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The Education of Etienne Parent - Part I

Etienne Parent was born at a time when the educational system in Upper and Lower Canada was in a state of flux. The French government no longer subsidized education in Canada after the conquest and for the British authorities public education was not initially a priority. (1)  Soon after the conquest the British authorities saw the French - Canadian majority as a threat to their authority. They proposed to establish public schools as a way to Anglicize and convert French Canadians to Protestantism. (2) In 1801, the first Canadian school law was implemented; the law of the Royal Institution for the Advancement of Science. (3) The Catholic bishop and clergy saw the Royal Institution law for what it was, an attack on their authority over the French - Canadian population. They refused to support the law and it failed. (4) The clergy and the educated class established their own schools that were held in private homes and French Canadian businesses, such as newspapers. The teachers covered a
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The Parent Family in New France

 Étienne Parent (1802 - 1874) was descended from Pierre Parent and Jeanne Badeau. Pierre Parent arrived in New France around 1650. He had been contracted as an indentured worker to spend four years working on the Jesuit's seigneury. After his term of work he would be granted land to work. In 1651 the Jesuits ceded land to Pierre Parent and Jacques Badeau, his future father-in-law.  In 1654 Pierre married Jeanne Badeau. His father-in-law, Jacques Badeau died in 1658. In 1660 the Jesuits ceded the quarry to Pierre Parent. This quarry was located on the land that had belonged to his father-in-laws. By 1670 Pierre Parent was delivering limestone from his quarry to building sites in Quebec City to construct houses. In 1675 Pierre Parent supplied the the door jambs and corner joints for the construction of the Seminary in Quebec. Pierre Parent was well on his way to becoming a wealthy man. Jeanne Badeau was Pierre Parent's wife and partner. She actively participated in the family bus
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The Arrest of Etienne Parent - Part VIII

We have established that Etienne Parent was actively continuing to edit Le Canadien while he was imprisoned. Aside from his regular editing of every day topics what topics or events preoccupied Etienne Parent during his time in prison? There were two important preoccupations for Etienne Parent during his incarceration; one was a person, John George Lambton, the first Earl of Durham (known as Lord Durham in Canada) and his infamous Durham Report.  When Lord Durham first arrived in Canada in 1838 Etienne Parent had great hopes that he would be instrumental in resolving the issues in Lower Canada. However, Etienne's optimism was soon crushed by Lord Durham's handling of the rebellion in 1838. Lord Durham had Patriotes arrested and imprisoned. Some of the key Patriote leaders were exiled to Bermuda.  It was with great interest that Etienne Parent followed the movements of Lord Durham as he 'researched' the the conflict and unrest in the Canadian colonies. Short paragraphs s
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The Arrest of Etienne Parent - Part VII

In the editorial in Le Canadien on December 28, 1838, it was clearly stated that the journal would continue publication. That was a brave statement, but how does a journal continue publication when both the publisher and editor of the journal are in jail? The solution was clear to Etienne Parent and Jean - Baptiste Fréchette , they must continue working in spite of being in prison. Just how did they accomplish that?  I first came across a reference to how Etienne Parent and Jean - Baptiste Fréchette accomplished this feat in the article by Jean - Charles Falardeau, "PARENT, ETIENNE," in Dictionary of Canadian Biography published in 2003. Jean - Charles Falardeau mentioned that "a young messenger, Stanislas Drapeau" brought information, editorial drafts , etc.that were hidden inside "a faked tart" and took away corrected proofs. I wanted to find out more about this subterfuge used by Etienne Parent to continue running his newspaper while he languished in ja
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The Arrest of Etienne Parent - Part VI

I have been focusing on the arrest of Etienne Parent and Jean - Baptiste Fréchette. They were not the only journalists, printers, or men of letters to be arrested in connection with the rebellion of 1837 - 1838. In an article by Yvan Lamonde, "Canadian Print and the Emergence of Public culture in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries", he names eleven Quebec men of letters who were arrested for criticizing or opposing the British colonial government. He names but does not elaborate on each individual. I decided to dig a bit and find out more about these individuals. Another source names about twenty - five literary men who were arrested for supporting reform in Lower Canada. I will elaborate on only ten. Napoléon Aubin Napoléon Aubin was a journalist, publisher, playwright, and scientist. Aubin was born on November 9, 1812 in Chêne, Bougeris, Switzerland. After living in the United States for a short period of time Aubin moved to Canada in 1835. He wrote an article that he
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The Arrest of Etienne Parent - Part V

The news of Etienne Parent and Jean - Baptiste's arrest travelled quickly and soon there was a small entourage of friends accompanying them to the Quebec Citadelle. It is stated who those friends but I would say that among them were Napoleon Aubin, the owner and editor or the journal, Le Fantasque, Stanislas Drapeau, journalist, printer, and publisher, who at the time of this event was a typographer for Le Fantasque, among others. Etienne Parent was well known and widely admired not only throughout lower Canada but throughout all of North America including the United States.  When the group arrived at the Citadelle the chief of police informed them that he had received orders from his superiors in Montreal to prevent all visitors from seeing Etienne Parent and Jean - Baptiste Frechette unless they members of their direct family. It would be an understatement to say that the arrest of Etienne Parent and Jean - Baptiste Frechette caused a significant stir in the lower Canada. Not the
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The Arrest of Etienne Parent - Part IV

I finished the last post with, 'At the prison they were " imprisoned with other political prisoners; Mr. Rousseau, Teed, Chasseur, and Dumont".'  Who were these " other political prisoners"?  Pierre Chasseur Pierre Chasseur was a gilder and wood carver. He came from a less affluent background and he was not well educated. After apprenticing as a gilder Pierre Chasseur also began to carve wood as well. It is interesting that Pierre Chasseur had an interest in natural history but he started collecting at a time when an interest in arts and science was flourishing in Quebec. It is not known when he started collecting but by 1824 Pierre Chasseur had a significant collection of animals, particularly birds that was housed in his home on  Rue Sainte-Hélène (Rue McMahon) in the Upper Town of Quebec City. When the government acquired his collection in 1830 he had over 500 specimens. Pierre Chasseur was closely involved with the rebellions of 1837 and 1838. He made hi
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