1858: Louis Riel & Other Quebec Curios
In 1858, a young man arrived in Montréal, unknown to many but a select few who had seen his potential as a scholar back in Manitoba. This man, Louis Riel, was supposed to [read on]
Articles by T. A. Wellington
1850-60: The Underground Railroad & Other Quebec Curios
The concept of the Underground Railroad had existed since the late eighteenth century but it was only until the 1830s when its name, part of a code for interested peoples to [read on]
1849: The Decline and Fall of Women’s Rights & Other Quebec Curios
Quebec was the last province in a post-Confederation Canada that granted women a right to vote, in 1940 to be exact, but the story of how that happened is another story for [read on]
1849: The Rebellion Losses Bill & Other Quebec Curios
The effects of the 1837-8 Rebellions when the Canada East and Canada West were still Upper and Lower Canada respectively ran deep, and in some regards, it seemed that some of [read on]
Book of the Month Club: The Women of Saturn by Connie Guzzo-McParland
“When we finally walked out into the street to wait for our ride, I watched car after car move smoothly and quietly with lights flashing in the sleek wet pavement. All the [read on]
1848: Responsible Government & Other Quebec Curios
Part of the reason why La Fontaine and his team were successful in obtaining responsible government in 1848 was due to the arrival of Lord Elgin the previous year. La [read on]
1848: Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine & Other Quebec Curios
Papineau’s return to Canada East and subsequent runs for politics did not go unnoticed and while his influence was no longer that of his glory days during the 1830s, he [read on]
1848: The Return of Papineau & Other Quebec Curios
After being granted amnesty in 1845, Louis-Joseph Papineau returned to the Province of Canada but found it changed from the climate that he had left it in. After his flight [read on]
1847: Tragedy at Grosse-Île & Other Quebec Curios
Grosse-Île was established in the early 1830s to contain immigrants that the Lower Canadian government believed were responsible for causing a cholera epidemic. It was later [read on]
Book of the Month Club: English-Speaking Justice by George Grant
While the term “Red Tory” might be lost in the political spectrum these days, George Grant was the classic definition of one: a conservative who espoused certain [read on]
1840: The Province of Canada & Other Quebec Curios
On the heels of the Durham Report, the British government took some of Lord Durham’s ideas into consideration and in 1840 created a new province, the Province of Canada, [read on]
1838: Pied-du-Courant and the Durham Report & Other Quebec Curios
The rebellions in Lower Canada came to its final, bloody end in 1838. With the defeat of the Patriotes in Odelltown, many Patriotes were imprisoned in Pied-du-Courant Prison [read on]
Book of the Month Club: Watership Down by Richard Adams
Imagine this: an animated movie about rabbits. It sounds like a G-rated film, perhaps PG would even be stretching it. Nothing can go wrong, right? Perhaps you weren’t [read on]
1838: Another Declaration of Independence & Other Quebec Curios
Lower Canada’s own Declaration of Independence was written by Robert Nelson, an ardent Anglophone Patriote. A look at the document makes it clear that it was modelled after [read on]
1837-8: Saint-Eustache & Other Quebec Curios
Violence for the Patriotes had been mentioned as a possible solution by none other than Julie Papineau in her letter to her husband, but only if they were pushed to a point [read on]
1837-8: Saint-Eustache & Other Quebec Curios Copy
Violence for the Patriotes had been mentioned as a possible solution by none other than Julie Papineau in her letter to her husband, but only if they were pushed to a point [read on]
1834: The 92 Resolutions & Other Quebec Curios
The violence of the 1837 Rebellions did not come out of nowhere. Prior to the rebellions by force, there were rebellions through the law. In an attempt to get the British [read on]
1831-32: Papineau and Hart & Other Quebec Curios
Heritage Minutes, a history teacher’s favourite video series, can only go so far into detail in a couple of minutes. While it is not exactly Ezekiel’s Hart mere presence [read on]
1827-1834: Julie Papineau & Other Quebec Curios
The views of the Patriotes on women and the right to vote seemed, in retrospect, contradictory when we look at their stance and the amount of support that women would give [read on]
1826: Papineau & Other Quebec Curios
Mention “Papineau”, and two things might come to mind depending on the context: the man or the metro station. However, contrary to popular belief, despite the influence [read on]