🏛️ Chapter 3: Canada's History
What did the Quebec Act of 1774 change?
Correct answer: It gave Catholics freedom of worship and brought back French civil law
A It divided Quebec into Upper and Lower Canada
B It abolished slavery in the province
✓ It gave Catholics freedom of worship and brought back French civil law
D It created Canada's first elected assembly
💡 Explanation
Britain passed the Act so it could govern a province that was overwhelmingly French and Catholic, and it counts among Canada's constitutional cornerstones. Catholics gained freedom of worship and the right to take public office, something still barred to them in Britain at the time, and French civil law came back while criminal law stayed British.
Key facts to remember
- Quebec Act of 1774: a constitutional foundation of Canada
- Gave religious freedom to Catholics and let them hold public office
- Catholics could not hold office in Britain itself at that time
- Restored French civil law but kept British criminal law
Why this is the answer
From the official Discover Canada study guide — 3.2.2 A Tradition of Accommodation:
To govern the French Roman Catholic majority better, the British Parliament passed the Quebec Act of 1774. It is one of the constitutional foundations of Canada. The Act fitted British institutions to the real situation in the province. It gave Catholics freedom of religion, and let them hold public office — something Catholics were not allowed to do in Britain at that time. It also brought back French civil law, while criminal law stayed British.
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