Canadian History 1201 Notes

Confederation Day:  July 1^st, 1867

 Chapter 1

Factors Leading to Confederation

1. War and Expansion in the United States

·        The American Civil War:  Britain appeared to support the South in its efforts – the North won.  The British North American Colonies feared that the US (now controlled by the government of the North) would take revenge for Britain’s interference.

·        Manifest Destiny:  Ideas about the United States attempting to take control of the British Colonies to the north caused great fear – it was thought that since the US was now decidedly one country, it would begin an expansion campaign to take over the entire North American Continent. 

·        Purchase of Alaska:  The US acquired ownership of Alaska from the Russian Government.  This increased the fear that the US would soon attempt a northern expansion, beginning in the West and Central parts of the continent.  In addition, the “Gold Rush” of the late 1800s (i.e. the Klondike) brought hoards of American people into British Columbia.

2. Fenian Raids
• After the Civil War, Irish American troops invaded parts of British North America.  The Fenians, as they were called, were a large number of Irish immigrants to the US who fled Europe to escape British rule.  They were attacking British North America because they thought that if they took over the colonies, they could hold them hostage and release them only in exchange for the freedom of their country from oppression.
• The Fenian Raids led to the opinion that the colonies could better defend themselves if they operated as a unified country.
• These raids also seemed to be supported by the US media at the time and the British North American Colonies thought that the US Government ought to have halted the attacks against them – again, the colonies felt threatened by the US.

3. The Trouble With Trade
• The Reciprocity Treaty – 1854:  This treaty allowed free trade among the US and the British North American Colonies and also, it allowed each party to fish in the waters of the other.  In the early 1860s, rumours circulated that the US was not going to renew this 10 year contract – free Trade with the US was going to end.  The colonies, which had thus far not been operating on a free trade system with each other, now saw each other as their only hope – free trade would be easier if they were all part of the same country.

4. The Need For Rail Links
• With the notion that they would have to have free trade among themselves, the British North American Colonies saw the need for faster and more efficient modes of transportation of people and goods across the long distances between/across them.
• Attempts at each colony building the railway and having them linked together were pitiful at best – if they wanted to have a railway of their own that stretched the distance from the East to the West coast of the continent, they would have to pool their resources (i.e collaborate and share the expenses – that is, become a unified country).

5. Changing British Attitudes
• The Little Englanders:  a group of English citizens that believed that the British North American Colonies were a drain on Britain’s resources.  It was their opinion that the colonies should look out for their own interests.
• To make matters worse, during the same time that this group was beginning to gain support for its “cause,” the Fenians were raiding the colonies – this certainly did not help matters for the colonies in terms of support.

All of these factors contributed to the growing idea that the British North American Colonies were in great danger.  They feared take over by the US, which was heightened by the Fenian Raids; they were about to lose their free trade contract with the US and they had none with each other; they required (but did not have) the ability to transport goods quickly across the continent and they were losing their support system in Britain.  They had to do something. 

The Struggle for Unity:

 The Charlottetown Conference of 1864

• Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island were planning to meet and discuss the possibility for a union of their colonies.
• Canadian politicians (the leaders of the central British North American Colonies) requested the opportunity to join in the discussions with the proposal of an even greater union between the colonies.
• The conference lasted about a week and as a result of it, the maritime colonies set aside the notion of their previously proposed union in order to further discuss the Canadians’ proposal of unity.

The Quebec Conference of 1864

• Delegates                     Colony

7          New Brunswick

7          Prince Edward Island

5          Nova Scotia

2          Newfoundland

12      Canada East & West

• Agreement on one main point:  “the union must be a strong one that could not be broken by any one province” (11).
• Seventy-two Resolutions – the plan for the new partnership of the colonies.
• These resolutions had to be taken away from the conference and presented to each colony by their representative deligates.

Seesaw in New Brunswick

• Premier Leonard Tilley supported Confederation.
• Anti-Confederationists made fun of the proposed union, saying that the subsidy which was to be provided to each province in the new union resulted in each person in NB being sold for $.80 each.
• The first vote resulted in failure.
• This was very important because without NB, Confederation could not work!  -- NB was the only land link between Canada and the other Atlantic colonies.
• Tilley traveled all over the colony, spreading the “truth” about Confederation.
• 3 other major factors that contributed to the successful re-vote:

(i)  US ended the Reciprocity Treaty with the BNA colonies.

(ii)                The British Government sent a letter to the colony urging them to join with the other colonies.

(iii)               The Fenians attacked NB in 1866.  (The Fear Factor!!!) 

Success in Canada West

• Many politicians (eg. George Brown) gave impressive speeches to the Canadian Assembly. 
• Brown’s Six points supporting the union:

(i)        Confederation would change five unimportant colonies in to a great and powerful nation.

(ii)      It would remove the barriers to trade among the colonies and provide a market of four million people.

(iii)     Canada would become the third largest sea-going nation in the world.

(iv)    A strong new country would encourage settlers from other parts of the world.

(v)      Provision of other markets (since Reciprocity with the US had been cancelled).

(vi)    In case of war, a nation is stronger than a single colony.

·        The vote in 1865 won by a majority of  73%!

