The Arrival of the French Canadians in the Eastern Townships

Type of resource
Author/collaborator
Title
The Arrival of the French Canadians in the Eastern Townships
Abstract
By the 1820s, there was not enough unoccupied seigneurial land left along the St. Lawrence Valley to settle French Quebec's rapidly growing population. Younger sons and daughters began leaving the province by the tens of thousands, mainly for the factory towns of New England. Francophone political and religious leaders grew alarmed. Many of them thought it was a national tragedy that, while their younger generation was leaving, parts of Quebec, including the English-speaking Protestant Eastern Townships, remained less occupied. They formed colonization societies to assist settlers and to pressure the government. A new law passed by the Legislative Assembly in 1850 allowed the creation of Roman Catholic parishes in the Townships. These parishes would have the right to tax Catholic property and build Catholic schools. This, combined with the new economic opportunities in the region, attracted thousands of French Canadians to this region, which coincided with the out-migration of English Quebecers from the area.
Publication
Bishop's Historical Review
Volume
Vol. 4
Pages
20-37
Date
1982-1983
Language
en
Citation
Bélisle, Jacinthe. “The Arrival of the French Canadians in the Eastern Townships.” Bishop’s Historical Review Vol. 4 (1983 1982): 20–37.
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