounting to 21,638 acres (8,757 ha), of which 15,048 acres (6,090 ha) were drawn from

5600-407: The Crown and the clergy that did not require settlement by which to gain control. Lt. Governor Simcoe saw this as the mechanism by which an aristocracy might be created, and that compact settlement could be avoided with the grants of large tracts of land to those Loyalists not required to settle on it as the means of gaining control. The Calton weavers were a community of handweavers established in

5740-827: The Family Compact. This union was reorganised as the Canadian Alliance Society (1835). It shared a large meeting space in the market buildings with the Mechanics Institute and the Children of Peace . The Canadian Alliance Society adopted much of the platform (such as secret ballot & universal suffrage) of the Owenite National Union of the Working Classes in London, England, that were to be integrated into

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5880-474: The Fencibles to renew their advance, the British began to withdraw, with the newly arrived Glengarry Light Infantry covering the retreat. During these landings, the American naval squadron bombarded the four gun batteries defending York. Chauncey's schooners, most of which carried a long 24-pounder or 32-pounder cannon, also bombarded the fort and Government House battery, with Chauncey himself directing them from

6020-625: The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River. On 1 February 1796, the capital of Upper Canada was moved from Newark (now Niagara-on-the-Lake ) to York (now Toronto ), which was judged to be less vulnerable to attack by the US. The Act of Union 1840, passed 23 July 1840 by the British Parliament and proclaimed by the Crown on 10 February 1841, merged Upper Canada with Lower Canada to form the short-lived United Province of Canada . Upper Canada's constitution

6160-539: The Indigenous peoples. Some of the treaties spelled out designated reserve lands for the Indigenous peoples. Following the War of 1812, European settlers came in increasing numbers. The Indian Department focussed on converting the Indigenous peoples to abandon their old way of life and adopt agriculture. The treaties shifted from one-time payments in exchange to annual annuities from the sale of surrendered lands. Between 1825 and 1860, treaties were concluded for nearly all of

6300-589: The Inspector General and the Surveyor General to the board, and made a quorum of three for meetings; these two public officers also sat on the Legislative Council with Strachan. These three were usually members of the Family Compact. The clergy reserves were not the only types of landed endowment for the Anglican Church and clergy. The 1791 Act also provided for glebe land to be assigned and vested in

6440-566: The Militia, the Attorney General , the Auditor General of Land Patents for Upper Canada , the Auditor General (only one appointment ever made), Crown Lands Office , Indian Office , Inspector General , Kings' Printer , Provincial Secretary and Registrar's Office , Receiver General of Upper Canada , Solicitor General , and Surveyor General . The Executive Council of Upper Canada had

6580-425: The Natives, the superiority of British governance, and the centrality of Upper Canada in the theatre of war against the US. He rejected the prevalent assumption at the time that Natives were simply pawns in the contest and gave an original and influential explanation of why Upper Canada was vital to both Native and Imperial concerns. Strachan was intensely devoted to the promotion of the Anglican position in Canada. He

6720-468: The Niagara peninsula, but they had left Sacket's Harbor defended only by a few troops, mainly militia. When reinforcements from the Royal Navy commanded by Commodore James Lucas Yeo arrived in Kingston, Yeo almost immediately embarked some troops commanded by Prévost and attacked Sackett's Harbor. Although the British were repelled by the defenders at the Second Battle of Sacket's Harbor, Chauncey immediately withdrew into Sacket's Harbor until mid-July, when

6860-509: The North American colonies. In 1812, war broke out between Great Britain and the United States, leading to several battles in Upper Canada. The United States attempted to capture Upper Canada, but the war ended with the situation unchanged. The government of the colony came to be dominated by a small group of persons, known as the " Family Compact ", who held most of the top positions in the Legislative Council and appointed officials. In 1837, an unsuccessful rebellion attempted to overthrow

7000-452: The Patriot War in 1838–39. John Lambton, Lord Durham 's support for " responsible government " undercut the Tories and gradually led the public to reject what it viewed as poor administration, unfair land and education policies, and inadequate attention to urgent transportation needs. Durham's report led to the administrative unification of Upper and Lower Canada as the Province of Canada in 1841. Responsible government did not occur until

7140-474: The Rev. John Strachan was appointed to the Executive Council, the advisory body to the Lieutenant Governor, in 1815, he began to push for the Church of England's autonomous control of the clergy reserves on the model of the Clergy Corporation created in Lower Canada in 1817. Although all clergymen in the Church of England were members of the body corporate, the act prepared in 1819 by Strachan's former student, Attorney General John Beverly Robinson , also appointed

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7280-424: The St. Lawrence and eastern Lake Ontario were laid out in 1784, populated mainly with decommissioned soldiers and their families. "Upper Canada" became a political entity on 26 December 1791 with the Parliament of Great Britain 's passage of the Constitutional Act of 1791 . The act divided the province of Quebec into Upper and Lower Canada , but did not yet specify official borders for Upper Canada. The division