Debate in Canada East

• Critics of Confederation (eg. A.A. Dorion) held that French speaking people were being sold out.  He and others argued that the French people would not be represented well in the new government because the representation was to be based on population.
• The majority of French Canadians were convinced to vote for the union by George-Itienne Cartier who traveled around promising that they would not lose their language, their religion, or their schools.
• Cartier warned that if a union with the other BNA colonies was not sought, Canada East would be “swallowed-up” by the United States.
• The Roman Catholic Church also urged the French Canadians to join Confederation.
• 54% of the French Speaking representatives from Canada East and West voted for Confederation.

Division in Nova Scotia

• Premier Charles Tupper was excited about the union but found great opposition when he returned to his colony.
• Joseph Howe (picture on page 14)  was one of the greatest opponents to the idea of the union.
• As in NB, the notion of being sold-out to Canada in terms of the subsidy ($.40/person in NS) was central to the opposing argument.
• Howe said that “Tupper has sold out to central Canada for a grant of $.40 per person – the price of a sheepskin.”
• Tupper, like Cartier and others in the other colonies, went around personally proclaiming the good that Confederation would do for the colony.  NS was very much divided.
• Word of the Fenian Raids on NB began to circulate and fear that the same thing would happen in NS.
• People began to hint that they might reconsider if a better deal was made with Canada. 
• Tupper called a meeting of the delegates from NB and NS and Canada to be held in London, and in the end, despite strong opposition from Howe and his counterparts, the people voted for Confederation.

Rejection in Newfoundland and Labrador

• NF flat-out rejected the idea of Confederation.
• F.B.T. Carter became premier of NF and although he was one of the delegates that attended the Quebec Conference of 1864 and was in favour of confederation himself, he was unable to persuade the people to join him.
• Newfoundlanders were very proud of their ties to England and the fact that they were the very first BNA colony.
• C.F. Bennett, a St. John’s merchant claimed that there would be taxes on fishing supplies, etc and that the goods entering the colony from Canada would be so cheap that the NF products wouldn’t have a chance to sell.
• Bennett also argued that NF’s young men would have to go and fight Canada’s wars for it.
• A coffin bearing the label of confederation was paraded through the streets of St. John’s when the union was rejected – the anti-confederationists even went so far as to burry the coffin at a mock funeral.  For all intents and purposes, confederation was dead.

Rejection in Prince Edward Island

• The people of PEI held that since the idea of the union had been “born” at Charlottetown, it ought to become the capital city of the new Country.
• Fear that their interests would not be represented well in the House of Commons (they were to have only 5 out of 194 members representing them).
• The talks about the railway were of little interest to PEI because it is an island.
• The land on PEI was operating on a system of control that was similar to Feudalism and no mention of buying the land from the lords in Britain was made until the last minute – apparently, a little too late.

The London conference of 1866

• The BNA colonies still belonged to Britain so they needed its permission before forming their own country.
• Britain was in favour of the union (remember the Little Englanders) – it was hoped that if the colonies were united in Confederation, Britain would no longer have to support them.
• The BNA Act was introduced into British Parliament – this Act marked the official creation of the Dominion of Canada.
• 4 Provinces constituted this new dominion: NB, NS and the two Canadas, renamed Ontario and Quebec.
• The BNA Act was built on the Seventy-Two Resolutions set down in the Quebec Conference of 1864.
• July 1, 1867 Queen Victoria  signed the proper documents and the BNA Act came into effect.

Models for Government

• Before Confederation, the BNA Colonies had responsible government.
• After Confederation, they had two models:  The British Model and the American Model.
• Instead of choosing one over the other, they took advantage of their choices and decided to take the best aspects of each model, all the while, retaining the responsible government.
• From the British Model, they chose to create a parliamentary government.
• From the American Model, they chose the idea of a federal union.

Chapter 2

The Greatest Land Deal in History

• After confederation, Canada wanted to expand to the west.
• Rupert’s Land was owned by the Hudson’s Bay Co. and was purchased by Canada.
• On this land was the Red River Settlement.
• The sale took place in January 1969 – Canada would not be able to claim ownership until December of that same year.
• This region was to become what we now call The North-West Territories.

Trouble At Red River

• The Metis lived on the land and worked as traders – they formed the “backbone” of fur trade in the West in “the early days.”
• With the purchase of the land (i.e. their land) their entire culture and heritage was now at risk.

Background to Rebellion

• Because of the Land Deal, the Metis would be without any sort of government for almost an entire year.
• Surveyors from Canada arrived on the Metis land in June, 1869.
• The land was to be marked in squares, as opposed to the narrow strips that the Metis were used to.
• The Metis had no proof of ownership for their lands and property.
• Rumours of the new railway began to circulate (it was said that it would run right though buffalo country).
• The Metis looked to 25a. Louis Riel for leadership.
• On October 11, 1869, Riel and some others stopped a crew of surveyors on a farmer’s land.

The Red River Rebellion, 1869-70

• Riel formed the National Committee of the Metis.  
• The function of this committee was to protect the lands of the Metis.
• William McDougall was sent to govern the territory.
• The committee blocked his travel to Fort Garry and told him to return to Ottawa because no one asked them about being governed by him.
• McDougall retreated.
• Riel formed a Provisional Government which represented the Metis in dealings with the Canadian Government.

The Thomas Scott Affair

• Some people of the Red River Settlement who opposed Riel caused riots in the area.  One of these people was Thomas Scott.
• Scott was placed in jail.
• The people of Red River drew up a Metis Bill of Rights which outlined their demands.  These indicated concerns very similar to those expressed by the colonies during negotiation for confederation. 
• These were considered fair in Canada – things seemed to be going well.
• Scott managed to get in trouble in jail and ended up in front of a firing squad.
• This was not received well in Canada.
• Quebec was the exception – it agreed with the actions of the Provisional Government.
• Bitter feelings between French and English Canadians were aroused.

