LESSON 7: THE CHARLOTTETOWN CONFERENCE
DATE: September 1-9 1864
LOCATION: Charlottetown, P.E.I.
KEY PLAYERS: reps from New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, P.E.I., Canada East, Canada West. John A. MacDonald and George-Etienne Cartier acted as leaders.
LEFT OUT: British Columbia was not invited because it was too far away. Newfoundland was thought not to be interested and so was not invited. Aboriginals and Marginalized peoples were not asked to attend.
REASON FOR CONFERENCE: The Maritime colonies were meeting to discuss the possibility of a Maritime union. The Canadas (East and West) decided to take advantage of the meeting, hoping to convince the Maritimes that a bigger union, joining all five colonies, would be a better decision.
KEY DECISIONS: Although the leaders from the Maritimes had mixed feelings about Confederation, all (except for P.E.I.) were interested in discussing the idea. The Canadas promised that the government of the new union would build a railway connecting Canada and the Atlantic colonies. By the end of the conference, they had reached a consensus to create a larger union of all five provinces, and agreed to meet in Quebec in one month to work out the terms.
FUN FACTS:
"Having dressed ourselves in correct style, our two boats were lowered man-of-war fashion -- and being each duly manned with four oarsmen and a boatswain, dressed in blue uniform, hats, belts, etc. in regular style, we pulled away for shore and landed like Mr. Christopher Columbus who had the precedence of us in taking possession of portions of the American Continent. Our brother delegates were there before us. Five from Nova Scotia, five from New Brunswick and five from Prince Edward Island. Newfoundland goes heartily with the movement, but was not notified in time to take part in the proceedings... In the evening the Governor, Mr. Dundas, gave a large Dinner party to as many of the party as he could..." (http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/confederation/023001-7103-e.html)
LOCATION: Charlottetown, P.E.I.
KEY PLAYERS: reps from New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, P.E.I., Canada East, Canada West. John A. MacDonald and George-Etienne Cartier acted as leaders.
LEFT OUT: British Columbia was not invited because it was too far away. Newfoundland was thought not to be interested and so was not invited. Aboriginals and Marginalized peoples were not asked to attend.
REASON FOR CONFERENCE: The Maritime colonies were meeting to discuss the possibility of a Maritime union. The Canadas (East and West) decided to take advantage of the meeting, hoping to convince the Maritimes that a bigger union, joining all five colonies, would be a better decision.
KEY DECISIONS: Although the leaders from the Maritimes had mixed feelings about Confederation, all (except for P.E.I.) were interested in discussing the idea. The Canadas promised that the government of the new union would build a railway connecting Canada and the Atlantic colonies. By the end of the conference, they had reached a consensus to create a larger union of all five provinces, and agreed to meet in Quebec in one month to work out the terms.
FUN FACTS:
- On the same day as the beginning of the conference, Slaymaker's and Nichol's Olympic Circus, the first circus to visit the island in 20 years, was playing a show. The harbour was deserted for the delegates' arrival because most of the town was at the circus
- The Charlottetown Conference wasn't all fun and games. The delegates still had lots of time for parties, lobster bakes, picnics, and socials. In one letter to his wife, George Brown explains that:
"Having dressed ourselves in correct style, our two boats were lowered man-of-war fashion -- and being each duly manned with four oarsmen and a boatswain, dressed in blue uniform, hats, belts, etc. in regular style, we pulled away for shore and landed like Mr. Christopher Columbus who had the precedence of us in taking possession of portions of the American Continent. Our brother delegates were there before us. Five from Nova Scotia, five from New Brunswick and five from Prince Edward Island. Newfoundland goes heartily with the movement, but was not notified in time to take part in the proceedings... In the evening the Governor, Mr. Dundas, gave a large Dinner party to as many of the party as he could..." (http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/confederation/023001-7103-e.html)
Action Items:
- Read about the Charlottetown Conference in your package
- Complete the graphic organizer for the Conference as a group/ colony
- Complete the survey below individually
- https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1gzY7_L5HwDgzEkzCe2-NTUsW2c3n3hmbj0ovHDw27mc/viewform