7420-447: The War of 1812, using his sermons to support the suspension of civil liberties. Upon hearing that of the fall of Fort Detroit to British forces, Strachan declared in a sermon: "The brilliant victory... has been of infinite service in confirming the wavering & adding spirit to the loyal". Strachan had the young women of York knit flags for the militia regiments in which their menfolk were serving in and organized fundraising drives to give

7560-430: The battle had a much greater impact than previously assumed. The mistreatment by US forces of the civilian Canadian population, dogged resistance by militia and the burning of British symbols and buildings after the battle led to a hardening of Canadian popular opinion against the United States. Several commentators viewed the American transgressions at York as justification for the British Burning of Washington later in

7700-532: The battle in April 1813, were returned to the settlement during the second incursion into York. The Ontario Heritage Foundation erected a plaque in 1968 near the entrance to Coronation Park, Exhibition Place, Lake Shore Boulevard , in commemoration of the event. The plaque reads: On the morning of July 31, 1813, a U.S. invasion fleet appeared off York (Toronto) after having withdrawn from a planned attack on British positions at Burlington Heights. That afternoon 300 American soldiers came ashore near here. Their landing

7840-433: The battle to the New York electorate. The American naval squadron first attempted to depart from Sackets Harbor on April 23, 1813, although an incoming storm forced the squadron back to harbour, in order to wait out the storm. The squadron finally departed on the next day. The town of York was not heavily fortified, with insufficient resources preventing the construction of necessary works needed to adequately defend it. As

7980-465: The battle, did contribute to the reelection of Daniel D. Tompkins , the Democratic-Republican candidate to be the Governor of New York . According to Pierre Berton , the battle, and occupation of York served as a watershed moment for the settlers of York. Those who fought the Americans became celebrated in the local community, while those who aided the occupation were viewed by the community as traitors. The documentary film Explosion 1812 argues that

8120-422: The battle, in an effort to launch an attack on the American forces there. The Iroquois were approximately 50 kilometres (31 mi) west of York, in present-day Burlington , when they learned that the Americans had departed York, resulting in the expedition to be called off. Many members of the Provincial Assembly and other prominent citizens severely criticized Sheaffe, both for his conduct generally and during

8260-572: The books were auctioned off in 1822. Several looted items ended up in the possession of the locals. Sheaffe later alleged that local settlers had unlawfully acquired government-owned farming tools or other stores looted and discarded by the Americans, and demanded that they be handed back. The looting of York occurred in spite of Pike's earlier orders that all civilian property be respected and that any soldier convicted of such transgressions would be executed. Dearborn similarly emphatically denied giving orders for any buildings to be destroyed and deplored

8400-399: The bulk of the American forces at the western end of Lake Ontario, it left Sackett's Harbor vulnerable to an attack by British reinforcements arriving from Lower Canada. Armstrong, by now back in Washington, nevertheless acquiesced in this change of plan as Dearborn might well have better local information. Armstrong also believed that an easy victory at York would provide the government with

8540-448: The children of Richard Cartwright . He applied to the pulpit of a Presbyterian church in Montreal but did not receive the position. He then became an Anglican minister and became a minister for a church in Cornwall, Ontario . Strachan taught at a grammar school which was attended by the Upper Canadian elite. Strachan taught more than 20 students in 1804 and had about 40 by 1808. The children educated were trained to be "potential rulers of

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8680-469: The city streets from his home at Front and York to St. James Cathedral . A plaque at the University of Toronto erected by the Ontario Archaeological and Historic Sites Board commemorates the residence of Strachan. The Bishop's Palace is the site where assembled the Loyalist forces that defeated William Lyon Mackenzie during the Rebellion of 1837. On this site stood the "Bishop's palace", residence of Bishop John Strachan (1778–1867), built in 1817–18 while he

8820-616: The clergy reserves and other glebe lots, while 6,950 acres (2,810 ha) were taken from ordinary Crown lands. A later suit to have this action annulled was dismissed by the Court of Chancery of Upper Canada . The Province of Canada would later pass an Act in 1866 to authorize the disposal of such glebe and rectory lands not specifically used as churches , parsonages or burial grounds . In 1797, lands in twelve townships (six east of York, and six west, totalling about 500,000 acres (200,000 ha), were set aside, from which revenues arising from their sale or lease were dedicated to support

8960-520: The community of Calton , then in Lanarkshire just outside Glasgow , Scotland in the 18th century. In the early 19th century, many of the weavers emigrated to Canada, settling in Carleton Place and other communities in eastern Ontario , where they continued their trade. In 1825, 1,878 Irish Immigrants from the city of Cork arrived in the community of Scott's Plains. The British Parliament had approved an experimental emigration plan to transport poor Irish families to Upper Canada in 1822. The scheme

