Upper Canada

Upper Canada is an early name for the land at the upstream end of the Saint Lawrence River in early North America – the territory south of Lake Nipissing and north of the St. Lawrence River and Lakes Ontario and Erie plus the eastern shoreline of Georgian Bay and the northern shoreline of Lake Superior. This area is the ancestor of the southern part of the present day province of Ontario, Canada.

Land settlement

Land had been settled since the French regime, notably along the Detroit River and the Saint Lawrence River. However, impetus to land settlement came with the influx of Loyalist refugees and military personnel in 1784 after the American Revolution. As a result, prior to the creation of Upper Canada in 1791 as a separate colony, much land had been ceded by the First Nations to the Crown in accordance with the Royal Proclamation of 1763. This land was surveyed by the government of the Province of Quebec, particularly in eastern Ontario along the Saint Lawrence River, as the Western Townships, while the Eastern Townships were in Lower Canada.

Related Topics:
Detroit River - Saint Lawrence River - Loyalist - American Revolution - Royal Proclamation of 1763 - Province of Quebec - Western Townships - Eastern Townships - Lower Canada

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Rudimentary municipal administration began with the creation of districts, notably Western (including present day Brantford), Eastern, Gore (including present day Hamilton) and Home (including present day Toronto).

Related Topics:
Brantford - Hamilton - Toronto

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The Act Against Slavery passed in Upper Canada on July 9, 1793.

Related Topics:
Act Against Slavery - Upper Canada - July 9 - 1793

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The British garrisons withdrew from Detroit, Upper Canada to Amherstburg, and from Michimillimackinac to Drummond Island, in 1796. The lower peninsula of Michigan thus became American, initially (through 1805) as part of Indiana Territory. The upper peninsula, although claimed by the United States, remained nominally part of Upper Canada until 1818. Drummond Island, which was also part of the American claim and was formally awarded to the United States by a joint border commission in 1818, was finally released by the Province of United Canada and incorporated into the State of Michigan in 1847.

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Meanwhile, during the War of 1812, following General Isaac Brock's capture of Detroit on August 16, 1812, then-Michigan Territory was again part of the Province of Upper Canada. British/Canadian troops found it necessary to withdraw from Detroit in 1813, however, as they were needed elsewhere. The British attempted to renegotiate the boundary at Michigan during the Congress of Vienna in 1815, but the Americans refused to consider any change and then Napoleon escaped. The first order of business was to recapture the resurrected French leader and defeat him once and for all. After that was accomplished at Waterloo, the British were too tired to worry whether Michigan was American or Canadian.

Related Topics:
War of 1812 - Isaac Brock's - Detroit - August 16 - 1812 - Michigan Territory

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Upper Canada ceased to be a political entity with the Act of Union (1840), when, by an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, it was merged with Lower Canada to form the Province of United Canada. This was principally in response to the Upper and Lower Canada rebellions of 1837 and 1837-38, respectively. At Confederation in 1867, United Canada was re-divided along the former boundary as the provinces of Canada East and Canada West. By 1912, both provinces had reverted to their original common names of Quebec and Ontario, respectively.

Related Topics:
Act of Union (1840) - United Kingdom - Lower Canada - United Canada - Confederation - 1867 - Canada East - Canada West

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The name 'Upper Canada' lives on in a few fossilized forms, most notably the Law Society of Upper Canada, Upper Canada College and the Upper Canada Brewing Company.

Related Topics:
Law Society of Upper Canada - Upper Canada College - Upper Canada Brewing Company

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When the capital first moved to Toronto in 1796, the Parliament of Upper Canada was located at the corner of Parliament and Front Streets, in a building that was eventually abandoned. In 2001 the remains of the original Parliament building were found during preparations to build a car dealership on that site.

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