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LORD DURHAM: RACIST OR DEMOCRAT?

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LORD DURHAM: RACIST OR DEMOCRAT?

Introduction

Lord Durham was a politician who was sent to Canada to investigate the

Upper and Lower Canada rebellions. He was appointed the governor general, and this

made it possible for him to be in the position to get findings and report on them and at

the same time provide recommendations. Lord Durham activities have been able to be

criticized by other historians, and so this has been able to raise questions on his work.

The main question was, is Lord Durham a racist or a Democrat? This was brought up

after a careful study of his work and all the activities that he took part in while he was

in Canada. It has been in the position to raise a more about all his work. Some of the

key points being, the recommendations he gave out to Canada, his work based on

liberation, society, religion, and government. These are some of the major activities

that have been noted to have an impact that has been able to picture all the work

Durham was involved in. There were so many other activities that he was involved in,

but there was no significant impact as the above named.

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Recommendations of Lord Durham

Lord Durham was seen to be in the position to also have a positive impact on

both Upper and the Lower Canada. He was in the position to be able to come up with

recommendations that were seen to be helpful to the two conflicting sides.1

1 AJZENSTAT, JANET. "The Report and Its Commentators." In Political Thought of Lord Durham,
13-21. McGill-Queen's University Press, 1988. AJZENSTAT, JANET. "The Report and Its
Commentators." In Political Thought of Lord Durham, 13-21. McGill-Queen's University Press, 1988.
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The fact that he recommended that the Lower and Upper Canada be united and be one

province. This was an act that would help that was aided towards ensuring that the

Lower and Upper Canada work together and be governed by a neutral system of

governance. The recommendation was seen to be the best as this was in the position

to unite the two sides and also was able to ensure that the two sides had several things

in common. The recommendation was seen to prove that Durham was a democrat as

he was able to help in the uniting the conflicting parties of Canada.

Durham was also in the position to help the French in forming a responsible

government that would be from interference from the British rule. This was a move

that saw the French people believe in themselves as they were assured that they

would not be interfered by the British. Despite the fact that this activity also saw

Durham being a diplomat he also had racism inside him. He recommended the

immigration of British people into Canada. This was with the aim that British were to

come and take over Canada and become the majority while the French become the

minority. They wanted to make it become a purely English speaking nation. 2This was

seen to be a cruel activity as it was going to deny the French their right to practice

their culture. This was an activity that was aimed at forcing the French into English

culture. Mason Wade argues that Durham, perhaps blinded by the very racism which

he disowned severely underestimated the French Canadians and their national will to

life and culture. This has been in the position to prove that Durham was a racist as

he was trying to bring in the British who were to take over and after that force the

French into the English culture.

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Durham liberalism

Durham was also seen to be in the position to offer his best to the French

people willingly. He was in the position to come up with two modes of which he saw

were best that the government would use to deal with conquering territory, argues

Lord Durham in the Report on the Affairs of British North America. His first

argument was that the conquer is to respect the right and nationality of the actual

occupants. This was a right that the occupants were not to be denied on their land.

They were also to be treated well and with respect. The second mode was treating

the conquered territory as one open to the conquers of encouraging their influx, of

regarding the conquered race as entirely subordinate and endeavoring as speedy and

as rapidly as possible to assimilate the character and institution of its new subject.'

This was in the position to see Durham as a Democrat as he can fight for the rights of

the individuals whose territories have been conquered. 3 Despite the fact that he was

fighting to ensure that the rights of the individuals were taken into consideration he

was also in a way encouraging the acquiring of the territories. He supported acquiring

of territories by the super powers and instead gave out conditions on how the

conquers were to operate when in the territories. This in a way made him be portrayed

as a racist as he was also in the position to support the territorial acquiring.

Durham and Tocqueville on society

Tocqueville is seen to speak of the British society and is seen to express

themselves and describe English society to be superior in civilization, industry, and

3 AJZENSTAT, JANET. "Durhams Liberalism." In Political Thought of Lord Durham, 3-12. McGill-
Queen's University Press, 1988.
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power. This is in the sense that the English have been in the position to develop and

advance fast, this makes them be at the top and incomparable. This is the reason why

the French Canadians will not be a match for them.

This is the same case that Durham emphasizes as he is seen to describe the

French Canadians as weak as they are not in the position too well take care of

themselves. He drives that French Canadians are not civilized and are also not

energetic or have the money making mind race by which they are surrounded.' His

descriptions are seen to be in the position to clearly show that the French Canadians

need to be taught on how to be civilized. 4 All this may not, just happen by being

taught but instead, it will have to happen by them being conquered by the British. He

is also seen to use this as a reason so that to encourage the British invasion of Canada

in the name of trying to civilize the French Canadians. His support for the inversion

of the British in French Canada portrayed him as a racist as they would at the end

have to make the French Canadians drop their culture and take that of the British.

