Louis-Joseph Papineau facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Louis Joseph Papineau
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| Born | October 7, 1787 |
| Died | September 23, 1871 (aged 84) Montebello, Quebec, Canada
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| Nationality | Lower Canadian |
| Occupation | Lawyer, Member of Provincial Parliament, Speaker of the House of Assembly |
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Louis-Joseph Papineau (born October 7, 1786, died September 23, 1871) was an important politician and lawyer from Quebec. He was also the owner of a large piece of land called the seigneurie de la Petite-Nation. Papineau led a group called the Patriote movement who wanted to change how Lower Canada was governed. This was before the Lower Canada Rebellion of 1837–1838. His father, Joseph Papineau, was also a politician. Louis-Joseph was the oldest of eight children. His grandson, Henri Bourassa, became a famous journalist.
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Early Life and Education
Louis-Joseph Papineau was a very energetic child. He went to school in Montreal at the Collège Saint-Raphaël. Later, he studied at the Petit Séminaire de Québec. After finishing school, he decided to become a lawyer. He learned from his cousin, Denis-Benjamin Viger.
Papineau spent a lot of his childhood on his family's land, the seigniory of la Petite Nation. His father bought this land in 1801.
Starting in Politics
In 1808, Papineau was elected as a member of parliament for Kent (now Chambly, Quebec). He became a lawyer in Lower Canada in 1810. He also served as a soldier during the War of 1812.
In 1822, Papineau traveled to London with John Neilson. They carried a petition with 60,000 signatures. This petition was against a plan to unite Upper and Lower Canada.
Leading the Patriotes
In 1826, Papineau became the leader of the Patriotes. This group wanted to make big changes to the government. In 1831, he helped pass a law that gave Jewish people full political rights. This happened 27 years before other parts of the British Empire. This was partly because Ezekiel Hart, a Jewish man, had helped support troops defending Canada.
Papineau also helped write the Ninety-Two Resolutions in 1834. These were a list of demands from the people of Lower Canada. They asked for an elected Legislative Council and an Executive Council that would answer to the people's representatives.
Speaker of the Assembly
On January 21, 1815, Papineau was chosen as the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada. He also became the leader of the Parti Canadien. Under his leadership, the party worked to improve Lower Canada's government. They strongly opposed the unfair actions of the appointed Legislative Council.
In 1820, the governor, Lord Dalhousie, offered Papineau a position on the Legislative Council. But Papineau refused it.
The Rebellion and Exile
The British government did not agree with the 92 Resolutions. Instead, they issued their own set of ten resolutions in 1837. These were called the Russell Resolutions. They rejected all of the Patriotes' demands.
After this, Papineau led many protests. He helped organize a boycott of British goods in Lower Canada. On November 15, he created the Conseil des Patriotes with Edmund Bailey O'Callaghan. The governor, Lord Gosford, ordered their arrest. Papineau and O'Callaghan had to flee Montreal. They crossed the border into the United States on November 25.
On February 8, 1839, Papineau left New York City for Paris, France. He hoped France would help the cause in Canada. He wrote a book called History of the insurrection in Canada. Even though he met with important politicians, France stayed neutral.
Papineau was forced to live in exile for a while. He visited Italy and Switzerland. In 1845, he was allowed to return to Montreal. By then, Lower Canada had joined with Upper Canada to form the Province of Canada.
Return to Politics
In 1848, Papineau was elected to the new Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada. He disagreed with the new French Canadian Liberal Party. He sat as an independent member. Papineau believed in a republic, like the United States. He even supported a plan for Canada to join the United States.
Papineau helped create the Parti rouge. He was defeated in the 1851 election but won a special election in 1852. He did not run for election again in 1854. He retired from public life. He gave one last speech in December 1867. Louis-Joseph Papineau died at his home in Montebello, Quebec on September 23, 1871.
Family Life
Papineau married Julie Bruneau in Quebec City on April 29, 1818. They had nine children together:
- Amédée Papineau (1819–1903)
- Didier Papineau (1820–1821)
- Lachance Papineau (1822–1862)
- Arthur Papineau (1824–1825)
- Aurelie Papineau (1826–1830)
- Ézilda Papineau (1828–1894) – she had dwarfism and lived her whole life in Montebello, Quebec.
- Gustave Papineau (1830–1851)
- Charles Papineau (1833–1834)
- Azélie Papineau (1834–1869) – she married the artist Napoléon Bourassa and was the mother of Henri Bourassa.
Memorials
Both Papineau's manor house in Montebello and his house in Montreal are National Historic Sites. The Montebello property is open to visitors during certain months. Papineau himself was named a National Historic Person in 1937. A special plaque was put up in 2022 to honor him at Montebello.
On October 21, 2012, a monument was unveiled in his memory in Saint-Denis-sur-Richelieu.
A metro station in Montreal, Papineau, is named after him. There is also a high school in Montreal called L'École Secondaire Louis-Joseph Papineau.
Images for kids
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Louis-Joseph Papineau's signature
See also
In Spanish: Louis-Joseph Papineau para niños
- Quebec nationalism
- History of Quebec
- Timeline of Quebec history
- Denis-Benjamin Papineau
- Société des Fils de la Liberté
