Quebec Act

The Quebec Act (actually An Act for making more effective commission for the Government of the Province of Quebec in North America) in 1774, a decision of the British Parliament (14 Geo. III c 83.), The conditions in the North American colonies of Great Britain should rearrange. It was valid until 1791.

However, he brought one of the intolerable laws to the colonies from which nearly a decade later emerged the United States, against the colonial government of Britain and eventually led to independence. In Canada, it led to a stronger loyalty to the Catholic population against the Anglican colonial power, first of 1763 defeated the French, then from 1778 the immigrant Irish.

In addition, the Indians rights were first granted to their residential area that should be protected from nichtindianischer colonization. In this UK regulations that went into the Treaties of Canada established in 1867, relied on by the today's First Nations.

Content and history

The decision received the approval of the King on June 22, 1774 was valid from 1 May 1775.

Firstly, a protected area of immigration Indians should arise. A huge area in the vicinity of the Ohio, which included the southern Ontario, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin and part of Minnesota should be connected to the province of Quebec. There were also areas in the east (Labrador, Ile d' Anticosti and Iles de la Madeleine ).

He also guaranteed the followers of the Catholic faith freedom of religion. The oath of allegiance, had to perform the public servant, gave up the appropriate formula that knew of Protestant faith as the only basis. Finally, so that the French private law was restored, while in the public sector and law enforcement continued existence of the English law.

The decision was taken in the same session of Parliament, as the measures against the rebellious colonists in the Thirteen Colonies. He disabled in the eyes of these colonies, from which later emerged the United States, the colonization of the westward -lying areas, by becoming the province of Quebec granted or protected as Indian lands, and he prevented an adequate representation of the colonies in Parliament. The Quebec Act is thus one of the " intolerable laws ," the Intolerable Acts.

In the Treaty of Paris in 1763, France had surrendered its colonies in North America in favor of Guadeloupe and Martinique, whose plantations promised higher yields. The British called Canada now Province of Quebec. The Royal Proclamation, the Royal Proclamation of 1763 had not only New France greatly reduced and promised an elected representative of the colonial population, but they are certain, moreover, that the French, who wanted to join the civil service had to swear an oath of allegiance to the king of them their usual denomination prohibited. The British, however, were at this time a small minority. The Quebec Act now defined an enlarged considerably to the south area, also allowed civil servants to maintain their denomination, as well as the return of the Jesuits. With the Irish Catholic Relief Act of 1778 the integration of the Irish Catholic also been strengthened.

The Quebec Act also determined the structure of government. The governor was appointed by the Crown. He should govern with the support of the Legislative Council, a group of 17-23 men who constitute a sort of House of Lords (1838 resolved). There was no talk of an election to the disappointment of the colonists. The feudal French company form with the relevant land, tax and service conditions was restored while it should be replaced outside the francophone areas by a township system following the American model.

The Quebec Act in 1791 replaced by the Constitutional Act of 1791, by which the provinces of Upper and Lower Canada emerged whose social development apart drifted heavily, which in turn encouraged separatist tendencies.