The American Revolution 2

Cute drawings. The Canadian problem was simplified by two factors: 1) New England bigotry and 2) England's best general. New England hated Catholicism (it was the center of Puritanism in North America), and had a history of vicious anti-Catholic incidents (like riots). The French Canadians in Quebec were fully aware of this, and were not entranced when Ben Franklin showed up in the summer of 1775 for a parlay to offer "the 14th colony" a chance to join the great adventure. After that refusal the colonies (read New England) sent the invasion army under Benedict Arnold and Richard Montgomery up to Canada, where it briefly succeeeded at Montreal, but collapsed at Quebec and had to retreat (leaving a dead General Montgomery - his remains were returned in 1818). The General who won this second battle of Quebec was Sir Guy Carleton. Today, looking at Carleton's record and apparent grasp (which William Howe never learned) that if you have victory in your hands you race to complete the victory, we realize HE should have led the British forces, and we would now be part of Greater Canada. Instead he was told by the Colonial Secretary (and personal enemy) Lord George Germaine he would not be needed outside Canada. He did follow Arnold's retreating army into New York State, but after a delaying battle at Valcourt Island (which he won), had to return to Canada as winter was approaching. He was not given command of the great invasion of 1777 (Burgoyne was, and made a hash of it). Carleton had been behind the passage of the 1774 Quebec Act which promised not to interfere with French Canadian way of life. This was in the minds of the French Canadians when Franklin came to try to get them to join. Carleton retired for awhile, but in 1782 was finally sent by a new British government to take command - for the evacuation of the British armed forces and their Tory allies from New York City. He did a thoroughly good job, and to his eternal credit refused to turn over any African-American slaves who ran away from their masters in the colonies to gain their freedom. At least 2000 of them left with the British and Tories, much to the displeasure of General Wahington. Carleton became Governor of Canada again, and died in 1806.