Aftermath of the Rebellion

·        Provisional Government and Canada agree on the Manitoba Act.

·        July 15^th, 1870, the Red River Settlement entered into Canada.

·        The small area around Fort Garry became known as  Manitoba – Canada’s Fifth province!

·        The Metis began to move westward in search of their former way of life – in essence, they were being pushed (or nudged) off their land.

·        Riel was happy with the Manitoba Act – he had founded a new province; representation for his people; land; schooling; and protection for their language.

·        Riel was ready to relinquish control of the Red River settlement to Canada.

·        J. A. Macdonald sent troops to Red River just in case there was more trouble with Riel and his associates.

·        Not only would the presence of these soldiers from Canada signify order in the new province, it would also reinforce the message that Canada was now a unified nation to the United States.

·        The soldiers took about four months to reach Manitoba because there was no railroad – they had to cut their own roadway.

·        As the got close to the new province, Riel feared that he might be taken prisoner and punished, so he fled to the United States.

British Columbia Joins Confederation

·        May 10^th, 1870 – three delegates from Victoria left to meet with Macdonald for the purposes of discussing entry into Confederation with Canada.

·        They wanted Responsible Government:  this meant that the representatives elected to the assembly would be responsible to the people of the province, not to the upper house or to Britain.  If the people became unhappy with the politicians, they could be voted out of office. 

·        They also wanted to be linked to the main body of Canada (they suggested a wagon trail).

·        Macdonald basically went bananas over the idea (he had always dreamed fanatically of building a railway).

·        Canada accepted BC’s terms.

·        On July 20, 1871, British Columbia became the sixth province of Canada.

Prince Edward Island Joins Confederation

·        Although PEI flatly refused Confederation in 1867, they were beginning to reconsider their rashness.

·        Like Canada, the Colony of PEI was also in the process of building a railway – as a result, it was in serious financial trouble.

·        They faced one of two options: higher taxes or Confederation – they chose Confederation.

·        Canada was still concerned about an attack from the south (US; Fenians) and PEI could easily be used as a platform for such an assault – they were still listening when PEI wanted to talk.

·        July 1, 1873 (exactly 6 years after Confederation proper) PEI joined with Canada.

·        Canada bought PEI’s debts, purchased the land from the Feudalist landlords in Britain, and guaranteed a full time ferry and telegraph service.

·        1880 – Britain presented the Artic Islands to Canada.

The Treaty of Washington, 1873

·        Canada began negotiations with the United States (and Britain) to re-establish a good trading relationship.

·        This was accomplished by the signing of The Treaty of Washington, after which Canada was assured that it was free from the fear of American attacks.

·        This allowed Canada to focus its full attention on expansion.

·        The Treaty allowed the US access to Canadian and Newfoundland waters for fishing.

·        In return, Canada could send fish to the US without taxes or tariffs.

·        This was a bum-deal for the maritime provinces and Newfoundland, so they began to complain.

·        1877 – the US agreed to pay $5.5 million to Canada and $2.5 million to Newfoundland.

·        These payments irritated the US, so they canceled that part of the treaty in 1885.

The Dream of a Railway

• Since before Confederation in 1867, J.A. Macdonald had been pushing for the railway.  First his reasons were trade and defense, and now, with the effort of expanding the country westward, he had another reason to support his passion.
• The building of the railway was not going to be easy – much was needed to even think of beginning: surveyors had to plot the best course for the railway (through all manner of natural obstacles), bridges and tunnels had to be designed and created and thousands of people would be needed to actually lay the track!  Not to mention that all of this would be (to say the least) expensive!
• Hugh Allan and some associates formed the Canadian Pacific Railway Company to do this job.
• News about Allan’s monetary “contributions” (i.e. bribes) to Macdonald’s government leaked out to the public – this event became known as the Pacific Scandal.
• As a result of the Pacific Scandal, Macdonald and his government were forced to resign in 1873.
• Alexander Mackenzie and the Liberal government moved into power and the idea of the railway was all but dropped.

The National Policy and the Canadian Pacific Railway

• Only a few years later (1878), Macdonald and the Conservatives were re-elected and moved back into power. 
• They put forward the infamous National Policy which was intended to solve the country’s problems.   The following was what they proposed:
• Keep cheaper American goods out of Canada.
• Encourage Canadians to buy goods made in Canada.
• Fill the rich prairie lands with settlers (remember the poster at the beginning of this chapter?).
• Encourage these settlers to buy/sell with eastern Canada.
• And (yep, you guessed it), help to make all of this possible by building an east-west railway! J

·        Not everyone was happy with this idea – some provinces (eg. NS) felt that it would be cheaper to trade with the US as they had always done.

·        This actually helped the National Policy come into effect – it reinforced the need for a cheaper and easier way to trade east-west in Canada.

·        Another company was formed to build the railway… it was given the very original name of the Canadian Pacific Railway Company. (losers) J 

·        Part of the deal with this new company was that after the railway was finished, the company would own and operate it and the government would give the company 10 million ha of land (which would later be sold to settlers).

·        This contract would be good for 20 years.

·        Also, the company would never have to pay taxes on building materials or on any of its property.

·        In return, the company promised to complete the railway within 10 years.

Building Problems

·        Nothing was easy about building the railway – Canada’s geography is about as diverse as its people! 

