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Indiana University 
that Great Britain learned a lesson from the American Revolu- 
tion regarding the government of colonies. Whatever truth 
there may be in this statement in a general way, it is quite 
certain that no such lesson had been completely learned by 
1791. On the surface, the government of the Canadas after 
1791 resembles that of an English colony before 1776, but 
there were important differences. It is true that there was an 
assembly, but that assembly was not given the power, nor 
the possibility of securing it, which had been enjoyed by the 
earlier English colonies. Actual government was vested in 
the lieutenant-governor, the executive council, which was ap- 
pointed by him, and the legislative council, also appointed by 
him. These agencies could block the measures proposed by 
the assembly. There could be but one outcome of the experi- 
ment of transplanting English institutions into French Lower 
Canada, confusion and final deadlock.^^ This form of govern- 
ment existed until after the Rebellions of 1837-1838, and 
under it small groups of men, the “Family Compact ”in Upper 
Canada and the “Chateau Clique” in Lower Canada, main- 
tained control in spite of all efforts at reform. 
The Loyalists were not the only Americans who went to 
Canada in the years between the American Revolution and the 
War of 1812. Colonel John Graves Simcoe became lieutenant- 
governor of Upper Canada in 1791 and was very energetic in 
building up the new province. While the chief feature of 
Simcoe’s policy was to build up the province on a military 
basis, he encouraged the migration of Americans to Upper 
Canada. Simcoe had so much faith in the excellence of Eng- 
lish institutions that he believed there were many people still 
residing in the United States who thought as he did and who 
would gladly come to live under British rule if given encour- 
agement to migrate. He adopted a land policy whereby it 
was easy for Americans to obtain land in Upper Canada by 
taking the required oath of allegiance to the king. Some of 
the Americans who migrated to Canada at that time were 
The Constitutional Act of 1791 is printed in Shortt and Doughty, Documents, 
II, 1031-1051. 
“The Constitutional Act granted British institutions of government to a com- 
munity prepared and determined to employ them for the purpose of extinguishing all 
else that was British. Principles fundamentally contradictory were introduced and a 
conflict became inevitable. The history of the succeeding fifty years is but the story 
of the contest between conservatism allied with British constitutional principles and 
reform sheltered beneath the protection of authority.” McArthur, in Shortt and Doughty 
(eds.), Canada and Its Provinces, III, 138. 
