Editing Quebec Act (section)

== Background ==
[[File:British colonies 1763-76 shepherd1923.PNG|right|thumb|Map of [[British America]] showing original boundaries of the Province of Quebec and its ''Quebec Act'' of 1774 post-annexation boundaries. From ''Historical Atlas'' by William R. Shepherd, New York, Henry Holt and Company, 1923; the map is unchanged from the 1911 original version.]]
Following the defeat of the [[Kingdom of France]] by the [[Kingdom of Great Britain]] in the [[Seven Years' War]], the peace was formalized with the [[Treaty of Paris of 1763]]. Under the terms of the treaty, France ceded [[New France]], specifically the [[French colony of Canada]], to Britain as it was considered less valuable, since its only significant commercial product at the time was [[North American beaver|beaver]] [[Fur|pelt]]s, choosing instead to keep the islands of [[Guadeloupe]] and [[Martinique]] for their valuable [[sugar]] production. This territory along the [[St. Lawrence River]], called ''Canada'' by the French, was renamed [[Province of Quebec (1763–1791)|Quebec]] by the British, after its [[Quebec City|capital city]]. Non-military administration of the territories acquired by the British in the war was defined in the [[Royal Proclamation of 1763]]. 

Despite the Treaty of Paris permitting the free exercise of religion for French Catholics,<ref>[[#Mills2024|Mills, 2024, p. 607]].</ref> certain restrictions remained under British rule. Under the terms of the peace treaty, Canadiens who chose not to leave became British subjects. In order for them to serve in public offices, they were required to swear an oath to the King that contained specific provisions rejecting the Catholic faith. Given that many of the predominantly Roman Catholic Canadiens were unwilling to take such an oath, this effectively prevented large numbers of Canadiens from participating in the local governments. Furthermore, following the death of [[Henri-Marie Dubreil de Pontbriand]], French Catholics lacked a bishop, as British ecclesiastical policy did not allow for new appointments prior to the passage of the Quebec Act. To temporarily address this leadership gap, vicar generals were appointed, <ref name = ":0">[[#Mills2024|Mills, 2024, p. 610]].</ref> but the absence of a bishop posed challenges for the Catholic community in maintaining religious guidance and governance. These issues extended to Governor [[James Murray (British Army officer, born 1721)|James Murray]], who faced conflicts in executing his duties in the province. Initially tasked with enforcing Protestantism in Quebec, he was instructed “not to admit of any Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction of the See of Rome, or any other foreign Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction whatsoever in the Province under your Government.” <ref name=":0" /> However, during his tenure, Murray’s stance shifted as he began to support the extension of religious rights to Catholics. His successor, [[Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester|Guy Carleton]], received similar instructions regarding the enforcement of British ecclesiastical policy. Despite this, Carleton also demonstrated a degree of flexibility, allowing French Catholics to continue their religious practices as they had prior to British rule. 

With unrest, which was growing into the [[American Revolution]], increasing in the colonies to the south, the British were worried that the Canadiens might also support the growing rebellion. At that time, Canadiens formed the vast majority of the settler population of the province of Quebec (more than 99%) and there was little immigration from Great Britain.To secure the allegiance of the approximately 90,000 Canadiens to the British crown, Murray adopted his policy of local tolerance, which Carleton later advanced by bringing proposals for formal legal protections before Parliament. 

A growing class of British merchants in Quebec "viewed with alarm and disgust the leniency manifested toward the French Canadians."<ref>[[#Marie1944 |Marie, 1944, p. 237]]</ref> These merchants emerged as vocal opponents of Governor Carleton’s policy of religious tolerance, instead advocating for the establishment of Protestantism as the official religion of the province. The conflict extended to the legislative sphere, where Attorney General [[Francis Maseres]], a representative of the British minority, expressed strong opposition to Catholic influence. He argued that the appointment of a Catholic bishop had reinforced loyalty among French Canadian clergy, preventing their conversion to Protestantism, and criticized the legalization of tithes and the expansion of Quebec’s territory as measures that strengthened "the Popish religion".<ref>[[#Marie1944 |Marie, 1944, p. 240]]</ref> Maseres became one of Carleton’s main opponents in debates leading to the Quebec Act. Nonetheless, there was  a need to compromise between the conflicting demands of the Canadien subjects and those of newly arrived British subjects. These efforts by the colonial governors eventually resulted in the enactment of the ''Quebec Act, 1774''.<ref>{{cite book |last=Woodward |first=William Harrison |title=A Short History of the Expansion of the British Empire, 1500-1920 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XmI9AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA247 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |year=1921 |pages=247–250}}</ref><ref name =QAct>[https://www.solon.org/Constitutions/Canada/English/PreConfederation/qa_1774.html ''Quebec Act, 1774'', 14 Geo. III (UK), c. 83.]</ref>