Constitutional Act 1791

E7064

The Constitutional Act of 1791 was a British law that split the former Province of Quebec into Upper and Lower Canada, establishing separate colonial governments and laying the groundwork for modern Canadian constitutional development.

All labels observed (3)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom ⓘ
constitutional statute ⓘ
aimedTo accommodate Loyalist settlers in British North America ⓘ
separate English-speaking and French-speaking populations administratively ⓘ
alsoKnownAs Constitutional Act 1791 ⓘ
surface form: Canada Act 1791
appliesToTerritory Province of Quebec ⓘ
countryOfOrigin Great Britain ⓘ
created Clergy reserves ⓘ
surface form: Clergy Reserves in Upper Canada

constitutional framework for Lower Canada ⓘ
constitutional framework for Upper Canada ⓘ
dateEnacted 1791 ⓘ
divided Province of Quebec ⓘ
enactedBy Parliament of Great Britain ⓘ
established legislative assemblies in Upper Canada and Lower Canada ⓘ
separate colonial governments for Upper Canada and Lower Canada ⓘ
governanceModel British colonial constitutional monarchy ⓘ
historicalPeriod late 18th century ⓘ
influenced development of Canadian parliamentary institutions ⓘ
later Canadian constitutional acts ⓘ
inForceIn British America ⓘ
surface form: British North America
introduced representative government in Lower Canada ⓘ
representative government in Upper Canada ⓘ
jurisdictionCreated Lower Canada ⓘ
Upper Canada ⓘ
languagePolicy allowed use of French civil law in Lower Canada ⓘ
legacy foundation for modern Canadian constitutional development ⓘ
legalStatus repealed ⓘ
maintained French civil law in Lower Canada ⓘ
seigneurial system in Lower Canada ⓘ
partOf constitutional history of Canada ⓘ
predecessor Quebec Act ⓘ
surface form: Quebec Act 1774
providedFor creation of appointed legislative councils ⓘ
creation of elected legislative assemblies ⓘ
creation of executive councils ⓘ
office of lieutenant governor in Lower Canada ⓘ
office of lieutenant governor in Upper Canada ⓘ
regionAffected Great Lakes region ⓘ
Saint Lawrence River ⓘ
surface form: St. Lawrence River valley
regulated land tenure in Upper Canada ⓘ
religiousPolicy affected status of the Church of England in the Canadas ⓘ
replaced Quebec Act ⓘ
surface form: Quebec Act 1774 in respect to governmental structure
resultedIn creation of Lower Canada ⓘ
creation of Upper Canada ⓘ
shortName Constitutional Act 1791 self-link ⓘ
subjectMatter colonial governance ⓘ
legislative institutions ⓘ
territorial division ⓘ
successor Act of Union 1840 ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (23)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Province of Quebec → endCause → Constitutional Act 1791 ⓘ
Quebec Act → followedBy → Constitutional Act 1791 ⓘ
this entity surface form: Constitutional Act 1791 (as later reorganization of Quebec)
Upper Canada → createdBy → Constitutional Act 1791 ⓘ
Constitutional Act 1791 → shortName → Constitutional Act 1791 self-link ⓘ
Constitutional Act 1791 → alsoKnownAs → Constitutional Act 1791 ⓘ
this entity surface form: Canada Act 1791
Parliament of Upper Canada → establishedBy → Constitutional Act 1791 ⓘ
Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada → legalBasis → Constitutional Act 1791 ⓘ
Clergy reserves → hasLegalBasis → Constitutional Act 1791 ⓘ
Legislative Council of Upper Canada → createdBy → Constitutional Act 1791 ⓘ
Lower Canada → createdBy → Constitutional Act 1791 ⓘ
Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada → establishedBy → Constitutional Act 1791 ⓘ
Governor General of the Province of Quebec → endCause → Constitutional Act 1791 ⓘ
Government of Upper Canada → establishedBy → Constitutional Act 1791 ⓘ
Government of Upper Canada → constitutionalBasis → Constitutional Act 1791 ⓘ
colonial government of Upper Canada → legalBasis → Constitutional Act 1791 ⓘ
Clergy Reserves Act 1840 → precededBy → Constitutional Act 1791 ⓘ
judiciary of Upper Canada → establishedBy → Constitutional Act 1791 ⓘ
Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada → establishedBy → Constitutional Act 1791 ⓘ
Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada → legalBasis → Constitutional Act 1791 ⓘ
Executive Council of Upper Canada → legalBasis → Constitutional Act 1791 ⓘ
Legislative Council of Lower Canada → createdBy → Constitutional Act 1791 ⓘ