The Fathers Of Confederation

One of the contributing factors into Canadian Confederation was south of the border. North and South fought the bloody Civil War between 1861-65. Leaders in Canadian colonies looked south, seeing an example not to follow, and understood the need for a strong federal union. This display case includes a rifle and a Union army coat.

Irish-American veterans of the Union Army wore their army jackets in another endeavour in the wake of that war, launching several raids into Canada, pushed back each time. The period was called the Fenian Raids, and the objective was to hold Canada for ransom and force Britain to make Ireland independent. The Raids contributed in their own way to the unification of Canada.

In 1864, leaders of the Canadian colonies began to meet with the goal of uniting under one banner. Three of them were referred to as the Great Coalition- John A. Macdonald, George-Etienne Cartier, and George Brown. Macdonald and Cartier were co-premiers of the Canadas. Macdonald and Brown despised each other. And yet they worked together for a common cause.

Another of the Fathers of Confederation was its most eloquent speaker and writer, very much a driving force in his own right. Thomas D'Arcy McGee had been an Irish radical in his youth, but had come to Canada and saw for himself how British parliamentary style government could work. He changed his world view, went into law and journalism, and ended up a member of Parliament, close friend of Macdonald, and staunch supporter of Confederation.

His change of perspective led to his assassination in 1868. Irish revolutionaries had long considered him a traitor to the cause. He was shot in the back of the head coming home from a debate on Parliament Hill.

This is the gun taken from the assassin, an Irish-Canadian named Patrick James Whalen, who was tried for the crime and hung- though there are doubts to this day that he was the actual killer.

This remarkable painting of McGee hangs overhead.

One of the most famous photographs in the country's history- the Fathers of Confederation meeting at the Charlottetown Convention. Their discussions and work would lead to the creation of the country.

Out west, native peoples were already dealing with contact- both good and bad- with white people. These artifacts are displayed here.

One of the prize artifacts of the museum is this. The Blackfoot tribe had a tradition of a winter count- the most important event of a year depicted on an elkskin, starting at centre and spiralling out. This is one of them.

 

Fathers Of Confederation

We begin today with three photographs of key Fathers of Confederation. John A. Macdonald, a co-premier of the United Canadas who would be the first prime minister of the country, is at top. His rival George Brown is at lower left. Macdonalds' co-premier George-Etienne Cartier is at lower right. Macdonald and Brown despised each other, but recognized the need to work as a team in uniting the colonies into one country.

Delegates would meet to discuss the concept of uniting as one country as the Civil War raged south of the border. 

This is one of the most famous photographs in the country's history- the Fathers of Confederation at the Charlottetown Conference.

The first to join the new country would be Ontario and Quebec (separated from their joint status as the United Canadas and back into two legislatures), Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick. Leaders would go to London to see their efforts approved by the British parliament. In the years that followed, more provinces would be formed, and the country as a whole would be established from sea to sea.

This is the dress coat and travel trunk of Cartier, who was one of the leaders who went to London.

The British North America Act was passed by the British Parliament, and Confederation gave rise to the new country.

One of its strongest leaders would only see a short period of it. This painting of Thomas D'Arcy McGee hangs here. McGee was a personal friend of Macdonald, as well as a member of the government, lawyer, and journalist. As a young man he had been an Irish radical, but after he came to North America, his world view changed.

He saw the value of British style Parliamentary democracy, and became one of its strongest advocates. His former comrades in the Fenian radical movement never forgave him for it, and he was assassinated in 1868.

This is the gun used in the crime.

The first Dominion Day- July 1st, 1867. 

Copies of the proclamation, in English and French, are seen here.

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.

Fathers Of Confederation

 More artifacts of the Victorian Age are found here.

When the discussions came about that would lead to Confederation of the Canadian dominions, Ottawa would end up serving as the new country's capital.

This reproduction is of the Fathers Of Confederation. The original painting was lost in the 1916 fire that destroyed the original Centre Block.

Two of the leaders who brought Confederation to life were co-premiers of the Canadas. John A. Macdonald and George-Etienne Cartier are seen here as busts.

Here we have the presentation sword and scabbard of Lt. Colonel Brown Chamberlin, a militia officer who repelled a raid by the Fenians after the Civil War. You may remember that I've mentioned how Irish-American veterans of that conflict tried repeatedly to invade Canada in the years after the war in an attempt to hold it for ransom and force Britain to grant independence to Ireland. The Fenian Raids, as they were called, were influential in uniting the colonies into Confederation after time and again, the invaders were driven out.

One of the targets of the Fenians was a man who had once counted himself as one of their number. Thomas D'Arcy McGee had been a radical in his native Ireland, but had come to the new world, settling into life as a journalist, lawyer, and ultimately politician after seeing the benefits of a British style of parliamentary democracy play out in his new homeland. He would be the most eloquent of the Fathers of Confederation, coming to a new way of thinking. The Fenians never forgave him for it, and he was assassinated coming home from Parliament one night in 1868.

He was a close friend of Macdonald, who was by this time the country's first prime minister. The shock of his murder swept the country.

Some artifacts and photos of the assassination era.

It was a habit in the time to create a death mask of a person who had just died. Because of the injuries sustained in the shooting- McGee had been shot in the back of the head, disfiguring his face- that was not possible. A cast was made of his hand, and it is here, along with one of his books. A fitting tribute, to such a fine writer. 

In 1916, Parliament Hill was the scene of a major fire, with Centre Block going up in flames.

The flag that flew from the tower that night finds its home here.