Spanish Succession War: The Two Miracles In Canadian History

It was once stated by F.R.Scott “ There are two miracles in canadian history. The first is the survival of French Canada, and the second is the survival of Canada.” His quote came to reality as of Canada grew to be a stable and secure country where everyone would want to be. Yet to accomplish this, many obstacles and events occurred such as the Spanish Succession war in 1713 , the seven years war in 1763, the constitutional act in 1791 and finally the Act of Union in 1841. First in 1713, the Spanish Succession war occurred where the British took control of Acadia. Soon after that, in 1763 the Seven Years War ended where the British took over New France and was later renamed British North America. Before the British most of the colonies were

unstable, which meant that the power was constantly changing, but in 1841 a responsible government was formed. The responsponsible government made a great impact by supporting the voters and being responsible for their citizens. From the 1700’s to 1850’s many border changes occurred ,where during this time period Canada was in a stage where most of the colonies were very unstable until one day a responsible government was created.

In 1713, a border change happened due to the Spanish succession war, and later ended because of the Peace Treaty of Utrecht.

The war allowed the Britain to take control and power of Acadia, because the control was often changing. Britain not only gained Acadia’s control but also had the power of the Caribbean Islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique. The two sides negotiated a peace treaty at Utrecht in Netherlands, and agreed to give back some of the other colonies it had captured during the war. Britain offered only to give up one, Acadia, Guadeloupe or Martinique. The French decided to give up Acadia because the other colonies had more valuable items like sugar. In the end the British took control of Acadia and then became a British

colony.

The seven years war ended , when both the French and British signed a Peace Treaty in Paris. Each side gave back some of the places it had taken during the war, but New France was not one of them and stayed a British colony. Sadly, New France did not last, and officially ended in 1763. France was no longer a threat to Britain, the British controlled a North American empire that started from Hudson’s Bay all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. Many people in the Thirteen colonies began to feel that they didn't need the British anymore because they were being taxed and did not have their own representatives. Between 1763 and 1775 the Britain and american colonies started to separate. Their differences later on led to a war called the American Revolution war. Finally, New France came to an end when the Peace Treaty of Paris was signed.

In 1791, the Loyalists arrived in Quebec.

Which led to the Constitutional Act of 1791 where Quebec was divided into two parts; Upper Canada and Lower Canada. Due to the Loyalists their were many changes, like creations of new colonies like Upper Canada, which are now Canadian provinces. Furthermore, because of the large amount of english speaking settlers, they established a bilingual identity for Canada. The constitutional act stated that each province could elect an assembly, raise taxes, and pass laws. Each colony also had its own governor and an appointed council to advise the governor. The constitutional act was a total success. To conclude the Loyalists had a big impact in the making of Lower canada and Upper

canada.
In 1841, Lord Durham was against the French, and didn’t understand why they had their own identity. Durham wanted to get rid of the French language in Quebec. This was why he suggested to combine the two colonies; Canada East and Canada West. Britain agreed to this plan, and in 1841 the Act of Union created a single colony with 2 provinces. Most people in Canada West were happy about the Act of Union because the debts they had to pay would now be shared with Canada East. However French Canadians were furious, because they were favoring the English. The act also decreed that English was to be the only official language of the country. In conclusion, the Act of Union combined two colonies to make one single colony.
Throughout the 1700’s to 1850’s various conflicts took place due to the British and the French wanting more land,which later on created an unstable country. However, in 1849 a responsible government was formed. Events like the spanish succession war, the seven years war and more occurred where British gained control. They were very important events because Canada wouldn’t have been the same as today, where many colonies were fighting for land, fighting for leadership and most importantly fighting for their people. For 150 years Canada has changed from not only a safe and secure country but also a free country. If it was not for the many colonies, Canada would not be the same as of Canada today.