How did the British settlers in Quebec feel about the Quebec Act?

• A. Indifferent.
• B. Outraged, and thought rights were being curtailed and taxes imposed.
• C. Welcomed it as protection.
• D. Sought more rights.

Answer: (B)

Shifts in governance and rights under imperial policy shape how people in a colony respond to new measures. The Quebec Act extended Quebec’s territory, protected Catholic rights, and preserved French civil law. For British settlers in Quebec, this changed the legal and political landscape they were used to under English rule, reducing the influence of English common law and Protestant institutions and moving authority toward a system they didn’t control. Many felt their own rights and opportunities were being curtailed by a policy that favored French Canadians and Catholic practice, and they viewed it as an imposition from London rather than a protection of their interests. That sense of being governed by a system that constrained their rights and shifted power led to anger and resentment, making outraged the most fitting reaction.