9100-418: The destruction of the Kingston Royal Naval Dockyard together with most of the vessels of the Provincial Marine, would make almost every British post west of Kingston vulnerable if not untenable. After Kingston was captured, the Americans would then capture the British positions at York and Fort George , at the mouth of the Niagara River . Armstrong conferred with Major General Henry Dearborn , commander of

9240-407: The elected assembly's legislative role, leaving elected politicians to simply review the administration's legislative program and budgets. The First Nations occupying the territory that was to become Upper Canada were: Prior to the creation of Upper Canada in 1791, much land had already been ceded by the First Nations to the Crown in accordance with the Royal Proclamation of 1763 . The first treaty

9380-400: The establishment of grammar schools and a university for the Province. They were distributed as follows: Battle of York East Coast Great Lakes / Saint Lawrence River West Indies / Gulf Coast Pacific Ocean The Battle of York was a War of 1812 battle fought in York, Upper Canada (today's Toronto , Ontario, Canada) on April 27, 1813. An American force, supported by

9520-447: The existing districts as the population grew until 1849, when local government mainly based on counties came into effect. At that time, there were 20 districts; legislation to create a new Kent District was never completed. Up until 1841, the district officials were appointed by the lieutenant-governor, although usually with local input. Justices of the Peace were appointed by the Lt. Governor. Any two justices meeting together could form

9660-452: The explosion at the fort's powder magazine. An archaeological dig in 2012 unearthed evidence that the destruction of the magazine and the impact it had on American soldiers was a result of poor position, and bad luck. The Americans just happened to be at the exact distance of the shock wave and its debris field. The British loss was officially reported by Sheaffe as 59 killed, 34 wounded, 43 wounded prisoners, 10 captured and seven missing, for

9800-424: The fighting at York. For example, Militia officers Chewitt and Allan, the Reverend Strachan and others wrote to Governor General Prévost on May 8, that Sheaffe "kept too far from his troops after retreating from the woods, never cheered or animated them, nor showed by his personal conduct that he was hearty in the cause." Sheaffe lost his military and public offices in Upper Canada as a result of his defeat. However,

9940-446: The former New France , which had been defeated in the French and Indian War. The British had won control after Fort Niagara had surrendered in 1759 and Montreal capitulated in 1760, and the British under Robert Rogers took formal control of the Great Lakes region in 1760. Fort Michilimackinac was occupied by Roger's forces in 1761. The territories of contemporary southern Ontario and southern Quebec were initially maintained as

10080-431: The fort's magazine. The two sides continued to exchange artillery fire until Sheaffe's withdrawal from the fort was complete. The British had left the flag flying over the fort as a ruse, and the Americans assembling outside its walls assumed that the fort was still occupied. By 1:00 pm, the Americans were 200 yards (183 m) from the fort, and their artillery and the naval squadron were preparing to bombard it. Pike

10220-401: The fort, town, and dockyard. They themselves suffered casualties, including force leader Brigadier General Zebulon Pike and others killed when the retreating British blew up the fort's magazine. After the Americans carried out several acts of arson and looting, they seized ordnance and supplies from the settlement and subsequently withdrew from the town weeks later. Although the Americans won

10360-523: The grounds of the Palace." In the summer of 2004, a bust of John Strachan was erected in the quadrangle of Trinity College at the University of Toronto. Strachan Avenue, running from the original site of Trinity College to Lake Shore Blvd., is also named in his honour. Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada (French: province du Haut-Canada ) was a part of British Canada established in 1791 by

10500-558: The heights at Burlington Beach (present-day Burlington) on July 29 but found the defenders too well entrenched for any assault to be successful. Anticipating Chauncey's intentions, Major-General Francis de Rottenburg , Sheaffe's successor as Lieutenant Governor, ordered the bulk of the troops at York to Burlington Heights. However, this left York largely undefended, as most of its militia were still on parole. The American squadron proceeded to York in order to seize food stores to feed its soldiers. The last remaining troop in York, members of

10640-575: The home was converted into a private hotel called The Palace Boarding House. Born 12 April 1778, Strachan was the youngest of six children born to the overseer of a granite quarry in Aberdeen , Scotland . His father's name was John Strachan and his mother's name was Elizabeth Findlayson. He graduated from King's College, Aberdeen , in 1797. After his father died in an accident in 1794, Strachan tutored students and taught school to finance his own education. He emigrated to Kingston , Upper Canada , to tutor

10780-590: The lakes. He created a squadron of fighting ships at Sackett's Harbor, New York by purchasing and arming several lake schooners and laying down purpose-built fighting vessels. However, no decisive action was possible before the onset of winter, during which the ships of both sides were confined to their harbours by ice. To match Chauncey's shipbuilding efforts, the British laid down the Sloops-of-war Wolfe at Kingston and Sir Isaac Brock , at York Naval Shipyards . On January 13, 1813, John Armstrong Jr.

