The Great Migration of the 1800's and The Push for Democracy
Timeline of Events
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Triggers of the Great MigrationPoverty in Britain
Opportunities in the Colonies
Impacts of the Great Migration
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The Push for Democracy
What did the Reformers Want?:
During the 1820’s and 1830’s colonists in British North America wanted a change - or reform - to their system of government. The reformers wanted complete authority to make decisions that affected their own lives. British North America had a colonial government meaning that Britain appointed the people who had the power to make decisions (Governor and Councils). Each colony had an assembly that the people elected, however the assembly had less power than the governor and councils and could not make decisions for the colony. The assembly could only advise the governor and councils. The reformers wanted a more democratic government. In a democratic government voters elect those who have power to make decisions. This means the voters have a lot of power. The reformers wanted voters to have more power. They wanted elected assemblies to control the membership of the councils, and they wanted the councils to have full control of the local decisions, not the governor. |