·        W.C. Van Horne was hired to supervise the construction – he was a very talented and experienced railroader.

·        His opinion of at least one part of the Canadian wilderness was that it was “two hundred miles of engineering impossibility.”

·        The work was dangerous and deadly – some claimed that “every kilometer of tunnel and track was stained with blood along the British Columbia section of the line.”

The Role of Chinese Workers

·        Thousands of Chinese workers were “brought in” to work on the British Columbia section of the railway.

·        Like the poor whelps in the Export Processing Zones in places like Malaysia today, the Chinese workers were exploited by the CPR Company because they were willing to work hard for half the wages that the other workers expected (what a great deal, eh?).

·        As a reward for their willingness to work, they were often given the most difficult and the most dangerous jobs – almost 200 of them were killed in railroad construction accidents.

·        Without them, BC would not have had a railway (either that, or we would have had to risk our own lives – I wonder how many accidents  would have been allowed  to happen then).

·        As always, some people were ignorant – they objected to the Chinese because they were different.  As a result, they often mistreated and abused the Chinese workers.

·        After the railway was completed, and they were no longer needed to absorb the accident factor and the expensive task of building the railway, most of the Chinese were unable to return to their homeland (probably because they didn’t get paid enough money).

·        Since then, they have been rejected but in spite of that, they have become an integral part of Canada (or so the book says… if this were the case, would we still refer to them as they?).

The Last Spike!

• 9:22a.m. on November 7^th, 1885.
• British Columbia was now linked to Canada and it had fulfilled on of the conditions for joining Confederation.
• It would now be easier for settlers to get to western Canada.
• Trade would now be easier/faster/cheaper. 

The North-West Rebellion of 1885

• Many Metis who felt stifled by life as Canadians in the new province of Manitoba went further west looking to return to their traditional way of life.
• Soon, they began to experience the same problems that the encountered at Red River – surveyors began to arrive and the railway, carrying thousands of settlers, was not far behind.
• The Metis, along with other Native nations and settlers of the North-West petitioned the Canadian Government  for help.  They wanted:

(i)                  proof that they owned their land;

(ii)                food and money in exchange for use of their lands;

(iii)               the settlers involved wanted higher prices for their wheat and a stronger voice for the region in Ottawa.

·        Before Canada could respond, the Metis had already persuaded good old Riel to return and lead them.

·        Riel decided to rely on the methods he used fifteen years earlier in Red River – old problems = old solutions.

·        The problem was that many things had changed.  For example, a new police force was in place; also, there was a railroad to transport troops from the east.

·        Whereas he had the support of the RC Church at Red River, his call to arms in the North-West lost their support (Christianity and violence have not been good bedfellows since the Inquisition, Imperialism, the invasion of South America by the Spanish, etc.).

·        In March, 1885, Riel’s forces defeated a group of police in a “skirmish.”  This was the beginning of the North-West Rebellion.

·        Ottawa wasted no time in responding – it sent 5000 troops to the North-West in less than 10 days.

·        The rebellion lasted for less than four months – Riel and his forces were defeated.

·        Riel became a prisoner of the Canadian government and faced charges of treason for taking up arms against the government.

The Trial of Louis Riel

• It has been called the most important trial in Canadian History.
• Six settlers were chosen for the Jury – all were English Protestants.
• Riel’s followers feared that the trial would not be fair (I wonder why…)
• His lawyers wanted him to plead insanity but he would not because he viewed it as a disgrace.
• Many Canadians remembered Riel’s hasty execution of Thomas Scott and wanted the equivalent for Riel.
• To other people, Riel was a hero.
• The jury was only out for 1hr, 20min before sentencing Riel to death.
• Riel was executed on November 16^th, 1885.

The Manitoba Schools Question 1890

·        When Manitoba became a province, most of the people living there were French speaking Catholics.

·        This changed as many English people settled there over the next 20 years (part of the Westward expansion).  Soon, they outnumbered the French.

·        The Manitoba Schools Act was passed in 1890.

·        This act removed Religion and the French language from Manitoba Public Schools.

·        Catholics were free to send their children to a denominational school, but the government would no longer pay for it.

·        Because each province was given rule over its own educational system in the BNA Act, protests to the Canadian government were useless.

·        When Wilfred Laurier was elected to the office of Prime Minister in 1896, he came up with a solution:  RC schools would not be entirely supported by public funds but religious instruction would take place for part of the school day.  French speaking teachers would be provided in schools where there where 10 or more French students were enrolled.

·        Laurier’s compromise was short lived as the French rights were later taken away and English became the official language of the public school system in Manitoba.

Settling the West

·        Laurier and the Liberal party governed the country for 15 years after the election of 1896.

·        Clifford Sifton was employed to find ways of drawing settlers into Canada West. 

·        The prairies were ripe… they needed someone to farm them!

·        Sifton attempted to persuade settlers from other countries to move to the prairies.

·        Advertising campaigns in Britain, Europe, and the United States described the opportunities available in Canada.

·        Eventually, the plan worked and people came to the west in “hoards and droves.”

·        Other factors that helped Canada’s immigration plan:

(i)                  Not much land left for farming in the US

(ii)                Demand for Canadian wheat in Europe increased

(iii)               Canada now had a railroad for trading and shipping

(iv)              Technological innovations began to arise that would make farming a much easier job

(v)                Millions of Europeans were looking for a place to go anyway.

