Americas Creation; Canadas Foundation essays

America's Creation; Canada's Foundation essays Thesis: In retrospect, the American Revolution was as important to Canada as it was to the United States, as it divided the continent in two, which created one country and paved the way for the evolution of another. From the first time that the Rebel Patriots in the thirteen colonies caused unrest in the British Empire to the creation of the United States of America, the nation that was to be Canada was affected, shaped, tested and changed forever by the events of the American Revolution. The War of Independence might have resulted in sovereignty for only the United States, but the remaining British North America would never be the same. In the early 1770s, the Rebels in the colonies were protesting taxes and causing riots and political unrest in what would soon be the United States. These events and feelings worried the British, who tried to make strategic military and political decisions to avoid conflict and to keep their Empire intact. As the decade progressed, the British realized that little could be done to diminish the animosity felt towards the throne in the Thirteen Colonies. Therefore, they decided to try to build up loyalty in Quebec, which was still predominantly French, despite being under British rule for two decades. The government in England passed the Quebec Act in 1774 to win support from their French-Canadian subjects. The overall purpose of the Act was to keep the citizens happy and to lighten up on previously imposed restrictions. The Act extended the geographical boundaries of the province, stretching it into the Ohio Valley. It also reinstated French civil law, which gave the colonists more control over their own affairs. However, the most important part of the Act was the official recognition of the Catholic Church: And, for the more perfect Security and Ease of the Minds of the Inhabitants of the said Province, it is hereby declared, That his Majesty's Subjects, professing the Religion of the Church ...