Canada A Country by Consent: The Canada Act: Upper & Lower Canada in 1791

Home | The Canada Act | Upper & Lower Canada in 1791

Upper & Lower Canada in 1791

The Canada Act of 1791 divided the colony of Quebec into two parts along the Ottawa River. Upper & Lower Canada map The names "upper" and "lower" come from their position along the St. Lawrence River. Upper Canada was up river, closer to the source and Lower Canada was down river, closer to the mouth of the great waterway. To travel "up river" you had to paddle against the current. To travel "down river" you would be paddling with the current as it flowed to the Atlantic Ocean.

<< Prev: Conflict in Lower Canada

Next: John Simcoe, Governor >>

Further Reference

THE CANADA ACT (1:36)

A Country by Consent is a national history of Canada which studies the major political events that have shaped the country, presented in a cohesive, chronological narrative. Many of these main events are introduced by an audiovisual overview, enlivened by narration, sound effects and music.

This was the first digital, multimedia history of Canada. It started out as a laserdisc in 1993 and the CD-ROM version has been used in schools across the country. It has been approved as a curriculum-supporting resource by provincial and territorial ministries of education. This online, public domain site is the fifth edition of the project.