An Act for making more effectual Provision for the Government of the Province of Quebec in North America, better known as the Quebec Act was passed by the Parliament of Great Britain to transform the conquered territory of Quebec into a new British Colony.
The act had many new features, including the restoration of the Catholic Church’s right to appoint tithes, the right to practice Catholic faith freely, the new oath of allegiance no longer made reference to Protestantism, French civil law was restored in accordance to English common law, and the territory of Quebec soon expanded throughout the Indian Reserve through part of modern-day southern Ontario and many modern-day states located near Quebec such as Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana.
This act was good for the British and the French, but the Americans did not like one part of it. The Quebec Act also contained orders to Guy Carleton to introduce English Civil law and suppress the Catholic Church. After the bishop of Quebec found out about these instructions, Guy Carleton promised Jean-Olivier Briand, the Catholic Bishop of Quebec that he would follow the original plans stated in the Act. Mainly, the Quebec Act respected the rights of the French Canadians.
Sir Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester
1724-1808
1724-1808