Stones thrown at Lord Elgin
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Activities
THINK
Why do you think Lady Elgin saved these stones and labelled them with the date? Read the historical context below to inform your answer.
THINK
Would a non-violent protest have been a more effective strategy for the Tories? Read the historical context below and hold a classroom discussion.
THINK
Imagine you are a Tory who is not happy about Lord Elgin supporting the Rebellion Losses Bill, which compensated anyone, including rebels, whose property had been damaged during the 1837–1838 rebellions. Consider the era and make a list of other means you could use to get your point across, instead of throwing stones.
DO
Design an experiment to determine how far away from Lord Elgin’s carriage the Tory mob could have been, while still being able to hit it with a stone.
Details
Date 1849 or earlier
Materials - Stone
Transcript
Thrown at the Gov. Gen. Montreal April 30 1849
Historical Context
Choose one of the three levels below to match your needs.
- In 1848, Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine and Robert Baldwin formed the first responsible government in the Province of Canada.
- La Fontaine and Baldwin’s government embarked on reforms that angered Tories, who felt the reforms were anti-British.
- Tories stoned the carriage of Governor General Lord Elgin with these stones as a protest against La Fontaine and Baldwin’s government.
Upon forming a government in 1848, Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine and Robert Baldwin put responsible government to use in restoring French as an official language. In 1849, they passed a bill to compensate anyone, loyalist or rebel, who had suffered property losses during the 1837–1838 rebellions against the old Tory-led system — one based on Crown appointments of local conservative elites.
Tories attacked the bill as a reward for treason and demanded that Governor General Lord Elgin veto it, but he supported it. In Montréal, Tory resentment fuelled riots and, on April 25, 1849, and again on April 30th, a furious mob pelted Lord Elgin’s carriage with stones and ransacked the parliament building, burning it to the ground.
These stones were thrown by the protesters. Lord Elgin’s wife collected the stones after the incident and labelled them.
Upon forming a government in 1848, Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine and Robert Baldwin put responsible government to immediate use by restoring French as an official language. In 1849, their Reform government passed a bill compensating anyone, loyalist or rebel, who had suffered property losses during the 1837–1838 rebellions against the old Tory-led system — one based on Crown appointments of local conservative elites, and not elected representatives.
Tories attacked the bill as a reward for treason and demanded that Governor General Lord Elgin veto it, but he supported the bill. In Montréal, Tory resentment fuelled riots and, on April 25, 1849, a furious mob pelted Lord Elgin’s carriage with stones and ransacked the parliament building, burning it to the ground. Rioting continued over the following week and Lord Elgin’s carriage was again pelted with stones on April 30th. The stones you see were used by the protesters. Lord Elgin’s wife collected the stones after the incident and labelled them.
Lady Elgin, Lord Elgin’s second wife, was the daughter of Lord Durham. This was the same Lord Durham who, in 1838, had proposed granting British North America greater self-government, but had also recommended amalgamating Upper and Lower Canada to assimilate the francophone population.
- In 1848, Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine and Robert Baldwin formed the first responsible government in the Province of Canada.
- La Fontaine and Baldwin’s government embarked on reforms that angered Tories, who felt the reforms were anti-British.
- Tories stoned the carriage of Governor General Lord Elgin with these stones as a protest against La Fontaine and Baldwin’s government.
Upon forming a government in 1848, Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine and Robert Baldwin put responsible government to use in restoring French as an official language. In 1849, they passed a bill to compensate anyone, loyalist or rebel, who had suffered property losses during the 1837–1838 rebellions against the old Tory-led system — one based on Crown appointments of local conservative elites.
Tories attacked the bill as a reward for treason and demanded that Governor General Lord Elgin veto it, but he supported it. In Montréal, Tory resentment fuelled riots and, on April 25, 1849, and again on April 30th, a furious mob pelted Lord Elgin’s carriage with stones and ransacked the parliament building, burning it to the ground.
These stones were thrown by the protesters. Lord Elgin’s wife collected the stones after the incident and labelled them.
Upon forming a government in 1848, Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine and Robert Baldwin put responsible government to immediate use by restoring French as an official language. In 1849, their Reform government passed a bill compensating anyone, loyalist or rebel, who had suffered property losses during the 1837–1838 rebellions against the old Tory-led system — one based on Crown appointments of local conservative elites, and not elected representatives.
Tories attacked the bill as a reward for treason and demanded that Governor General Lord Elgin veto it, but he supported the bill. In Montréal, Tory resentment fuelled riots and, on April 25, 1849, a furious mob pelted Lord Elgin’s carriage with stones and ransacked the parliament building, burning it to the ground. Rioting continued over the following week and Lord Elgin’s carriage was again pelted with stones on April 30th. The stones you see were used by the protesters. Lord Elgin’s wife collected the stones after the incident and labelled them.
Lady Elgin, Lord Elgin’s second wife, was the daughter of Lord Durham. This was the same Lord Durham who, in 1838, had proposed granting British North America greater self-government, but had also recommended amalgamating Upper and Lower Canada to assimilate the francophone population.
Summary
- In 1848, Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine and Robert Baldwin formed the first responsible government in the Province of Canada.
- La Fontaine and Baldwin’s government embarked on reforms that angered Tories, who felt the reforms were anti-British.
- Tories stoned the carriage of Governor General Lord Elgin with these stones as a protest against La Fontaine and Baldwin’s government.
Essential
Upon forming a government in 1848, Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine and Robert Baldwin put responsible government to use in restoring French as an official language. In 1849, they passed a bill to compensate anyone, loyalist or rebel, who had suffered property losses during the 1837–1838 rebellions against the old Tory-led system — one based on Crown appointments of local conservative elites.
Tories attacked the bill as a reward for treason and demanded that Governor General Lord Elgin veto it, but he supported it. In Montréal, Tory resentment fuelled riots and, on April 25, 1849, and again on April 30th, a furious mob pelted Lord Elgin’s carriage with stones and ransacked the parliament building, burning it to the ground.
These stones were thrown by the protesters. Lord Elgin’s wife collected the stones after the incident and labelled them.
In-Depth
Upon forming a government in 1848, Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine and Robert Baldwin put responsible government to immediate use by restoring French as an official language. In 1849, their Reform government passed a bill compensating anyone, loyalist or rebel, who had suffered property losses during the 1837–1838 rebellions against the old Tory-led system — one based on Crown appointments of local conservative elites, and not elected representatives.
Tories attacked the bill as a reward for treason and demanded that Governor General Lord Elgin veto it, but he supported the bill. In Montréal, Tory resentment fuelled riots and, on April 25, 1849, a furious mob pelted Lord Elgin’s carriage with stones and ransacked the parliament building, burning it to the ground. Rioting continued over the following week and Lord Elgin’s carriage was again pelted with stones on April 30th. The stones you see were used by the protesters. Lord Elgin’s wife collected the stones after the incident and labelled them.
Lady Elgin, Lord Elgin’s second wife, was the daughter of Lord Durham. This was the same Lord Durham who, in 1838, had proposed granting British North America greater self-government, but had also recommended amalgamating Upper and Lower Canada to assimilate the francophone population.