II.

Background

The British lands in the northern half of North America did not take part in the American Revolution, and in the 1860s they were still part of the British Empire. More than 95 percent of the population lived in five colonies between the Atlantic Ocean and Lake Superior. For most purposes they governed themselves through institutions modeled on the Parliament of Britain. However, the government of Britain provided military defense and conducted international relations for British North America, as the colonies were called.

The most important British possession in North America was the province of Canada, situated along the St. Lawrence River and the north side of the Great Lakes. Its population of 2.5 million was divided between French and British Canadians, and its administration was divided in a corresponding way. The French population was concentrated in the eastern section, known as Lower Canada or Canada East. There the laws, institutions, and prevalent language were French. In the western part (Upper Canada or Canada West), the laws and institutions were British, and the dominant language was English. Yet the two sections formed one province, with a single government and a single legislative assembly to represent both the French and the British.