CRISIS OF BRITISH NATIONAL IDENTITY IN THE NORTH AMERICAN COLONIES AND THE REBELLIONS IN CANADA OF 1837-1838

The proposed article aims to prove that the rebellions of 1836-1837 were, mainly, not a struggle for democratization and liberalization of the colonial political system, but a clash of two versions of nationalism that were widespread in Canada at that time: the British version, represented by the Orangists, “constitutionalists”, colonial offi cials and people loyal to them, and, on the other side, the Canadian version, the adherents of which were the English-s peaking “reformers” and French-s peaking “patriots”. The fi rst version of nationalism was traditionally put at the basis of the worldview of all those who moved to Canada from the mother country, or, if born in America, were strongly infl uenced by the powerful English national intellectual tradition, rooted in the 16th century. The second was just beginning to take shape and was the characteristic of a small circle of intellectuals and politically active colonists who were ready to become not British, but Canadians. In this context the issue of democratizing the colonial governance system was not important per se but drew attention mainly as a symbol of the affi rmation and emancipation of the Canadian nation. However, due to the recent emergence of Canadian national identity, its infl uence on the events that took place was insuffi cient to lead to radical changes. According to sources, until the very last moment, rebellion was not a part of the plans of Canadian nationalists. This seems quite obvious, given how chaotic, contradictory and inconsistent their actions were when the violence began. Many important issues: independence or constitutional reform in Canada, the choice between a peaceful or armed form of struggle, the attitude towards the United States, its historical experience and the prospects of joining it - all this was decided literally on the fl y. The emerging project of the Canadian nation clearly needed time to take shape and then to win the hearts and minds of the people. However, the adherents of British nationalism were not going to tolerate such experiments in their country. Their aggressive actions, with the obvious connivance of the authorities, provoked a response and an armed confl ict in which the unprepared “patriots” were doomed to defeat.