10920-448: The land-mass of the future province of Ontario. In 1836, Manitoulin Island was designated as a reserve for dispossessed natives, but much of this was ceded in 1862. Crown land policy to 1825 was multi-fold in the use of a "free" resource that had value to people who themselves may have little or no money for its purchase and for the price of settling upon it to support themselves and a create

11060-457: The late 1840s under Robert Baldwin and Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine . After the Rebellions, the new governor, Charles Poulett Thomson, 1st Baron Sydenham , proved an exemplary Utilitarian , despite his aristocratic pretensions. This combination of free trade and aristocratic pretensions needs to be underscored; although a liberal capitalist, Sydenham was no radical democrat. Sydenham approached

11200-466: The lease of these lands was claimed by the Rev. John Strachan on behalf of the Church of England . These reserves were directly administered by the Crown; which, in turn, came under increasing political pressure from other Protestant bodies. The Reserve lands were to be a focal point of dissent within the Legislative Assembly. The Clergy Corporation was incorporated in 1819 to manage the clergy reserves. After

11340-613: The lowest level of the justice system, the Courts of Request. A Court of Quarter Sessions was held four times a year in each district composed of all the resident justices. The Quarter Sessions met to oversee the administration of the district and deal with legal cases. They formed, in effect, the municipal government until an area was incorporated as either a Police Board or a City after 1834. Incorporated in Upper Canada era (to 1841) Incorporated in Canada West (1841-1867) The Family Compact

11480-458: The militia was forming up. American forces advanced east towards the fort, and assembled outside its walls, exchanging artillery fire with the fort. The naval squadron also bombarded the fort, having re-positioned themselves directly south of the fort's stockade. Sheaffe decided that the battle was lost and ordered the regulars to retreat, setting fire to the wooden bridge over the River Don east of

11620-566: The militiamen serving on the Niagara frontier shoes and clothing. In December 1812, Strachan founded the Loyal and Patriotic Society of Upper Canada which raised £21,500 to support the families of militiaman and care for the wounded. During the Battle of York in 1813, along with senior militia officers, Strachan negotiated the surrender of the city with American general Henry Dearborn . The Americans violated

11760-413: The movement of people to this area from the United States, offering free land to encourage population growth. For settlers, the head of the family received 100 acres (40 ha) and 50 acres (20 ha) per family member, and soldiers received larger grants. These settlers are known as United Empire Loyalists and were primarily English-speaking Protestants. The first townships (Royal and Cataraqui) along

11900-953: The next generation" by Strachan. Prime example being a fatherless boy of 12, named John Beverley Robinson who came to Strachan for education within a few weeks of Strachan's settling in Cornwall. Robinson would become the eventual leader of the Family Compact . He married Ann McGill née Wood, widow of Andrew McGill, in the spring of 1807. Together they had nine children, some born in Cornwall and some in York - some children died young. Strachan and McGill would have 3 children in Cornwall, and 6 children in York. The children born in Cornwall were James (1808), Elizabeth (1810, died in 1812), and George Cartwright (1812). The children born in York were Elizabeth Mary (1814), John (1815), Alexander Wood (1817), and Agnes (1822, died "before reaching 17th birthday"). Additionally in York, two daughters were born who died as infants. He moved to York, Upper Canada , just before

12040-733: The organizational structure for the Rebellion of 1837. William Lyon Mackenzie James Lesslie John Rolph William John O'Grady Henry John Boulton David Willson Samuel Hughes John McIntosh Marshall Spring Bidwell Robert Baldwin William Warren Baldwin Francis Hincks Charles Duncombe Samuel Lount Peter Matthews Jesse Lloyd Anthony Van Egmond Thomas D. Morrison David Gibson James Hervey Price Joseph Shepard The Upper Canada Rebellion

12180-420: The preservation of his troops to that of his post, and thus carrying off the kernel leave us the shell." The effects of the capture of York were probably most significant on Lake Erie , since the capture of the ordnance and supplies destined for the British squadron there contributed to the defeat of the British squadron at the Battle of Lake Erie . However, most of the naval supplies captured were not used by

12320-645: The principal British supply line from Quebec to the various forces and outposts to the west. At the start of the war, the British had a small naval force, the Provincial Marine , with which they seized control of Lake Ontario, and Lake Erie . This made it possible for Major General Isaac Brock , who led British forces in Upper Canada, to gain several important victories in 1812 by shifting his small force rapidly between threatened points to defeat disjointed American attacks individually. The United States Navy appointed Commodore Isaac Chauncey to regain control of

