1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910782074103321

Autore

Wilton Carol

Titolo

Popular politics and political culture in Upper Canada, 1800-1850 [[electronic resource] /] / Carol Wilton

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Montreal ; ; Ithaca, : McGill-Queen's University Press, c2000

ISBN

1-282-85864-5

9786612858642

0-7735-6845-X

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (336 p.)

Disciplina

971.3/02

Soggetti

Political culture - Ontario - History - 19th century

Political participation - Ontario - History - 19th century

Droit de pétition - Ontario - Histoire - 19e siècle

Culture politique - Ontario - Histoire - 19e siècle

Participation politique - Ontario - Histoire - 19e siècle

Ontario Politics and government 19th century

Ontario Politique et gouvernement 19e siècle

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references (p. [291]-303) and index.

Nota di contenuto

Front Matter -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Abbreviations -- Introduction -- Early Upper Canadian Petitioners, 1800-1831 -- The Petitioning Movement of 1831 -- The Expulsion Crisis and the Oppositionist Response -- Pro-Government Popular Politics, 1832 -- Political Unions and Electoral Organization, 1832-36 -- Popular Politics and the Rebellion of 1837 in Upper Canada -- The Durham Meetings and Popular Politics in Upper Canada -- Conclusion -- Political Meetings, Spring 1832 -- Oppositionist Signatures on Petitions, 1831-32 -- Signatures on Petitions, Government Supporters, 1832 -- Tory Addresses, 1836 -- List of Durham Meetings, June - October 1839 -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index

Sommario/riassunto

Wilton demonstrates that by the 1830s the political energies of Upper Canadians were far more likely to be channelled through petitioning movements than election campaigns. Petitioning movements, which



were connected not only with public meetings but with demonstrations and parades, were also increasingly associated with political violence. The resulting assaults, riots, and effigy-burnings - prominent features of Tory governance - not only contributed to the striking political polarization of the population but also helped provoke the Rebellion of 1837. Wilton provides new insights into the careers of leading figures, explores the developing ethnic and religious conflicts in the context of the petitioning movements, and illuminates the question of officially sponsored political violence. Through a thorough examination of primary resources, including a wide range of newspapers, Colonial Office records, published records of the Upper Canadian government, pamphlet literature, and private correspondence, Wilton demonstrates how the province's dissidents challenged established patterns of paternalism, subverted official notions of hierarchy, and promoted the development of an expanded public sphere in ways that had a lasting influence on the province's political culture.