Dear Louis VachonI’ve heard that you yourself have issued a statement of the next face that should be on the new 5 dollar bill. As many people have been debating, I’m supporting lord Elgin in this matter, since I do respect him in many ways for his life achievements and accomplishments.
In this letter I’m writing to you, many of my opinions will not meet your expectations of Lord Elgin but I do hope you could look at it in a different perspective. Let’s begin with Lord Elgin Background for starters.Lord Elgin known as Bruce James 8th Earl of Elgin and 12th Earl of Kincardine, he was born on the 20th of July, 1811 in London, he was the 2nd son of Thomas Bruce his father. As young man he was educated at Eton and Christ Church of Oxford.
During his studies he worked so Intensively that he injured his health, nevertheless he graduated from Oxford. He returned to Scotland to help in family affairs. In 1834 he addressed a letter to the electors of Great Britain which in his hopes it be elected. Unfortunately he failed to win the election because of entering late. In 1842 however he accepted appointment as governor of Jamaica and went there with his wife. In Jamaica Lord Elgin found a society divided by racial differences. In 1846 saddened by the loss of his wife, he returned back to England to find himself invited by the Colonial secretary, Lord Grey to assume the governorship of Canada.
During one Elgin’s political affair. Elgin and the new Colonial Secretary, Earl Grey, believed it offered the best way to settle a Canadian political strife. When the Draper-Viger administration lost the election of 1848 to a Reform majority, Elgin commissioned Louis-Hippolyte LAFONTAINE to form the first truly responsible government, after Lord Elgin was known for introducing the first practice of responsible government into the Government. In 1849 the new administration passed the REBELLION LOSSES BILL and Elgin gave the bill his assent, which compensated the people who had suffered damage by acts of the troops and government in suppressing the rebellion of 1837 in lower Canada, the Royal commission had recommended payment for losses incurred by those not actually convicted of rebellious acts.
but Elgin’s act was not without its consequences. Evoking vehement Tory opposition, Elgin was attacked by angry mobs and the parliament buildings in Montreal were burned. It could go unsaid that what Lord Elgin did was wrong because even all many important buildings were burned, Lord Elgin helped many people, knowing the Tories would’ve eventually attack, this left a good expression of Elgin on the people, which has lead his life to go down in history.To close this letter off, is that I hope that you would consider Lord Elgin to be on the next 5 dollar bill out of many others that have came this far to be written into history. Sincerely Mike Peng
