Throughout the ages, many colonies of earlier empires have arisen from.

             their colonial status to become their own country. For many of these, such.

             as the United States, French Indochina and many African nations, their was.

             a common culture which served as a base for uniting their population. In.

             Canada however, their were two very different cultures present, the French.

             and the English. These two peoples had originally had many battles to see.

             who would hold dominance over the colony, and now they had to unite if.

             their was any hope of achieving confederation. The French people of lower.

             Canada and the English people of Upper Canada had many differences, and.

             weren't extremely trustworthy of each other. The French Canadians were in.

             a tough spot when the call for confederation came around. They were afraid.

             of losing their culture if they joined the Canadian confederacy, but they.

             also didn't want to get assimilated into the United States. The French.

             Canadian attitudes towards confederation in the eighteen sixty's, can best.

             be seen through the views of the leading French Canadian politicians of the.

             day.

             In French Canada around the period of confederacy, their were two main.

             political parties, the bleus and the rouges. In the 1860's, the leading.

             French Canadian party was the conservative bleu party. This party, had the.

             largest bloc of French Canadian legislative seats in parliament.1 The.

             leader of this party at the time that confederacy was being debated by.

             leading Canadian politicians was George Etienne Cartier. Cartier was born.

             in 1814,2 and his grandfather had been a member of the Lower Canadian.

             assembly in 1809.3 Prior to becoming a French leader in the move towards.

             confederation, Cartier had been involved in the Rebellion of 1837 that was.

             lead by Louis Joseph Papineau.4 When the question of confederation came.

             up, Cartier was quick to add his support to the movement. At the time,.

             their had been debates whether the current Parliament like assembly should.