List 5 problems facing the BNA colonies in the 1850s

• Threat from the US

• Loss of Trade with Britain

• Movement of good between colonies

• Fenians

Confederation

• Background:– the idea of uniting the colonies had been considered

prior to 1864, however no single issue was strong enough for the colonies to join

– by 1860 the British Gov't no longer wanted to defend the colonies

– the United States threat of Annexation (taking over the colonies) was real

• the US had almost 1m troops ready to fight

– several leaders emerged in the colonies who saw Confederation as the solution to the problems

Trade

• the colonies could no longer rely on Britain for Reciprocity (Free Trade)– began to negotiate with the US for

Reciprocity– a deal was signed that would last until 1864;

the colonies would lose all trade with the US

• in order to prepare for the end of Reciprocity, the colonies needed create trade amongst each other

In 1850 Canada desperately wanted Reciprocity with the United States. What are some of the current concerns

regarding Free Trade?

Railways

• the colonies agreed to build a railway connecting them (to increase trade)

• Can. East & West strongly supported the railway because it gave them a year round access to the ocean

• the railway also made Halifax a major port city

Threat from the United States• US was involved in a bitter

Civil War in the 1860s– Britain supported the

Confederate states in the South

• the South was defeated by the Northern states

• The North now wanted revenge against Britain– this threatened the

colonies• the US also followed a policy

of Manifest Destiny– the belief that the US had

the right to all land in N.A.

Fenians

• Fenian Brotherhood was a fraternal organization dedicated to the establishment of an independent Irish Republic in the 19th and early 20th century

• Fenianism is symbolized by two features– Free Irish State (Erin Go

Bragh)– This can only be achieved

by armed rebellion against Britain

Fenian Raids1866 - 1871

• Irish Fenians living in the US began attacking Canadian forts to put pressure on Britain to withdraw from Ireland

• Attacks were repelled, but they divided many Irish-Canadians living in Upper Canada– Protestant Irish (Orange Order) were loyal to

Britain– US gov’t did little to help the situation