Momentous Change

 This elegant sleigh is displayed here in the Museum.

The Geological Survey of Canada was founded in Montreal in 1842, eventually moving to Ottawa, where it continues today as a government organization. This octant was given to its first director William Logan, who led its work in its first decades, a scientific enterprise dedicated to fieldwork and discovery.

A portrait of Logan himself is here. His leadership did much to advance knowledge and research in the country, leaving a big legacy behind. He was knighted for his efforts, and today the country's highest mountain is named in his honour.

The seven national museums in the national capital area (with two more in other parts of the country) find their roots in the organization, which ran a public museum at its headquarters during those early years. 

Rebellions in the Canadian colonies rose up in the 1830s. Out of that period came changes in colonial legislatures- Upper and Lower Canada were united into one, for instance. And from that came leadership that would begin paving the way to Canadian Confederation through the idea of responsible government.

The long reign of Queen Victoria loomed over this period of change.

The United Canadas were led by co-premiers. Robert Baldwin and Louis-Hippolyte LaFontaine were partners in that endeavour, making good use of responsible government to enact changes, even if their Tory rivals weren't all that happy about it.

Lord Elgin, the governor-general at the time, supported them. Their partnership would set the stage for the Fathers of Confederation in the 1860s to establish the country.

Many factors went into Confederation, but as it came about, it united the colonies into becoming a country.

One of the influences was south of the border, where North and South fought each other through the bloodshed of the Civil War. Canadian leaders in the Canadas and the Atlantic colonies watched the chaos and learned lessons- the American example was to be avoided. And they learned the need for unity, as Secretary of State William Seward mused on more than one occasion about invading Canada. 

Though the British and colonial governments were officially neutral during that war, anywhere from 20 000 to 50 000 Canadians went south to fight in the war, overwhelmingly for the Union. In its wake, Union veterans of Irish background would launch the Fenian Raids- an attempt to take Canada hostage to force the British to grant Irish independence. Each time, they were driven out.

This is the Union coat of a Civil War soldier- most veterans simply wore their uniform. The Raids continued until the Treaty of Washington, which established terms for friendly relationships between the Canadians and British on the one side and the Americans on the other.

A quote seen here from one of the Fathers of Confederation, Thomas D'Arcy McGee, during the Civil War. He would prove to be the most eloquent voice for Confederation.