12460-536: The province. The Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada functioned as the lower house in the Parliament of Upper Canada. Its legislative power was subject to veto by the appointed Lieutenant Governor, Executive Council, and Legislative Council. Local government in the province of Upper Canada was based on districts. Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester created four districts 24 July 1788. For militia and parliamentary purposes, Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe in

12600-555: The reserves through the Clergy Corporation , he was ultimately forced to oversee the selling off of most of the land in 1854. Much of Strachan's life and work was focused on education. He wanted Upper Canada to be under Church of England control to avoid American influence. He tried to set up annual reviews for grammar schools to make sure they were following Church of England doctrines and tried to introduce Andrew Bell 's education system from Britain, but those acts were vetoed by

12740-524: The rest of the 8th Regiment of Foot, the Royal Newfoundland Fencibles, and a few dozen militiamen after the U.S. 15th Infantry Regiment had landed. The grenadier company of the 8th Regiment of Foot charged them with the bayonet. The grenadiers were already outnumbered and were repulsed with heavy loss. Pike ordered an advance by platoons, supported by two 6-pounder field guns, which steadily drove back Sheaffe's force. After Sheaffe failed to get

12880-419: The rest of the militia remained imprisoned for two days. Kept without food, water, or medical attention, the imprisoned militia was eventually released at the behest of Strachan. The Americans took over the dockyard, where they captured a brig ( Duke of Gloucester ) in a poor state of repair, and twenty 24-pounder carronades and other stores intended for the British squadron on Lake Erie . Sir Isaac Brock

13020-496: The revivalism of the Methodists as an American heresy and stressed the ancient practices and historic liturgy of his church. While a high churchman, Strachan's view alienated many of his clergy and laity who were drawn from the ranks of Irish Protestant immigrants of more low-church persuasion. Strachan wanted more funds disseminated to build church infrastructure in rural Upper Canada. While fundraising in England his trustworthiness

13160-500: The rowdy democracy in the nearby United States. The Family Compact emerged from the War of 1812 and collapsed in the aftermath of the Rebellions of 1837 . There were many outstanding individual reform politicians in Upper Canada, including Robert Randal , Peter Perry , Marshall Spring Bidwell , William Ketchum and Dr. William Warren Baldwin ; however, organised collective reform activity began with Robert Fleming Gourlay . Gourlay

13300-566: The sack of York, Strachan sent his wife Anne and their children to Cornwall because he believed they would be safe there. A few months later, Cornwall was taken by the Americans, who looted the Strachan home and likely raped a then-pregnant Anne Strachan. After the war, he became a pillar of the Family Compact , the conservative elite that controlled the colony. He was a member of the Executive Council of Upper Canada from 1815 to 1836 as well as

13440-424: The settlement, Sheaffe recalled the companies of the 8th Regiment of Foot from the town's blockhouse. As the landings progressed, the British and Native force was outflanked and began to fall back into the woods. The U.S. 15th Infantry Regiment was the second American unit to land, with bayonets fixed, under a hail of fire, shortly followed by Pike, who assumed personal command of the landing. Sheaffe arrived with

13580-619: The single province of Quebec, as it had been under the French. From 1763 to 1791, the Province of Quebec maintained its French language, cultural behavioural expectations, practices and laws. The British passed the Quebec Act in 1774, which expanded the Quebec colony's authority to include part of the Indian Reserve to the west (i.e., parts of southern Ontario ), and other western territories south of

13720-416: The structures in the fort, except the barracks. During the looting, several officers under Chauncey's command took books from York's first subscription library. After finding out his officers were in possession of looted library books, Chauncey had the books packed in two crates, and returned them to York, during the second incursion in July. However, by the time the books arrived, the library had closed, and

13860-537: The task of implementing those aspects of Durham's report that the colonial office approved of, municipal reform, and the union of the Canadas, with a "campaign of state violence and coercive institutional innovation ... empowered not just by the British state but also by his Benthamite certainties." Like governors Bond Head before him, and Metcalfe after, he was to turn to the Orange Order for often violent support. It

14000-409: The terms by looting homes and churches and locked the wounded British soldiers and Upper Canada militiamen into a hospital without food or water for two days. Strachan went to meet to complain in person to Dearborn about the violation of the terms of surrender and shamed Dearborn into imposing order on his troops. He is credited with saving the city from American troops, eager to loot and burn it. After

14140-488: The terms, the surrendered militia was held prisoner in a blockhouse without food or medical attention for the few wounded. Forsyth's company of the 1st U.S. Rifle Regiment was left as a guard in the town. At this stage, few Americans had entered the town. The next morning, the terms had still not been ratified, since Dearborn had refused to leave the corvette Madison . When he eventually did, Reverend John Strachan (who held no official position other than Rector of York at