·           Sifton’s policy was rather selective – it alienated/restricted entry of non-white and non English people, including many minority groups.

Chapter 3

The Dawn of the 20^th Century

• Canada was a relatively new country and as it began to move westward, following the dream of its early government, new innovations in technology began to improve the quality of life for everyone – at least those who could afford it! J

Transportation

• Horses were still widely used by everyone, from farmers to undertakers.  Even fire engines were often drawn by a team of horses.  Although technology was beginning to change the way people moved from place to place, most of them still depended on the good-old horse and carriage.
• Electric Railway – as we saw in the previous chapter (the picture of Calgary on page 40), the innovation of electric rail cars was beginning to come into use in the more urbanized areas.
• Bicycles were becoming more and more popular, especially in cities.  They were cheaper to buy and operate than horses (you don’t have to feed a bike).  Not only did it afford people another option of transportation, but for those who had no other option (because of money problems, etc) it solved problems like the trip to and from work – that is, poor people could now afford to live further away from their places of work.
• Automobiles were also coming into use.  The early automobiles were known as horseless carriages because they looked very much like the carriages that were drawn by horses (indeed, the first cars were built by carriage makers – except for the engines of course).  They served the same function but did not require the labour involved in keeping horses.  Plus, they represented money – then, just like now, people tended to weigh happiness and success in life in terms of money and material possessions. 

• Henry Ford founded the Detroit Automobile Company in 1899.
• John Moodie of Hamilton was the first motorist in Ontario – he bought his car for $1000 in 1898.
• In the 1920s, cars became more accessible to the average person because of the introduction and development of the assembly line.

Flight

• The Wright brothers flew for 12 seconds at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina in 1903.
•  Alexander Graham Bell formed the Aerial Experiment Association (AEA) in Baddeck Nova Scotia.
• In 1908 Casey Baldwin, a member of the AEA flew a place called the Red Wing.  It traveled 97m.
• By the summer of 1909, Douglas McCurdy was making flights of 32 kilometers in the Silver Dart.  This airplane was the finest craft of its day (see picture on page 52).
• McCurdy and Baldwin tried to convince the Canadian Government that planes would be useful in warfare but after the Silver Dart crashed in flight trials, the idea was dropped – bright idea, right? J
• Thirty years later, the Canadian government asked McCurdy to become the director of government aircraft production during WWII.

Communications

• More and more people were getting telephones – communities used party lines where more than one household used the same line.  Calls were transferred through a communication exchange… “hello?  Operator?”  J
• Telephones increased the level of communication between people over long distances and offered women another “choice” in terms of a career outside of the home.
• Marconi received the first radio signal sent across the Atlantic Ocean in 1901.

Entertainment

• During the first 20 years of the 20^th century, people relied primarily on their traditional methods of entertainment.  The technology behind the gramophone and the silent films of the early years did not offer much of a spectacle. 
• In the 1920s however, with the advent of electronic recording and movies that contained audio-tracks as well as video, the path to what we call entertainment today was being stepped upon for the first time.

Lifestyles

• Technological innovations had a great impact on every facet of our lives as a culture.  Bathrooms, electric washing machines, sewing machines, hearing aids, vacuum cleaners, etc. all entered into use for those who could afford them.
• These and other items were ordered from the Eaton’s Catalogue – it was kind of like an early form of the internet (minus the pornography).

Growth of the Nation – Immigration and Urbanization

• Immigration is the movement of people into a country from other lands.
• Almost 2 million people immigrated to Canada in only ten years (1901-11).  These immigrants came from many different places, primarily the US, Britain and Europe.
• As more people came, the ethnic diversity also increased –  by 1912, almost 1/5^th of the population was neither British nor French in origin.
• As per Macdonald’s and Laurier’s plan, most of the settlers moved into the west.
• In 1905, Alberta and Saskatchewan became the newest members of confederation.
• In 1912, the boundaries of Manitoba, Quebec, and Ontario were extended.
• Urbanization is the movement of people into cities and towns.
• Urbanization was of great concern to Canada in the early 20^th century – with all of the new immigrants arriving, places to live were very difficult to come by.  Moving to Canada to find a better life was the goal of the immigrants and many of them decided to settle in cities.  Conditions were at the poverty level as overcrowding and unemployment quickly became a major problem.

Equality and Inequality

• At the turn of the century, the distribution of wealth was outlandishly unfair.  The rich were very rich and the poor were very poor. 
• While the newest conveniences and technologies were at the fingertips of those who could afford them, the majority of people in Canada were still without electricity, modern cooking appliances, etc.
• Women had to shop everyday because there was no means for preserving perishable food items; laundry was done by hand; etc.
• Although immigration was a good thing for Canada, it wasn’t always a good thing for the immigrants!  Most of them came to Canada seeking a better life – we can infer from this that their former lives were pretty crappy.  Thus, when they arrived here in the land of opportunity (to borrow an American phrase) they had very little of their own.  Because of this, they had to live in the poorest of conditions and experienced a lot of prejudice on the part of the already prosperous people in Canada.
• The natives, although they were here before everyone else also had a pretty tough time.  If you remember the Red River and North West Rebellions, you will note that they were all about the Natives’ (particularly the Metis) attempts to protect their rights.  They had reason for concern – their way of life was disappearing; they were forced into boxes (i.e. reserves); diseases were brought to their culture by the immigrants from Britain, Europe and the US – diseases that the natives’ immune systems were unable to cope with; etc.

