La Minerve
Encyclopedia
La Minerve was a newspaper founded in Montreal
, Lower Canada
(present-day Quebec
) by Augustin-Norbert Morin
to promote the political goals of Louis-Joseph Papineau
's Parti patriote. It was notably directed by Ludger Duvernay
in its earlier years. It existed from 1826 to 1837, and again from 1842 to May 27, 1899. Throughout the years, it went from being a radical paper to a conservative one.
founder Ludger Duvernay in 1827. It was prohibited in 1837 during the events surrounding the Patriotes Rebellion, which sought to establish an independent republic
for Lower Canada. Back from exile in the United States (he had been forbidden to return by Lord Durham because of his role in the Rebellion), Duvernay started publication again in 1842.
It then defended the idea of responsible government
and, after the passing of Duvernay in 1852, the paper was the propriety of a number of people before becoming the organ of the Conservative Party of Canada
. It became a daily in 1864 and defended the Canadian Confederation
project, denounced by Papineau and becoming reality in 1867. The paper lost its governmental support when the Conservatives lost power in 1896
to the Liberal Party of Canada
. Money became scarce and the last edition was published on May 27, 1899.
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Lower Canada
Lower Canada
The Province of Lower Canada was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence...
(present-day Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
) by Augustin-Norbert Morin
Augustin-Norbert Morin
Augustin-Norbert Morin was a lawyer, judgeBorn in Saint-Michel, Lower Canada, into a large Roman Catholic farming family, Morin was identified by the parish priest at a young age as a boy of exceptional talent and intelligence. The parish priest therefore arranged for his education at the...
to promote the political goals of Louis-Joseph Papineau
Louis-Joseph Papineau
Louis-Joseph Papineau , born in Montreal, Quebec, was a politician, lawyer, and the landlord of the seigneurie de la Petite-Nation. He was the leader of the reformist Patriote movement before the Lower Canada Rebellion of 1837–1838. His father was Joseph Papineau, also a famous politician in Quebec...
's Parti patriote. It was notably directed by Ludger Duvernay
Ludger Duvernay
Ludger Duvernay was born in Verchères, Quebec, Canada.He was a printer by profession and published a number of newspapers including the Gazette des Trois-Rivières, the first newspaper in Lower Canada outside of Quebec City and Montreal, and also La Minerve, which supported the Parti patriote and...
in its earlier years. It existed from 1826 to 1837, and again from 1842 to May 27, 1899. Throughout the years, it went from being a radical paper to a conservative one.
History
It was first published on November 9, 1826 and was soon bought by journalist and future Saint-Jean-Baptiste SocietySaint-Jean-Baptiste Society
The Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society is an institution in Quebec dedicated to the protection of Quebec francophone interests and to the promotion of Quebec Sovereignism. Its current President is Mario Beaulieu....
founder Ludger Duvernay in 1827. It was prohibited in 1837 during the events surrounding the Patriotes Rebellion, which sought to establish an independent republic
Republic
A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...
for Lower Canada. Back from exile in the United States (he had been forbidden to return by Lord Durham because of his role in the Rebellion), Duvernay started publication again in 1842.
It then defended the idea of responsible government
Responsible government
Responsible government is a conception of a system of government that embodies the principle of parliamentary accountability which is the foundation of the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy...
and, after the passing of Duvernay in 1852, the paper was the propriety of a number of people before becoming the organ of the Conservative Party of Canada
Conservative Party of Canada (historical)
The Conservative Party of Canada has gone by a variety of names over the years since Canadian Confederation. Initially known as the "Liberal-Conservative Party", it dropped "Liberal" from its name in 1873, although many of its candidates continued to use this name.As a result of World War I and the...
. It became a daily in 1864 and defended the Canadian Confederation
Canadian Confederation
Canadian Confederation was the process by which the federal Dominion of Canada was formed on July 1, 1867. On that day, three British colonies were formed into four Canadian provinces...
project, denounced by Papineau and becoming reality in 1867. The paper lost its governmental support when the Conservatives lost power in 1896
Canadian federal election, 1896
The Canadian federal election of 1896 was held on June 23, 1896 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 8th Parliament of Canada. Though the Conservative Party won a plurality of the popular vote, the Liberal Party, led by Wilfrid Laurier, won the majority of seats to form the...
to the Liberal Party of Canada
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
. Money became scarce and the last edition was published on May 27, 1899.
Trivia
- From June 14, 1830 to September 7, 1848, its namesake MinervaMinervaMinerva was the Roman goddess whom Romans from the 2nd century BC onwards equated with the Greek goddess Athena. She was the virgin goddess of poetry, medicine, wisdom, commerce, weaving, crafts, magic...
appeared upon the first page. - The town of La Minerve, QuebecLa Minerve, QuebecLa Minerve is a village and municipality in the Laurentides region of Quebec, Canada, part of the Les Laurentides Regional County Municipality....
, and Lake La Minerve within this town are named after the newspaper. - The title of the paper is apparently based on the French newspaper La Minerve. Titles of things such as newspapers and organizations inspired from France were common at the time.
See also
- List of Quebec historical newspapers
- List of Quebec media
- Quebec independence movement
- History of QuebecHistory of QuebecQuebec has played a special role in Canadian history; it is the site where French settlers founded the colony of Canada in the 17th and 18th centuries.-Paleoindian Era :...
External links
- Digitized issues of La Minerve at the Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du QuébecBibliothèque et Archives nationales du QuébecBibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec is the Crown corporation acting as the provincial library and archives of Quebec...