Between 1815 and 1840 Upper Canada was under the influence of some elite individuals known as the "Covenant Family". These individuals dominated through control of large amounts of land and their dominance over the various branches of government. With their hold on the government of Upper Canada, the Family Compact aimed to create a government that regulated all aspects of society. However the Canadian people did not like the dominance of family compacts in the political system of Upper Canada and when attempts were made to reform the Canadian political system through democratic means the people resorted to rebellion. The rebels are led primarily by William Lyon Mackenzie, a prominent member of the Reform Party and newspaper owner who took inspiration from the American Revolution. The British government acted quickly to end the rebellion. Although the rebellion was put down, the Family Covenant began to lose its influence in Canadian politics and was expelled from moderate parties. Looking at the sources and writings of the time we can observe that the Upper Canadian Rebellion of 1837-1839 was caused by the oligarchic Family Compact government in Upper Canada. This can be seen to be true by looking at the socioeconomic differences that divided the Covenant Family from the colonists, how the Covenant Family held power and how that power was acquired and maintained, and the religious conflict between the Colonists and the Covenant Family. The social and economic differences that divided the Family Compact and the common people of Canada can be traced to early immigration to Canada and the socioeconomic gaps that widened before, during and after the period of rapid population growth that Canada underwent beginning in 1815 - 1840. Before this period of po...... half of the document ......en/article/rebellion-in-upper-canada/CW Jeffereys, “The Rebels March Upon Toronto”, www.cinefocus.com, accessed November 26, 2013 http://stevendbennett.wordpress.com/essays/popular-mythology-and-the-rebellions-of-1837-in-upper-canada/ Francis et. all, 313Colin Read and Ronald J. Stagg, “The Causes of the Rebellion,” in Visions: The Canadian History Modules Project, (Toronto:Nelson, 2011), 322-323 http://thecanadianencyclopedia.com/en/article/ rebellion-in-upper-canada/ Francis et. all, 314Francis et. all, 324 http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/mackenzie_william_lyon_9E.html William Lyon Mackenzie, “W.L. Mackenzie on Resistance to Oppression,” in Visions: The Canadian History Modules Project, (Toronto: Nelson, 2011) , 306Constitutional act of 1791Francis et. all, 314 http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/strachan_john_9E.html Francis et. All, 323-324.