Women Organize for Change

• The mentality of the time was that men were people and women were baby-makers.  Their main function was to cook, clean and pump out children.  Any sign of independence, including going out in public on her own, was a sign of disgrace for a proper woman about 100 years ago.
• Job options for women who wanted to work were very limited: the poor worked as servants and/or factory workers, etc. while the rich attended school and became either nurses or teachers.
• Things were changing around the world and Canadian women began to follow suit.
• Emily Stowe formed the Toronto Women’s Literary Club in 1876.
• Adelaide Hoodless formed the first Women’s Institute in 1897.
• The Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) and other organizations like it began to influence the way that women were allowed to partake in society – one member of the WCTU: Nellie McClung, for example, led in the fight for women’s rights.

Chapter 4

Profile of a Prime Minister

Wilfred Laurier

• Entered into the House of Commons in 1896
• Was Canada’s 7^th Prime Minister
• Was in power for 15 years.  No prime minister except for Macdonald had been in power longer.  Those 15 years were known as the “Golden age of Laurier.”
• Was Canada’s first French Canadian Prime Minister.
• While he was in school, he studied English and became fluently bilingual.
• He studied law at McGill University in Montreal. 
• Graduated in 1864 and gave the valedictory address.
• In 1887, he became the leader of the Liberal Party and was known as an excellent speaker.
• He tried to see both the English and French Canadian points of view.  He also wanted both language groups together and treated fairly.
• With a new Prime Minister, in a new age, prosperity was returning to Canada, factories began to hum, people had jobs, and there were markets for Canadian products.
• Even though Canada had a new Prime Minister, it was struggling to find its identity.  Problems even arose with Britain and the United States, which caused the French and English to divide at home.

·        Laurier died on 17^th of February, 1919 – 8 years after he was defeated in 1911.  He was never to become Prime Minister again.

Imperialism and French Canadian Nationalism

• Imperialism – a policy of establishing colonies away from the homeland and building an empire.
• Most English Canadians supported the imperialist movement.
• French Canadians felt a stronger sense of pride and loyalty in their own Culture and Language.
• Incidents such as the execution of Louis Riel and the Manitoba Schools Act made many French Canadians feel that their culture and rights were threatened in Canada.
• The French gained strength, especially Quebec, and were determined to preserve their culture and language.

The Boer War

• Broke out in 1899, this created a crisis in Canada that was centered around imperialism.
• Fought in South Africa.
• Started because the British were after their gold and diamonds.
• As tensions increased, the Boers declared war on Britain.
• Didn’t directly concern Canada but because of our ties with Britain, they called for us to help them.
• English Canadians agreed but the French Canadians did not.
• Wilfred Laurier played a big part in this too, he sent 7300 volunteers and spent 2.5 million dollars in their support.
• Didn’t fully satisfy anyone, imperialists felt that Canada had let Britain down.  French Canadians felt that Laurier had done too much.

The Naval Crisis

• Britain was facing a serious crisis by 1909.
• There was a very real possibility of a war between Britain and Germany.  They were in a race to have the largest navy in the world.  British wanted Canada and other colonies to contribute funds to help build more ships for the British navy.  Britain would soon fall behind in the naval race with Germany without help from its colonies.
• Laurier offered a compromise again – the Naval Service Bill.
• Canada would have a navy of its own under the control of the Canadian government.
• Service would be voluntary in the navy.
• Canadian naval bases would be established at Esquimalt, British Columbia, and Halifax, Nova Scotia.
• A storm of protest greeted Laurier’s Naval Service Bill.
• Bourassa and some French Canadian Nationalists complained that the policy meant that Canadians could be sent anywhere at anytime to fight the British Imperialist wars.  Also, the conservatives, led by Robert Borden, attacked the Bill.
• The conservatives accused Laurier of setting up a “tin-pot Canadian navy” when an immediate contribution to the British navy was urgently needed.

Canadian – American Relations – The Alaska Boundary Dispute of 1903

• A dispute developed over the border between Alaska and Canada.
• The US had purchased Alaska from Russia in 1867.
• The deal included the “panhandle” which was the strip of coastline extending south from Alaska as far as Prince of Whales Island off the coast of BC.
• During the Gold Rush in 1898, thousands of prospectors flooded into the Klondike area of the Yukon Territory.
• Both Canadian and American merchants wanted to take advantage of this new business.
• Americans said that the parts of the Skagway, Dyea, and Juneau belonged to them, but the Canadians argued that these parts belonged to Canada.
• Whoever owned these parts could charge customs taxes on all goods going into the area and all the gold going out.
• The Canadians also argued that the boundary should be measured from the mountains nearest the ocean. 
• Americans  were determine to keep as much land as they could.  President Theodore Rosevelt threatened to send troops to Alaska to protect the American claim.
• Eventually, the dispute was submitted to a court of six judges.
• After a full month of discussion, the tribunal decided 4:2 against Canada.
• When the decision was announced, Canadians were outraged.
• Many thought that they had been bullied by their more powerful southern neighbour.
• The reaction in Vancouver was so hostile that the Victoria Colonist reported on 23^rd of October, 1903, that some citizens had pledged “they will not sing God Save the King again until England had justified itself in the eyes of Canada.
• In 1909, an International Joint commission was set-up to settle peacefully any future disputes between Canada and the US.
• Through this commission would help solve future controversies in a friendly manner, Canadian resentment toward both the US and the British.
• Canadians were becoming more determined that Canada must make its own decisions in the future.