14280-423: The time) first brusquely tried to force him to sign the articles for capitulation on the spot, then accused Chauncey to his face of delaying the capitulation to allow the American troops licence to commit outrages. Eventually, Dearborn formally agreed to the articles for surrender. The official terms of surrender permitted civil servants to continue carrying out their duties, and surgeons to treat British wounded. As

14420-682: The town for nearly two weeks. They sent the captured military stores, including 20 artillery pieces, away on May 2 but were then penned in York harbour by a gale. Chauncey's vessels were so overcrowded with troops that only half of them could go below decks to escape the rain at any time. They left York on May 8, departing for the Niagara peninsula , where they required several weeks to recuperate. Sheaffe's troops endured an equally miserable fourteen-day retreat overland to Kingston. Around 300 to 400 Iroquois warriors assembled and marched towards York shortly after

14560-601: The town to thwart pursuit. The militia and several prominent citizens were left "standing in the street like a parcel of sheep" . Sheaffe instructed the militia to make the best terms they could with the Americans, but without informing the senior militia officers or any official of the legislature, he also dispatched Captain Tito LeLièvre of the Royal Newfoundland to set fire to the sloop-of-war HMS Sir Isaac Brock under construction at York's Naval Shipyard and to blow up

14700-449: The townships of Dunwich and Aldborough in 1803. According to his government agreement, he was entitled to 200 acres (80 ha) for every settler who received 50 acres (20 ha); in this way he gained an estate of 20,000 acres (8,000 ha). Talbot's administration was regarded as despotic. He was infamous for registering settlers' names on the local settlement map in pencil and if displeased, erasing their entry. Talbot's abuse of power

14840-419: The true size of Kingston's garrison was 600 regulars and 1,400 militia, Chauncey and Dearborn chose to accept the earlier inflated figure. Furthermore, even after two brigades of troops under Brigadier General Zebulon Pike reinforced the troops at Sackett's Harbor after a gruelling winter march from Plattsburgh , the number of effective troops available to Dearborn fell far short of the 7,000 planned, mainly as

14980-586: The undemocratic system. Representative government would be established in the 1840s. Upper Canada existed from its establishment on 26 December 1791 to 10 February 1841, when it was united with adjacent Lower Canada to form the Province of Canada . As part of the 1763 Treaty of Paris which ended the Seven Years' War global conflict and the French and Indian War in North America, Great Britain retained control over

15120-474: The voice of the people was the voice of God". Strachan built his home in a large yard bound by Simcoe Street, York Street, and Front Street . It was a two-storey building that was the first building in Toronto to use locally manufactured bricks. The gardens and grounds of the property occupied the entire square and became a local Toronto landmark, being given the name "The Bishop's Palace". After Strachan's death,

15260-415: The war. Prévost wrote that "as a just retribution, the proud capital at Washington has experienced a similar fate". Strachan wrote to Thomas Jefferson that the damage to Washington "was a small retaliation after redress had been refused for burnings and depredations, not only of public but private property, committed by them in Canada". Chauncey and Dearborn subsequently won the Battle of Fort George on

15400-640: The watershed of Hudson Bay . The "upper" prefix in the name reflects its geographic position along the Great Lakes , mostly above the headwaters of the Saint Lawrence River , contrasted with Lower Canada (present-day Quebec ) to the northeast. Upper Canada was the primary destination of Loyalist refugees and settlers from the United States after the American Revolution , who often were granted land to settle in Upper Canada. Already populated by Indigenous peoples, land for settlement in Upper Canada

15540-441: The worst of the atrocities in his letters, but he was nonetheless unable or unwilling to rein in his soldiers. Dearborn himself was embarrassed by the looting, as it made a mockery of the terms of surrender he arranged. His soldiers' disregard for the terms he arranged, and local civil leaders' continued protest against them, made Dearborn eager to leave York as soon as all the captured stores were transported. The Americans occupied

15680-489: Was "the most eloquent and powerful Upper Canadian exponent of an anti-republican social order based upon the tory principles of hierarchy and subordination in both church and state". Craig characterizes him as "the Canadian arch tory of his era" for his intense conservatism. Craig argues that Strachan "believed in an ordered society, an established church, the prerogative of the crown, and prescriptive rights; he did not believe that

15820-455: Was Sydenham who played a critical role in transforming Compact Tories into Conservatives. Sydenham introduced a vast expansion of the state apparatus through the introduction of municipal government. Areas not already governed through civic corporations or police boards would be governed through centrally controlled District Councils with authority over roads, schools, and local policing. A strengthened Executive Council would further usurp much of

15960-495: Was a contributing factor in the Upper Canada Rebellion of 1837. The Crown reserves, one seventh of all lands granted, were to provide the provincial executive with an independent source of revenue not under the control of the elected Assembly. The clergy reserves, also one seventh of all lands granted in the province, were created "for the support and maintenance of a Protestant clergy" in lieu of tithes. The revenue from

