The term Quebecois refers to the most often French speaking, but any resident, Canadians residing in the province of Quebec. In 1775, the majority of Quebec's 5,000 inhabitants were French speaking. In 2013, there are an estimated 6.1 million speaking French as their 1st language. 98% of Quebec speaks French as a 1st or 2nd language, whereas the Quebecois speak French as their 1st language. The majority of the Quebecois are Roman Catholic, with minorities such as Protestant. 

After the French defeat on the Plains of Abraham, there was increased immigration such as English, Irish, and Scottish. This 'melting pot' caused English to be widely accepted as a lingua franca of trade and commerce. Some settlers in the Thirteen Colonies also migrated. The difference in language caused contention over the importance of French or English.The failure of Britain to assimilate the new immigrants into Quebec resulted in the passing of several acts, such as the 1791 Constitution Act. This gave the Loyalists a separate government in Upper Canada. The act attempted to protect the Quebecois New World French culture, which blended traditional French and modern North American influences (example of syncretism). Their values included gender equality, French primacy, and secularization in separating church and state. They embraced nationalism as a means to survive in a predominately English-speaking continent.