The loss of acadia
The Sovereignty movement is very recent but it has a very historical past. One of the reason of the Soverignty movement is the Loss of Acadia which was one the French colonies. Acadia was never given much attention by the King of France and it was vulnerable to British attacks. Below is a video that explains the loss of Acadia and how it effected the French Empire.
The seven years war
One of the main reason that the sovereignty started was because of the Seven Years War (1756-1763). It was the climax of the fight between the British and French. In 1758, the British captured Louisbourg and destroyed the fortress and the St. Lawrence river lay open to British invasion. In 1759, General James Wolfe led a campaign to capture Quebec. His massive force contained:
22 gunships 9000 soldiers
27 frigates 18 000 sailors
80 transport ships 2000 cannons
55 smaller ships 40 000 cannonballs
22 gunships 9000 soldiers
27 frigates 18 000 sailors
80 transport ships 2000 cannons
55 smaller ships 40 000 cannonballs
attack on beauport shore and The beauport feint
Wolfe sent 4000 soldiers to attack the Beauport shore because it was not as steep as some other parts. French commander, Marquis Louis-Joseph de Montcalm, had foreseen this move and had kept a strong defensive force there. About 440 British soldiers were killed or badly wounded. Wolfe faced a crushing defeat but Wolfe had a plan and decided to make the French think he was going to attack there again.Wolfe made some of his ships make the defenders think that he was going to attack the Beauport shore again. He made observation ships go as close as they dared to make it seem like they were studying the defenses. General Montcalm sent more troops to guard the Beauport shore for the attack he was sure would come.
The Anse-au-foulon
Since the french had fallen for the trap, Wolfe had to attack Quebec from the west. His troops had to climb the Anse-au-Foulon which was much more riskier because it was steep and narrow path that the French used to get down to the river to get water. At nightfall on September 12, he sent a small party to capture the guard post at the bottom of the path. French-speaking British soldiers pretended that they had a message from the French general, the guards let them into the post where the invaders quickly killed everyone with knives. Wolfe then brought 5000 troops up the path to the Plains of Abraham, an open field to the west of Quebec. He could still not attack Quebec because it was defended by a high stone walls, but Wolfe knew that the people of Quebec would need to go out in search of food, which was scarce because the British had stopped trade on the river. Wolfe also knew that Montcalm would send troops to fight out the invaders but unfortunately for Montcalm's best troops were still at the Beauport shore waiting for the British attack that was never going to come.
The "thin red line"
The British soldiers stood in three lines, shoulder to shoulder, their musket loaded. Montcalm and his soldiers advanced on the British. As they advanced, the French lines got stretched out and gaps formed and by the time they got close to the British, the French soldiers were tired; their shots were not effective. Wolfe ordered his front line to fire when they were about 70 meters apart. The shots were deadly. When the first line knelt to reload, Wolfe ordered his second line to fire. The second line knelt to reload and the third line fired. Then the first line stood up and fired, starting the cycle again. The French were cut to pieces because every 20 seconds the British fired.
Both generals were killed, Montcalm and Wolfe. The French governor, Marquis de Vaudreuil, surrendered to Jeffery Amherst, the new British commander. Quebec came under British rule.
Both generals were killed, Montcalm and Wolfe. The French governor, Marquis de Vaudreuil, surrendered to Jeffery Amherst, the new British commander. Quebec came under British rule.
Articles of Capitulation and the treaty of paris,1763
The French governor had a list of demands to protect the inhabitants of Quebec as a part of the terms of surrender. One of the most important demand was that the Roman catholic should continue and the British commander agreed. The churches throughout New France were not damaged and the religion continued as an important part of the people's lives. The result was the Roman Catholic religion remained as an important part of French Canadian life.
When the Seven Years War ended in 1763, the French and the British signed a peace treaty in Paris. Each side agreed to return some of the places captured from the other side in war, but New France was not among them and remained a British colony. The French Empire in North America had came to an end.
When the Seven Years War ended in 1763, the French and the British signed a peace treaty in Paris. Each side agreed to return some of the places captured from the other side in war, but New France was not among them and remained a British colony. The French Empire in North America had came to an end.
Relating to the quebec soverignty
The war and the loss of Acadia is one of the biggest reasons for the Quebec sovereignty movement. It makes sense that Quebec would want to become an independent country instead of belonging to the people who defeated, humiliated them and killed many of the earlier French speaking people. Quebec thinks that they are being treated unfairly but I think that they have and had many advantages even after being defeated such as keeping their religion and culture even after becoming a British colony.