Chapter 5

Murder at Sarajevo

• June 28^th, 1914
• Archduke Franz Ferdinand and the Archduchess Sophia were visiting Austria-Hungary because the Archduke would someday be its Emperor.
• At 10:00 am, someone threw a bomb, which exploded against the hood of the limousine that the Archduke was in, but he wasn’t hurt (he was angry).
• They were assured that there would be no more danger my the mayor and the chief of police.
• Several minutes after the car continued on its way to the governor’s palace, Gavrilo Princip (a 19 year old) stepped up by the car and shot two shots: one hitting the Archduke in the throat and the other hitting Sophia in the stomach.
• They both died on the way to the hospital.
• Gavrilo Princip swallowed poison but it didn’t work and then he and five others were rounded up by police.
• They were members of a Serbian terrorist group known as the Black Hand.
• They didn’t know the kind of effect that those shots would have on World History.

Causes of World War I

• The assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand and the Archduchess Sophia was the immediate cause of WWI.
• Alliances:

(i)                  Britain, France and Russsia VS. Germany and Austria-Hungary.

(ii)                France and Germany were in conflict before, so they looked for other countries to be their allies.

(iii)               Alliances are formed when countries band together against a common threat.

(iv)              France, Russia and Britain were the Tipple Entente or The Allies.

(v)                Germany, Austira-Hungary, and Italy were the Tripple Alliance or The Central Powers but Italy joined the Tirple Entente when the war started.

(vi)              The alliances were dangerous because they increased fear and suspicions among rival nations, and a war between two countries would likely involve many more.

·           Nationlaism:

(i)                  Nationalism is a feeling of deep loyalty to one’s people and homeland.

(ii)                Europe nationalism in the n nineteenth century was a powerful force which drew more than 200 small states together in 18^th century Germany.

(iii)               The early 20^th century was when nationalism was causing great problems in that some people would take any action to support their nation, such as war.

(iv)              The Black Hand was a terrorist group that was composed of Serbs and Bosnians that thought Bosnia should break away from Austria.

(v)                A terrorist organization supports violent action to gain its goals, and they do not always represent the wishes of all people in their country.

(vi)              The Austrians were also expressing feelings of nationalism when they  opposed the attempts of Bosnia to break away from their empire.

·           Imperialism:

(i)                  During the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries, imperialism gained momentum because the nations of Europe became more industrialized.

(ii)                European countries wanted to gain control of lands away from home and building huge empires, which would be a source of raw goods, and they also gave the home country glory and military strength.

(iii)               Many countries had control of colonies (page 80: 2-3 paragraphs under imperialism).

(iv)              Imperialism led to quarrels among the grate powers of Europe in all parts of the world, and arguments over colonies and trade threatened peace.

·                    Militarism:

(i)                  Militarism is the belief in the power of strong armies and navies to decide issues.

(ii)                Preparing for war was thought to be the only way to guarantee peace, and if a nation is strong, no enemy would dare attack it.  If war did occur, the militarized nation would be ready.

(iii)               This thinking led to an arms race in Europe, which was where each country produced steel battleships, high-powered cannons, and explosives.

(iv)              The size of armies and navies determined who would be the most powerful nation in Europe.

(v)                Germany built a huge navy, causing Britain to become nervous because Britain depended on its giant navy to “rule the waves,” and guarantee the safety of the island.

(vi)              Germany then challenged Britain’s supremacy at sea, and the nations of Europe were becoming more suspicious and alarmed by the others’s military power.

War

·                    The headline on newspapers across the country was War!

·                    Britain declared war against Germany, leaving Canada and the other countries of the British Empire automatically at war.

·                    British colonies were not independent, they were subject to the rules of the home country.

·                    Laurier announced that Britain wouldn’t fight themselves, they would have the help of Canada.

·                    Henri Bourassa also stated that it was Canada’s duty to help.  The French and English Canadian’s finally seemed to agree.

·                    When the call came out for recruiting in Canada, offices were flooded with volunteers for the war at a pay of $1.00/day.  People thought that the war would end quickly.

·                    Within 2 months, 30 000 Canadians were sent, however the war did not end until 4 years later, with the involvement of another 400 000 Canadians.

Chapter 6

Battles on the Western Front

• Throughout WWI, over 400 000 Canadians went to battle with their allies.  Their contribution will never be forgotten in such battles as Ypres, the Somme, Vimy Ridge and Passchendale.

Ypres

• Ypres is an ancient city in Belgium.
• First time poison gas was ever used in battle.  The men who didn’t have gas masks or who did not use a urine soaked cloth to breathe through choked, gagged, gasped, coughed and died.
• The Canadians had make-shift gas masks and survived the attack.
• More than 5200 Canadians died during this battle.

Battle of the Somme

• On July 1, 1916 at 7:30am, the British army consisting of Canadian and Newfoundland troops also went over the top.
• Most men never made it out of the trenches and most were killed by the shower of bullets in no-man’s land.
• By nightfall 57 470 men were dead – the most ever in warfare in a single day.
• Newfoundland troops were mowed down at Beaumont Hamel.  Over 90% were killed or wounded.
• When it came to an end, casualties for both sides reached 1.25 million; 24 000  were Canadian.
• Tanks were introduced for the first time in war.  It helped to win the war.

