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You're listening to an Airwave Media podcast. Hello and thanks for joining Revolution 250. This is where we remember events that took place 250 years ago this week. It is a short bonus episode from the American Revolution Podcast to remember these important anniversaries from the Revolutionary War. This week we remember the arrival of a delegation from the Continental Congress in in Montreal on April 29, 1776. This episode is brought to you by Ethos. Life insurance has always been important to me. When my grandfather died young and without insurance, it was a disaster. My father and his two brothers nearly ended up in an orphanage because my grandmother had no way to support them. If not for the charitable generosity of some other family members, my family would have been ripped apart. I was sure to get my own policy as soon as I had children. It's simply part of being a responsible parent. Ethos makes getting life insurance fast and easy. It's completely online, there's no medical exam and you can get your coverage in minutes. Ethos gives you the best rate from a network of trusted carriers. Take 10 minutes to get covered today with life insurance through Ethos. Get your free quote@ethos.com Revolution that's E T H O S.com Revolution application times may vary, rates may vary, but don't put this off. Check out their options today. The Continental Congress really wanted the province of Quebec to join the Revolutionary War. It was the one really large colony that had not done so. Quebec was largely populated by French speaking colonists. When France turned over Quebec to Britain at the end of the Seven Years War, the French colonists simply remained there and they had to give their allegiance to King George in doing so. Ironically, Quebec probably had fewer freedoms than the other British colonies in North America, but it had always been that way. The French colonists were just happy to live under the same conditions, or maybe even slightly better conditions than had existed when they were a French colony. Many feared that joining a rebellion would only get them expelled, as had happened to the French Acadians during the last war. The Continentals, however, believed that a united front against British rule would be the best chance for all of them to be successful. Congress had already sent pamphlets and encouraged military officers to engage with the Canadians, but nothing seemed to move them. In February, Congress named a commission made up of Benjamin Franklin, Samuel Chase, and Charles Carroll. That third member, Carroll was a Catholic who also spoke French. He came along to assure the Catholics in Canada that America would respect their right to practice their religion. He even brought along his cousin John Carroll, who was a Catholic Priest. When the Continental army had first arrived in the Quebec region region in the summer of 1775, many locals were actually open to the idea of joining in the movement with the other American colonies. They provided goods and services to the army. However, they were quickly disappointed to be paid in worthless paper currency or simply promissory notes. They believed that Congress was broke and really could not afford to prosecute a war. Also, General David Wooster alienated the population by arresting many locals believed to be supporting the British or just not showing sufficient enthusiasm for the Patriot cause. And he treated the populace as a conquered people rather than a liberated people. General Benedict Arnold had been in command of the army besieging Quebec City when General Worcester was given command of Montreal. Worcester had seniority over Arnold and moved up to Quebec to take command there. Arnold and Wooster, who were both from Connecticut, already hated each other, even did before the war began. Rather than serve under General Worcester, Arnold moved his command back down to Montreal. He was there when the congressional delegation arrived. On April 29th. The congressional committee met with local leaders, offering them assurances that they would have free and undisturbed exercise of their religion, Catholicism. They would have possession and enjoyment of their property and estates, rights to enact their own laws governing their colony, representation in the Continental Congress, the establishment of a free press, and a guarantee of mutual defense along with the other colonies. But as I said, by this time the locals had been soured against the Continentals. A British relief force was expected to arrive soon and would probably overrun the region. Any locals who supported the Patriot cause would suffer for taking that position. General Arnold suggested that the best way to get the locals to support the cause was to pay them for the supplies that they had already provided to the army. The Congressional committee made the request to Congress, but Congress really was broke. They didn't have the money to make this strategy work. Franklin remained in Montreal for about two weeks before giving up on the possibility of success. The other delegates remained for another three weeks, but left after it became clear that British reinforcements would soon retake the region. This ended the last serious effort to bring Canada into the war on the side of the Patriots. After the relief army took control under General Burgoyne. Later that spring, the Continentals pulled back to New York and went on the defensive. Loyalists from many of the lower colonies moved into Canada, making the local population far more Loyalist than it had been before the war. I hope you've enjoyed this revolution. 250 moment. For more details on the topic, check out episode 80 at blog.amrevpodcast.com youm can also subscribe for free to the whole podcast on whatever podcast platform you like. Thanks again for listening to this Revolution250 moment on the American Revolution podcast.