16100-523: Was a leader of anti-American elements, which he saw as a republican and democratic threat that promised chaos and an end to a well-ordered society. In 1822 he was appointed an honorary member of the Bank of Upper Canada. Strachan invented the "militia myth" to the effect that the local militia had done more to defend Canada than the British Army , which has been rejected by Canadian historians. Strachan supported

16240-401: Was a well-connected Scottish emigrant who arrived in 1817, hoping to encourage "assisted emigration" of the poor from Britain. He solicited information on the colony through township questionnaires, and soon became a critic of government mismanagement. When the local legislature ignored his call for an inquiry, he called for a petition to the British Parliament. He organised township meetings, and

16380-527: Was also defended by a western wall and a small unarmed earthwork between the fort and the Western Battery. About a dozen cannons, including older condemned models, were mounted in these positions, in addition to two 6-pounders on field carriages. Further west were the ruins of Fort Rouillé , and the Half Moon Battery, neither of which was in use. Sheaffe was at York to conduct public business. He

16520-497: Was also defended by three batteries at the fort and the nearby "Government House Battery" which mounted two 12-pounder guns . Another crude battery, known as the Western Battery, was located 1.6 kilometres (1 mi) west of the fort, in present-day Exhibition Place . It contained two obsolete 18-pounder guns, which originated from earlier conflicts and had been disabled by having their trunnions removed, but they were fixed to crude log carriages and could still be fired. Fort York

16660-414: Was an insurrection against the oligarchic government of the Family Compact in December 1837, led by William Lyon Mackenzie . Long term grievances included antagonism between Later Loyalists and British Loyalists, political corruption, the collapse of the international financial system and the resultant economic distress, and a growing republican sentiment. While public grievances had existed for years, it

16800-428: Was appointed United States Secretary of War . He quickly assessed the situation on Lake Ontario and devised a plan by which a force of 7,000 regular soldiers would be concentrated at Sackett's Harbor on April 1. Working together with Chauncey's squadron, this force would capture Kingston before the Saint Lawrence River thawed and substantial British reinforcements could arrive in Upper Canada. The capture of Kingston and

16940-738: Was between the Seneca and the British in 1764, giving access to lands adjoining the Niagara River. During the American Revolutionary War most of the First Nations supported the British. After the Americans launched a campaign that burned the villages of the Iroquois in New York State in 1779 the refugees fled to Fort Niagara and other British posts, and remained permanently in Canada. Land

17080-616: Was beyond salvage. The Americans had missed another ship-rigged vessel, Prince Regent , which carried 16 guns, as she sailed for Kingston to collect ordnance two days before the Americans had been sighted. The Americans also demanded and received several thousand pounds in Army Bills, which had been in the keeping of Prideaux Selby , the Receiver General of Upper Canada, who was mortally ill. Between April 28 and 30, American troops carried out many acts of plunder. Some of them set fire to

17220-572: Was born a Presbyterian in Scotland, but he never fully accepted it and first received communion at an Anglican church in Kingston. He was strongly influenced by the high-church bishop of New York, John H. Hobart . Strachan preached that the Anglican Church was a branch of the universal church and that it was independent of both pope and king. Strachan defended the Church of England from opponents who wanted to reduce its influence in Upper Canada. He published

17360-691: Was challenged when he created an Ecclesiastical Chart of the religious statistics of Upper Canada that contained numerous errors. He actively promoted missionary work, using the Diocesan Theological Institute at Cobourg to train clergy to handle frontier conditions. Much of his effort after 1840 was undermined by theological disputes in the church, such as between high-church tractarians and low-church evangelicals. He also faced external attacks from political reformers and rival denominations. Strachan died on 1 November 1867 in Toronto. His funeral procession took place on November 5, and wound through

17500-514: Was effected so that Loyalist American settlers and British immigrants in Upper Canada could have English laws and institutions, and the French-speaking population of Lower Canada could maintain French civil law and the Catholic religion. The first lieutenant-governor was John Graves Simcoe . The 1795 Jay Treaty officially set the borders between British North America and the United States north to

17640-516: Was eventually abandoned for another, to the west. The Legislative Council of Upper Canada was the upper house governing the province of Upper Canada. Although modelled after the British House of Lords, Upper Canada had no aristocracy. Members of the Legislative council, appointed for life, formed the core of the oligarchic group, the Family Compact , that came to dominate government and economy in

17780-526: Was forced to resign from the Executive Council, and he resigned from politics in 1841 after the Act of Union . He continued to influence his former students although the Family Compact declined in the new Province of Canada . Strachan helped organize the Lambeth Conference of Anglican bishops in 1867 but died that year before it was held. Strachan was buried in a vault in the chancel of St. James' Cathedral . He

