Agriculture The Wheat Crisis Agriculture economy in Lower

Agriculture The Wheat Crisis

Agriculture economy in Lower Canada • 18 th century agriculture was the main economic source in Lower Canada. • By the turn of the 19 th century, wheat production began to decline.

Britain’s Protection Policies • The Corn laws (1794 -1846): British policy that gave raw materials from its colonies preferential access to the British market. (e. g. wheat, timber) This guaranteed Lower Canada access to the British markets.

The Seigneurial System:

The seigneurial system • With international falling wheat prices in 1815, the seigneurs demanded higher rents as new tenants arrived. Caused poor living conditions for the peasants • British subjects began purchasing seigneuries and introduced new agriculture products (e. g. potatoes)

The Agricultural Crisis 1830 s On January 9, 1837, a journalist from the newspaper Le Canadien reported: "Times are so hard that some habitants have taken to eating their own horses. Harvests have fallen short for four years now and many habitants don't have even a potato. It is certain that most of them will die of hunger, if relief is not provided to them. "

Agricultural production in Lower Canada 1800 60 -70% 1831 21% 1844 4. 4 % • What is happening? ?

The Agricultural Crisis in Lower Canada 1830 s 1. Population growth- division of the seigneurial land 2. Intensive wheat farming – exhausted the soil causing lower 3. Competition in Upper Canada- better farmlands and Lower Canada begins importing wheat for subsistence (survival). 4. Poor farming methods- outdated techniques compared to Upper Canada 5. New agricultural products- oats and potatoes

Migration to the United States • Between 1840 and 1930 roughly 900, 000 French Canadians left Canada to emigrate to the United States. • Industrialization in the U. S. attracted French. Canadians to earn a living

Activity • Graphing activity • Complete unfinished work: 1. Parliamentary pyramid 2. Cause and consequence of the decline in the fur trade 3. Continuity and change during the timber trade 4. Participation in the War of 1812 Venn Diagram 5. Migration fishbone