Online Encyclopedia

Search over 40,000 articles from the original, classic Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Edition.

PAPINEAU, LOUIS JOSEPH (1786-1871)

Online Encyclopedia
Originally appearing in Volume V20, Page 739 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
» Make a correction to this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Spread the word: del.icio.us del.icio.us it!

See also:

PAPINEAU, See also:LOUIS See also:JOSEPH (1786-1871) , See also:Canadian See also:rebel and politician, son of Joseph Papineau, royal See also:notary and member of the See also:house of See also:Assembly of See also:Lower See also:Canada, was See also:born at See also:Montreal on the 7th of See also:October 1786. He was educated at the See also:seminary of See also:Quebec, where he See also:developed the See also:gift of declamatory and persuasive See also:oratory. He was called to the See also:bar of Lower Canada on the 19th of May 18 to. On the 18th of See also:June 18o8 he was elected a member of the House of Assembly of the See also:province of Lower Canada, for the See also:county of See also:Kent. In 1815 he became See also:speaker of the house, being already recognized as the See also:leader of the See also:French Canadian party. At this See also:time there were many grievances in the See also:country which demanded redress; but each See also:faction was more inclined to insist upon the exercise of its See also:special rights than to fulfil its See also:common responsibilities. In See also:December 1820 See also:Lord See also:Dalhousie, See also:governor of Lower Canada, appointed Papineau a member of the executive See also:council; but Papineau, finding himself without real See also:influence on the council, resigned in See also:January 1823. In that See also:year he went to See also:England to protest on behalf of the French Canadians against the projected See also:union of Upper and Lower Canada, a See also:mission in which he was successful. Nevertheless his opposition to the See also:government became more and more pronounced, till in 1827 Lord Dalhousie refused to confirm his See also:appointment to the speakership, and resigned his governorship when the house persisted in its choice. The aim of the French Canadian opposition at this time was to obtain See also:financial and also constitutional reforms. Matters came to a See also:head when 'the legislative assembly of Lower Canada refused supplies and Papineau arranged for concerted See also:action with See also:William See also:Lyon See also:Mackenzie, the leader of the reform party in Upper Canada. In 1835 Lord Gosford, the new governor of Lower Canada, was instructed by the See also:cabinet in See also:London to inquire into the alleged grievances of the French Canadians.

But the attitude of the opposition remained no less hostile than before, and in See also:

March 1837 the governor was authorized to reject the demand for constitutional reform and to apply public funds in his See also:control to the purposes of government. In June a warning See also:proclamation by the governor was answered by a See also:series of violent speeches by Papineau, who in See also:August was deprived of his See also:commission in the See also:militia. Papineau had formeriy professed a deep reverence for See also:British institutions, and he had acquired a theoretical knowledge of the constitution, but he did not possess the qualities of a statesman, and consequently in his determination to apply the strict See also:letter of the constitution he overlooked those elements and compensating forces and See also:powers which through See also:custom and usage had been incorporated in British institutions, and had given them permanence. In his earlier career he had voiced the aspirations of a See also:section of the See also:people at a time when it appeared to them that their See also:national existence was threatened. In the course of time party strife became more See also:bitter; real issues were lost sight of; and Papineau, falling in with the views of one O'Callaghan, who distrusted everything British, became an annexationist. Realizing that his cause was not advanced by persuasive eloquence, he adopted a threatening attitude which caused men of sober See also:judgment to waver in their See also:allegiance. These men he denounced as traitors; but a See also:band of youthful enthusiasts encouraged their leader in his revolutionary course. The See also:bishop of Montreal and of Quebec, and a large number of the citizens, protested, but nothing less than bloodshed would satisfy the misguided patriots. On the 23rd of October 18J7 a See also:meeting of delegates from the six counties of Lower Canada was held at St See also:Charles, at which resistance to the government by force of arms was decided upon, and in which Papineau took See also:part. In See also:November preparations were made for a See also:general stampede at Montreal, and on the 7th of the See also:month Papineau's house was sacked and a fight took See also:place between the " constitutionals " and the "sons of See also:liberty." Towards the See also:middle of November See also:Colonel See also:Gore was commanded to effect the See also:arrest of Papineau and his See also:principal adherents on a See also:charge of high See also:treason. A few See also:hundred armed men had assembled at See also:Saint See also:Denis to resist the troops, and See also:early on the See also:morning of the 22nd of November hostilities commenced, which were maintained for several See also:hours and resulted in many casualties. On the See also:eve of the fray Papineau sought safety in See also:flight, followed by the leading See also:spirits of the See also:movement.

