Self-Rule for the British Colonies

Setting the Stage• British owned colonies all over the world, but differences in

perceptions of who made up the colonies decided their independence– Countries considered “uncivilized” tended to have citizens who were not

European• Colonies in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East had a much harder time gaining any

independence– Much of that struggle came from the fact that the British did not believe they could

succeed on their own – And the British believed they would lose any right to the natural resources that were

created in that country

– Countries that had British and European ancestry were considered “civilized” and so it was easier for the British to let go• This didn’t mean they did so without a fight but it was much easier for a

European country to earn its freedom than it was for a non-European country to do so

• The British realized they could still trade with these countries because they had similar cultures

Your Task:• As a group, teach the class about your country – Make sure to tell the story, don’t just list facts

• Things to include:– Short video that connects to your topic (under 5 min

please)– Plenty of images (think about 3 or 4 per topic)– Make sure to answer all the questions– Three interesting facts that are not part of the

questions or in the book– Presentation that is at least 5 min

• Things to think about:– Keep it interesting – Are you answering all the questions?– Does your presentation make sense as a story?– Can YOU follow what your saying?

• Sources:– You have the availability of the internet– Your book– The notes created for you (mostly from the book)

Canada Gains Self-Rule• France originally founded Canada for fur-trading– Natives were best allies for fur-traders, so there were

many marriages between natives and French trappers • Increased access to the furs and cemented trading bonds

• Great Britain took over France after French and Indian War – French remained but now British traders and

Americans loyal to the British moved into Canada– British tended to settle along the seaboard and Great

Lakes

Canada and Self-Rule• Social Issues – French - Catholic; English-speakers – Protestant

• Fighting between French and English pressured Parliament to allow the Canadians to control their own affairs– Created two Canadian provinces: Upper Canada (English

majority) and Lower Canada (French majority)– Both had elected assembly• In both colonies, wealthy Brits controlled most of the power• Middle class began to demand political and economic reform

– Fueled (at least in Lower Canada) by French fighting British rule– 1830s: fighting broke out in both upper and lower Canada – British send Lord Durham to investigate

Oh Canada – always the calm one• Durham Report (1839)– Two major reforms:

• Upper and Lower Canada be reunited as Province of Canada– British immigration should be encouraged

• Colonists should govern themselves in DOMESTIC matters only

• Canadians wanted a central gov’t for better protection– Form a dominion – self-governing in domestic affairs but a

part of British Empire– John MacDonald (first Prime Minister) expanded westward

by buying land and persuading frontier territories to join • 1871 - Made it to the Pacific Ocean • 1885 - First Canadian transcontinental railroad

Australia and New Zealand• James Cook – British captain – Claimed for Britain:

• New Zealand in 1769– Maori – Polynesian people who settle in NZ in 800 ADE

• Australia in 1770– Aboriginals – longest ongoing culture in the world

• Australia– Started as a penal colony – place where convicts are

sent to finish their sentences• British prisons were too crowded• Called the colony Botany Bay (for my Star Trek fans, this

should sound familiar…)• After their release, they could buy land and settle in Australia

Australia Transforms• Free British settlers started joining the convicts • Early 1800s – British settler experimented with

sheep until he found one that could live in the warm, dry weather and produced good wool– Raising and exporting wool became Australia’s biggest

business– British gov’t offered cheap land to get people to move

there• People began to push into the interior and set up outposts in

western Australia

New Zealand Changes and Push for Self-Rule

• Britain did not outright claim control of NZ– Recognized the Maori– More foreigners and missionaries moving in resulted in fighting

• Settlers went to the British gov’t who stepped in• Annexed NZ in 1839

– Appointed a governor to negotiate with Maori– Maori accepted British rule in return for recognition of their land rights

• NZ and Australia want self-rule but remain in British Empire– 1850s – both became self-governing with parliamentary gov’t

• 1900s both become dominions

– 1901 – Commonwealth of Australia united all Australian colonies under a federal constitution

• Reforms:– NZ became the first country to give women voting rights (only white

women)– Australian ballot – first secret ballot to protect the person’s choice

But wait! There were people there before the British…

• Killed by disease and the advanced weaponry of British

• Kept out of the democratic processes • As Australian settlements grew, colonists displaced

or killed many aboriginals• New Zealand – Tensions between settlers and Maori escalated after it

became a British colony– 1845 -1872: gov’t fought the Maori in a series of wars –

Maori lost• Forced them into the remote parts of the country

Ireland• English and Irish had been having issues for a long time

– English move in when granted Ireland in the 1100s by the Pope – 1500s - England tried to force the Anglican Church on Ireland, angered the

almost completely Catholic island– 1801 – Ireland formally joined to Britain

• Gave Ireland more representation in Parliament - allowed for the Catholic Emancipation Act in 1829 (Daniel O’Connell)

• The Great Famine – 1840s, Ireland hit by a terrible famine that killed the majority of its potatoes

• Some, almost exclusively the lower class, ate potatoes, but not focal point of diet – Most Irish relied on butter, grain, and dairy– Majority of potatoes were fed to livestock (so they died without food)

• 1845-1848 a fungus ruined nearly all of the crop • Period of famine where over a million died; about a million and a half immigrated

– English had enough grain to alleviate the lack of food, but traded it instead– Those that left went mostly to US, Australian, England, and Canada– English landowners forced the Irish to pay their rent so those that couldn’t pay lost their

land as well

Ireland wants out• During second half of 1800s opposition to English

rule took two forms:– Independence for Ireland– Home Rule – local control over domestic matters (like

Canada and Australia– England drug its heels because it was afraid for Irish

Protestants • Would make them a minority in a Catholic country• 1914 – Parliament voted for home rule for the southern part

of Ireland (most Protestants lived in the North)– WWI put the actual creation of home rule on hold – Made the Irish mad

Rebellion and Division• 1916 – Easter Rising

– Irish nationalists rebelled in Dublin during Easter celebrations– English troops in Ireland put down the rebellion and executed the leaders

• 1917 – Irish Republican Army (IRA) was formed from volunteers who refused to enlist in the British army– Became the army of the Irish Republic in 1919– Main enemy:

• Black and Tans – British troops coming back from WWI to see people in their country fighting the gov’t

• 1919 (after WWI) – Protesting delays in home rule, Irish members decided not to attend Parliament– Created Dáil Éireann, a parliament for the revolutionary Irish Republic

• Declared independence from England

• 1921 – England divided Ireland and granted home rule to southern Ireland– Northern Ireland (Ulster) remained a part of Britain – South becomes a dominion known as the Irish Free State