American Whig Ideology and Canadian Participation in the American Revolution

n 1783, the Second Canadian, also known as Congress’s Own Regiment or Hazen’s Infernals, was a combination of two regiments formed in 1775 and 1776 for the Continental Army.[1] During the American Revolution its members fought in battles across the Upper and Middle former colonies. By the end of the war, they were a motley assortment of recruits from Canada, the various states, Ireland, Great Britain, and Germany.[2] Though no longer a purely Canadian regiment, the presence of Canadians, particularly those of French descent, in the American army provides a fascinating case study for the transnational appeal of American Whig ideology during the Revolution.

Missing from traditional studies of these regiments is the role of American Whig ideology in driving Canadian enlistment and some Canadians’ continued support for the Revolution.[3] Sebastian van Bastelaer has argued for the importance of ideology in leading Canadians to support the American invasion, however, his narrative concludes following the American defeat in Canada, leaving seven years of Canadian participation undiscussed. To ignore ideology or discount its impact on Canadian (both Anglo and French) recruitment obscures one of their primary motives for participation. While Canadian enlistments were driven by complex interests, their commitment to “the Common Cause,” or Englishmen’s rights (as defined by American Whigs), illustrates the role in which revolutionary ideology had on Canadians of both French and British heritage.[4]

Seeds of Discontent: The British Conquest and Colonial Government, 1763-1775

After the British conquest of French Canada in 1759, a military government was established under Gen. James Murray.[5] Many British officials, including Murray, deemed the French system inefficient, corrupt, and ruinous to the prosperity of the colony. Many advocated a new future for Canada, perhaps one similar to Ireland. Murray, however, advocated for milder measures to create imperial unity. ^[6]

To accommodate the new subjects, officials granted some “English liberties,” such as access to British courts and respect for Canadians’ property rights.[7] Though granting some English liberties, officials avoided attacking Catholicism, the dominant religion among French-Canadians, and did not enforce a common-law judicial system, both significant deviations from previous English precedent.^[8] Some newly arrived Anglo-Canadians called for more extensive changes to Canada’s governance by including traditional English hallmarks such as elected assemblies and Catholic political exclusion. Their vision of empire, like many other Britons, centered on Protestant supremacy.^[9] This small but influential group of mostly former New Englanders wanted a continuation of an empire that was quickly fading as British officials began crafting a new model of imperial governance.^[10]