Page "History of Quebec" Paragraph 36

The Quebec Act of 1774 was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain setting procedures of governance in the Province of Quebec.

Among other components, this act restored the use of the French civil law for private matters while maintaining the use of the English common law for public administration ( including criminal prosecution ), replaced the oath of allegiance so that it no longer made reference to the Protestant faith, and guaranteed free practice of the Catholic faith.

The purpose of this Act was to secure the allegiance of the French Canadians with unrest growing in the American colonies to the south.