On the 1st of December 1837 a proclamation was issued, declaring Papineau a rebel, and placing a See also:

price upon his head. He had found shelter in the See also:United States, where he remained in safety throughout the whole See also:period of the fighting. The See also:rebellion See also:broke out afresh in the autumn of 1838, but it was soon repressed. Those taken in open rebellion were deported by Lord See also:Durham to See also:save them from the See also:scaffold; and although 90 were condemned to See also:death only 12 were executed. Attempts have been made to See also:transfer the responsibility for the See also:act of violence to O'Callaghan and other prominent leaders in the revolt; but Papineau's own words, " The patriots of this See also:city would have avenged the See also:massacre but they were so poor and so badly organized that they were not See also:fit to meet the See also:regular troops," prove that he did not discountenance recourse to arms. See also:Writing of the events of 1837 in the year 1848 he said: " The smallest success at Montreal or See also:Toronto would have induced the See also:American government, in spite of its See also:president, to support the movement." It would thus seem that he was intriguing to bring about intervention by the United States with a view to See also:annexation; and as the See also:independence of the French Canadian See also:race, which he professed to See also:desire, could not have been achieved under the constitution of the American See also:republic, it is inconsistent to regard his services to his See also:fellow-countrymen as those of a true patriot. Papineau, in pursuing towards the end a policy of See also:blind See also:passion, over-looked real grievances, and prevented remedial action. After the rebellion See also:relief was accorded because the obstacle was removed, and it is evident that a broad-minded statesman, or a skilful diplomat, would have accomplished more for French739 Canada than the fiery eloquence and dubious methods of a leader who plunged his followers into the throes of See also:war, and deserted them at the supreme moment. From 1839 till 1847 Papineau lived in See also:Paris. In the latter year an See also:amnesty was granted to those who had participated in the rebellion in Canada; and, although in June 1838 Lord Durham had issued a proclamation threatening Papineau with death if he returned to Canada, he was now admitted to the benefit of the amnesty. On his return to Canada, when the two provinces were now united, he became a member of the lower house and continued to take part in public See also:life, demanding " the independence of Canada, for the Canadians need never expect See also:justice from England, and to submit to her would be an eternal disgrace." He unsuccessfully agitated for the re-See also:division of upper and lower Canada, and in 1854 retired into private life. He died at Montebello, in the province of Quebec, on the 24th of See also:September 1871.

See L. O. See also:

David, See also:Les Deux Papineau; Fennings See also:Taylor, Louis Joseph Papineau (Montreal, 1865) ; See also:Alfred De Celles, Papineau-See also:Cartier (Toronto, 1906); H. J. See also:Morgan, Sketches of Celebrated Canadians (Quebec, 1862); See also:Rose's Cyclopaedia of Canadian See also:Biography See also:Annual See also:Register, 1836–1837 ; See also:Sir See also:Spencer See also:Walpole, See also:History of England (5 vols., London, 1878-1886), vol. iii. (A. G.

End of Article: PAPINEAU, LOUIS JOSEPH (1786-1871)

Additional information and Comments

There are no comments yet for this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click, and select "copy." Then paste it into your website, email, or other HTML.
Site content, images, and layout Copyright © 2006 - Net Industries, worldwide.
Do not copy, download, transfer, or otherwise replicate the site content in whole or in part.

Links to articles and home page are always encouraged.

[back]
PAPIN, DENIS (1647-c. 1712) 		[next]
PAPINIAN (AEanLtus PAPINIANUS)

Site © 2006 - Net Industries