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John Graves Simcoe Facts & Worksheets

John Graves Simcoe was an army officer and a lieutenant-governor of Upper Canada. He also served as an officer for the British Army during the American Revolutionary War.

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John Graves Simcoe was an army officer and a lieutenant-governor of Upper Canada. He also served as an officer for the British Army during the American Revolutionary War. Simcoe was widely-known as the lieutenant-governor of the New British Colony of Upper Canada, which became Ontario later on.

See the fact file below for more information on the John Graves Simcoe or alternatively, you can download our 23-page John Graves Simcoe worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

BIOGRAPHY

  • John Graves Simcoe was born in Cotterstock, England on February 25, 1752. He was the son of Captain John Simcoe and Katherine Stamford. His father was the commander of the British warship HMS Pembroke and was part of the British military expedition to Quebec in 1759 that led to New France’s conquering.
  • Simcoe was only seven years old when his father died from pneumonia near Anticosti Island before even the actual conflict.
  • After his father’s death, he and his mother returned to Exeter, where he started his education. Simcoe completed his terms at Eton College and Merton College, Oxford.
  • He wanted to pursue a military career and, in 1770, achieved a commission as ensign in the 35th Regiment of Foot.

SIMCOE AT AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY WAR

  • Two days after the Battle of Bunker Hill, Simcoe arrived in America and sought unsuccessfully to raise a corps of free Black troops. During the succeeding siege of Boston, Simcoe purchased a captaincy in the 40th Regiment of Foot.
  • With this regiment, Simcoe participated in campaigns in Long Island, New York City, Brandywine, and New Jersey, Pennsylvania, where he was also wounded.
  • Simcoe developed an interest for light infantry, particularly in American theatre. It was based on the concept of individual fitness, quick movement, and battlefield discipline.
  • Simcoe took over the command of Queen’s Rangers with the provincial rank of major in October 1777. The Rangers were active in campaigns in Pennsylvania, Richmond, and Yorktown.
  • Simcoe led the Loyalist legion of light horse and foot troops in the skirmishes at Quintan’s Bridge and Hancock’s Bridge.
  • He achieved great personal success and reputation as a tactical theorist. Before the surrender of the British at Yorktown, Simcoe was returned home in 1781 with the rank of lieutenant-colonel.

LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR OF UPPER CANADA

  • While Simcoe was recovering in England, he met Elizabeth Posthuma Gwillim. They were married on December 30, 1782. After a brief term in the British Parliament, he received a commission on September 12, 1791, becoming the first lieutenant-governor of Upper Canada.
  • Simcoe wanted to have an independent governorship. However, he was disappointed when Guy Carleton, who was a Lord Dorchester, became his subordinate.
  • In 1792, Simcoe arrived in Newark (Niagara-on-the-Lake). With the possibility of renewed aggression between Britain and the United States, Simcoe stated that Newark, situated on the Upper Canadian-US border, was a poor choice for the provincial capital.
  • With this, he temporarily moved the capital to York on the north shore of Lake Ontario.
  • Originally, he preferred that London in the southwestern part of the colony was not supported by Guy Carleton. That is why York, which is Toronto today, became the permanent seat of the government.

ACHIEVEMENTS

  • Simcoe had some administrative achievements and several more judicial problems. Simcoe succeeded in his first legislative session in passing the bills that established British Civil Law, trial by jury, usage of British Winchester standards of measure, and provision of courthouses and jails.
  • One of his important and most significant achievements was passing the Act Against Slavery on July 9, 1793. This act marked the end of the slavery of Canadians to Americans.
  • The act also released slaves from entering Upper Canada from the United States. However, it did not free existing adult slaves who were already in residence. The constitution came after 40 years before the Slavery Abolition Act, which also later outlawed slavery in most empires.
  • Simcoe also admired American entrepreneurship. He decided to create a policy granting land to American settlers to help economic growth.
  • Simcoe also constructed two significant roads that were designed for military purposes and influenced future settlements: Dundas Street from Burlington Bay to a certain site in London, and Yonge Street from north to Holland Landing.

FAILED POLICIES

  • Simcoe initiated the re-establishment of the Queen’s Rangers regiment. However, out of the 12 companies he asked, only two infantry companies came to fruition. With this, Carleton remained in command over their deployment. The rangers ended up being road builders.
  • Other initiatives for social growth and economic growth suggested by Simcoe had disappointing results. Simcoe initially wanted to catch the attention of the traders of the Western American settlements.
  • However, Simcoe was not able to persuade Britain’s imperial government to finance the projects or exempt Simcoe from the military authority of Guy Carleton, who was based in Quebec.

LEGACY

  • There is no perfect administration or leader. Simcoe’s legacy is still present up in modern-day Ontario: his town bears his name, ‘Simcoe County’.
  • There is an August civic holiday known as Simcoe Day in Toronto. Many streets and schools were named after him in Ontario, including John and Simcoe streets in Toronto.
  • Simcoe also has a statue that was built in his honor at the Queen’s Park in 1903.

John Graves Simcoe Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about John Graves Simcoe across 23 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use John Graves Simcoe worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about John Graves Simcoe who was an army officer and a lieutenant-governor of Upper Canada. He also served as an officer for the British Army during the American Revolutionary War. Simcoe was widely-known as the lieutenant-governor of the New British Colony of Upper Canada, which became Ontario later on.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • John Graves Simcoe Facts
  • Simcoe Profile
  • Timeline of the Lieutenant
  • Portraying Simcoe
  • Filling the Command
  • Jumbled Rangers
  • Simcoe’s Achievements
  • Questions of the Lieutenant
  • Fact or Bluff?
  • Words of the Superior
  • Analysis of Simcoe

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Use With Any Curriculum

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