Durham and Tocqueville on religion

Durham being a liberal, he took all the principal of religion regardless of the

kind of religion that an individual or the people of the country held, as a toleration

and to be the defining characteristics of modern politics. This was because all the

rules and regulations that were formulated were being referred to the kind of religion

that was in the land. He was convinced that assimilation was Already commencing

in Lower Canada and so the reforms associated with it would be welcomed to the

4 AJZENSTAT, JANET. "Durham and Tocqueville on Society." In Political Thought

of Lord Durham, 22-34. McGill-Queen's University Press, 1988.
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mass of the people. Assimilation was rapidly spreading, and so this was an indicator

that the Upper Canada will also soon take the same path. The fact that he was also

seen to protect the kind of religion of the individual territories, it was now beyond and

so it was spreading quickly.

The fact that he was seen to respect the religion of everyone he had no control

over the rapid assimilation in Canada. This act portrayed him as a Democrat as he

was seen to fight for the religion and culture of the Canadians. It was also seen to be

kind of an irony as he was the one who was also advocating for the British to move

into Canada. The English culture was slowly eradicating the culture of the French

Canadians.5 The political drive that would have been motivated and steered by the

French religion was also seen to be changing to another different and new mode.

Durham was seen to be a racist as his plans were seen to be swiftly working. He was

the one who advocated for the fact that the French Canadians be minorities and the

British be the majority. At first, when he was recommending he was alright with it

and later own after there is the evidence of assimilation he was also seen to advocate

for a different and opposite idea.

Responsible Government in the colonies

In the introduction of responsible government, rules and regulation were set so

as that everyone in the colonies can follow them. The rules were also in the position

to give the procedures to be followed in all the activities that were being done in the

government. The activities were much focused on the way the leaders were to be

5 AJZENSTAT, JANET. "Durham and Tocqueville on Religion." In Political Thought

of Lord Durham, 35-41. McGill-Queen's University Press, 1988.
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chosen to represent the people. The rule of the majority takes it all was enacted; this is

in the sense that the person who was to be accepted was the one who had been

accepted by the majority of the people through voting. The political executive

reported to the legislative assembly; this were people who were agreed to by the

majority by voting. The same person would have been dismissed by the great

question of policy by the rule of voting by the majority. This was seen to be an

organized form of dealing with the leadership scandals as there were rules that were

being followed.

Durham being the man who came up with the idea of responsible government

was seen to be democratic. The fact that the leaders are being chosen by the use of the

majority vote it shows how the practices are frre and fair as their will be no the rule

of just choosing because someone is good-looking or because of an individual

character in them. The system of responsible government was also in the position to

eradicate and end the compact family type of rule and politics. 6 This is in the sense

that an individual family is the only one that is seen to only produce leaders. This was

not right as not everyone that was to be born would be a leader. This system saw the

colonies to be in a kind of slavery and also not be in the position to also try and

exercise their rights as citizens Durham was able to make the colonies independent

and democratic. This was so as the Responsible Government had the provision of

ensuring that everyone has equal rights and can exercise their rights in choosing the

kind of leaders they wanted. This act clearly portrayed that Durham was a democrat

6 AJZENSTAT, JANET. "Responsible Government in the Colonies." In Political

Thought of Lord Durham, 52-72. McGill-Queen's University Press, 1988.
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as he was able to also influence the colonies into accepting and exercising the

democratic form of government.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it has been seen that Durham was in the position to exercise

both the two characters of either being a racist and at the same time being a

Democrat. This was because he had no people who would be able to monitor and

wear him on the ideas and activities he was partaking. He was in the position too well

ensure that the kind of recommendations that he recommended were to the favor of

the French Canadians and would have a positive effect on their peaceful being. 7 He

was also able to contribute to the liberalization, society and the religion trying to

ensure that they are in the position to favor both the lower and the upper French

Canadians. From the evidence that has been in the position to be portrayed have been

able to prove well that Lord Durham was a democrat and not a racist.

7 AJZENSTAT, JANET. "Notes." In Political Thought of Lord Durham, 101-32.

McGill-Queen's University Press, 1988.
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Bibliography

AJZENSTAT, JANET. "The Report and Its Commentators." In Political Thought of

Lord Durham, 13-21. McGill-Queen's University Press, 1988.

AJZENSTAT, JANET. "Responsible Government in the Colonies." In Political

Thought of Lord Durham, 52-72. McGill-Queen's University Press, 1988.

AJZENSTAT, JANET. "Durham and Tocqueville on Society." In Political Thought of

Lord Durham, 22-34. McGill-Queen's University Press, 1988.

AJZENSTAT, JANET. "Responsible Government in the Colonies." In Political

Thought of Lord Durham, 52-72. McGill-Queen's University Press, 1988.

AJZENSTAT, JANET. "The Report and Its Commentators." In Political Thought of

Lord Durham, 13-21. McGill-Queen's University Press, 1988.

AJZENSTAT, JANET. "Notes." In Political Thought of Lord Durham, 101-32.

McGill-Queen's University Press, 1988.