Charles Law

Brother Benjamin: a Man for Confrontation Charles Law

Unlike his brothers Moses and Ezekiel, Benjamin Hart, the third son of Aaron, chooses the path of orthodoxy-not only in his lifestyle but also in his class allegiance. The commercial prowess of Moses and Ezekiel notwithstanding, the Hart brother most directly responsible for affecting the course of Lower Canada's history is certainly Benjamin. At first Benjamin seems an unlikely agent of change; but in forsaking Trois-Rivières for Montreal, he is able to ingratiate himself with an administration that is determined to recast Lower Canada into a British colonial state, as free as possible of feudal restrictions.

Led by Louis-Joseph Papineau, the head of the Patriotes, the Canadien majority increasingly defies British rule. In 1837, when news breaks of the passage of new measures in the British Parliament to fend off actions by the local Assembly, not only the Patriotes but also many in the Hart clan condemn this latest initiative. Benjamin Hart, however, has a different outlook. Since he was appointed a justice of the peace that year, he finds himself called to respond to the outbreak of mob violence in Montreal's streets. How will he be rewarded for his loyalty to the British Crown?