17920-647: Was granted to these allied Six Nations who had served on the British side during the American Revolution by the Haldimand Proclamation (1784). Haldimand had purchased a tract of land from the Mississaugas . The nature of the grant and the administration of land sales by Upper Canada and Canada is a matter of dispute . Between 1783 and 1812, fifteen land surrender treaties were concluded in Upper Canada. These involved one-time payments of money or goods to

18060-506: Was ill and unable to perform his various duties. Prévost was accompanied only by a few small detachments of reinforcements, which participated in the Battle of Ogdensburg en route. Nevertheless, both Chauncey and Dearborn believed that Prévost's arrival indicated an imminent attack on Sackett's Harbor, and reported that Kingston now had a garrison of 6,000 or more British regulars . Even though Prévost soon returned to Lower Canada, and deserters and pro-American Canadian civilians reported that

18200-576: Was made by treaties between the new British government and the Indigenous peoples, exchanging land for one-time payments or annuities. The new province was characterized by its British way of life, including bicameral parliament and separate civil and criminal law, rather than mixed as in Lower Canada or elsewhere in the British Empire . The division was created to ensure the exercise of the same rights and privileges enjoyed by loyal subjects elsewhere in

18340-536: Was managed by Peter Robinson , a member of the Family Compact and brother of the Attorney General. Scott's Plains was renamed Peterborough in his honour. Thomas Talbot emigrated in 1791, where he became personal secretary to John Graves Simcoe , Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada. Talbot convinced the government to allow him to implement a land settlement scheme of 5,000 acres (2,000 ha) in Elgin County in

18480-602: Was ordered to assemble, but only 300 of the 1st and 3rd Regiments of the York Militia , and a company of the Incorporated Militia, could be mustered at short notice. Sheaffe expected the Americans to launch a two-pronged attack, with the main American landing to the west of Fort York, and another landing in Scarborough to cut off a potential retreat to Kingston. To counteract this, Sheaffe concentrated most of his regulars,

18620-500: Was originally scheduled to leave the settlement for Fort George but had postponed his departure due to suspicions of an American assault on York. His regulars, most of whom were also passing through York en route to other posts, consisted of two companies (including the grenadier company) of the 1st battalion 8th Regiment of Foot , a company of the Glengarry Light Infantry Fencibles , a company-sized detachment of

18760-445: Was questioning a prisoner as to how many troops were defending the fort. Shortly after the bombardment began, the magazine (which contained over 74 tons of iron shells and 300 barrels of gunpowder and had been rigged by the British to explode) blew up. The explosion threw debris over a 500-yard (460 m) radius. General Pike and 37 other American soldiers were killed by the explosion, which caused an additional 222 casualties. Fearing

18900-505: Was said to be "the very image and transcript" of the British constitution, and based on the principle of " mixed monarchy " – a balance of monarchy, aristocracy and democracy. The Executive arm of government in the colony consisted of a lieutenant-governor , his executive council , and the Officers of the Crown (equivalent to the Officers of the Parliament of Canada ): the Adjutant General of

19040-527: Was succeeded by Alexander Neil Bethune . Strachan was elected a member of the American Antiquarian Society in 1846. Strachan was concerned with the Natives and called on people to embrace the "sons of nature" as brothers. He claimed that the United States desired Upper Canada primarily to exterminate the indigenous tribes and free up the West for American expansion. Strachan defended the autonomy of

19180-532: Was the Lower Canada Rebellion (in present-day Quebec ) that emboldened rebels in Upper Canada to revolt openly soon after. The Upper Canada Rebellion was largely defeated shortly after it began, although resistance lingered until 1838 (and became more violent) – mainly through the support of the Hunters' Lodges , a secret anti-British American militia that emerged in states around the Great Lakes. They launched

19320-490: Was the incumbent of St. James Church. Born in Scotland, he came to Upper Canada in 1799 where he achieved prominence as an educator and churchman and was consecrated first Anglican Bishop of Toronto in 1839. He served as a member of the province's Legislative Council 1820–41 and of the Executive Council 1815–36. During the Rebellion of 1837, the Loyalist forces that defeated William Lyon Mackenzie near Montgomery's Tavern assembled on

19460-399: Was unopposed: there were no British regulars in town, and York's militia had withdrawn from further combat in return for its freedom during the American invasion three months earlier. The invaders seized food and military supplies, then re-embarked. The next day they returned to investigate collaborators' reports that valuable stores were concealed up the Don River. Unsuccessful in their search,

19600-412: Was vandalized and the printing press was smashed. Other Americans looted empty houses on the pretext that their absent owners were militia who had not given their parole as required by the articles of capitulation. The homes of Canadians connected with the Natives, including that of James Givins, were also looted regardless of their owners' status. Before they departed from York, the Americans razed most of

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