eld on , ▁D ut cher ▁& ▁Co ., ▁a ▁found ry ▁and ▁Toronto ' s ▁largest ▁employ er ▁with ▁over ▁ 8 0 ▁employees ▁in ▁late ▁ 1 8 3 6 , ▁bank rupt ing ▁the ▁company . ▁Not ▁surprising ly , ▁Mack en zie ' s ▁first ▁plan ▁for ▁re bell ion ▁involved ▁calling ▁on ▁Sh eld on ▁& ▁D ut cher ' s ▁men ▁to ▁storm ▁the ▁city ▁hall , ▁where ▁the ▁milit ia ' s ▁guns ▁were ▁stored . ▁ ▁Econom ic ▁dist ress ▁ ▁The ▁br unt ▁of ▁this ▁economic ▁dist ress ▁was ▁felt ▁by ▁the ▁common ▁far mers . ▁One ▁fifth ▁of ▁British ▁imm igr ants ▁arrived ▁in ▁Upper ▁Canada ▁imp over ished . ▁Most ▁imm igr ant ▁far mers ▁lack ed ▁the ▁capital ▁to ▁pay ▁for ▁purchased ▁land . ▁The ▁large ▁deb ts ▁they ▁ow ed ▁were ▁comp ounded ▁by ▁the ▁bad ▁har vest , ▁and ▁deb t ▁collection ▁laws ▁that ▁allowed ▁for ▁them ▁to ▁be ▁ja iled ▁in def initely ▁until ▁they ▁paid ▁their ▁lo ans ▁off ▁to ▁mer ch ants . ▁The ▁situation ▁was ▁made ▁worse ▁in ▁March ▁ 1 8 3 7 ▁when ▁the ▁T ories ▁passed ▁a ▁law ▁making ▁it ▁che aper ▁to ▁sue ▁far mers : ▁city ▁mer ch ants ▁could ▁sue ▁in ▁the ▁middle ▁of ▁har vest , ▁and ▁if ▁the ▁far mer ▁refused ▁to ▁come ▁to ▁court ▁in ▁Toronto , ▁they ▁would ▁automatically ▁for fe it ▁the ▁case ▁and ▁be ▁subject ed ▁to ▁a ▁sh er iff ' s