Vimy Ridge

• On April 9, 1917, Canada won its most celebrated battle.
• German forces had a good vantage point – they could control all the surrounding areas.  Many attempts were made by British and French troops but were unsuccessful.
• After months of preparations 100 000 Canadians (four divisions) launched an attack.  In a few hours, they had captured the ridge.
• More ground, guns, and German prisoners were taken that day than the first 2 1/2  years of war.
• Four Canadians won the Victoria Cross at Vimy.

Passchendaele

• In the fall of 1917, soldiers fought in Passchendaele, which was once beneath the sea.  The shelling destroyed drainage ditches and the land was waterlogged.
• Soldiers were very frustrated over trying to advance through the mud.
• Thousands of soldiers and horses who slipped into the mud were sucked down and drowned. Tanks also got bogged down quickly.
• 16000 Canadians lost their lives.
• The 7km of land they won was soon won back by the Germans.

The War in the Air

• In 1914 when war broke out, the air plane was a new and unproven invention.
• Canada had no air force of its own.
• Canadians who wanted to fly joined the British Royal Flying Corps.  The planes they flew were usually single-seaters and flew maximum speeds of 95-125km/h.
• At first, planes were unarmed, but some pilots carried pistols, rifles, and shotguns.  Others caught in battle threw bricks or links of rusty chain at the propellers of opposing planes to bring them down.
• A superior plane called the Fokker, which was developed by the Germans, had machine guns attached to its wings.
• Germans also had gas-filled balloons called Zepplin Dirigibles or Airships, which were used for bombing raids.  Eventually, both sides used them.
• In 1917, the Allies had developed new flying techniques and a new fighting plane.  Their technique was to run into the enemy’s plane, which caused many pilots to be killed.  In 1916, it was said that the average life of a pilot was three weeks.
• Von Richthofen, a pilot known as the Red Baron, downed 80 planes in his career.
• Today, the seat of the Red Baron’s plane is displayed at the Royal Military Institute in Toronto.  You can put your finger through the bullet hole in the seat.

Billy Bishop

• Billy Bishop, a young pilot, became a Canadian hero during WWI because of his shooting and flying abilities.
• As a boy in Ontario, he practiced shooting at moving targets in the woods.
• His first day behind the front line, he knocked down a plane.  In one five-day period, he destroyed 13 planes.

The War at Sea

• German submarines prowled the seas since the beginning of the war.
• Germans downed 200 British ships by 1914 (including passenger ships).
• The sinking of the Lusitania (a passenger ship), which had Americans as over ½ of its passengers when it went down, turned the United States against Germany and brought it into the war.
• Both Britain and Germany had strong fleets of battleships.  Only once did these two great fleets of ships meet in battle – off the coast of Denmack at Jutland.
• Submarines (or U-Boats as they were often called) were Germany’s most deadly weapons at sea.
• Germany was sinking British and other boats at an average of 160 ships per month.

The U-Boat Menace

• Germany navy introduced a policy of “unrestricted submarine warfare.”  This meant that German U-Boats would sink any Allied ships that approached Britain.
• First four months of the policy, Germany sank over 1000 British ships.  Britain had to find a way to solve this problem or it would be starved into surrendering.
• Canada’s main contribution to the war at sea was to provide sailors and ships for the Royal Navy.

Chapter 7

Effects on Everyday Life

• Canadians at home supported the troops overseas in many ways.
• Posters, community groups and government campaigns suggest that no sacrifice should be spared to ensure the victory of Europe.
• People planted victory gardens (to produce as much food as possible).
• Canadians were sending large amounts of food to fighting forces of all other allied countries.
• At home people were trying to waste nothing and reduce own food consumption.
• Students in Saskatchewan were often dismissed from school early to replace the farm workers who were over seas.
• Groups of woman meet to organize fund raisers and roll bandages for the troops.
• Each community held card games, dances and variety shows.
• Profits were used to send soap, writing paper, pencils and candy to the troops.

The Economics of War

• 1918, war was costing Canada over one million dollars a day.
• Victory bonds were also used to help pay for the cost of war.
• After the war the ponds could be cashed for a profit.
• Private and commercial investors loaned over one billion to the government
• Children bought stamps at 25 cents
• After four dollars worth of stamps, would receive a war savings stamp.
• War stamp could be cashed in for 5 dollars in 1924.
• Canadian government practiced income tax during the world war I to help finace the war.
• Industrial production dramatic new heights.
• Airplane, shell and ship factories sprang up across the country.
• 1918 - 300,000 Canadians were employed.
• One third of the shells fired by the armies of the British Empire were made in Canada.

Woman During the War Years

• WWI changed the lives of Canadian woman.
• At the beginning of the war, hundreds of Canadian women volunteered to work overseas as nurses or ambulance drivers.
• In ten nights the woman of Canada did 291 operations.
• Women worked in ammunition factories and in other war industries while the men were away at war, this meant that the number of woman working rose very high. This was unusual to see women working.
• They worked in banks, on police forces and in civil services jobs. They also drove buses and street cars.
• There were very few men left so women on farms brought in the harvests and they also got help from city woman who were recruited to go and help them.
• Many woman arranged different forms of entertainment to raise funds to help send parcels to troops.
• Women of all ages met regularly to knit socks and roll bandages for solders.

 The Struggle for Women’s Rights

• Since women were doing so much for the war effort, they wanted a share in making decisions about the country, and it was during WWI that an important step forward was taken in Canada for Women’s Rights.
• At the beginning of the 20^th Cnetury, women in many countries had begun to organize themselves to gain the right to vote. The members of this movement in Canada were called Suffragists.
• One of Canada’s great social reformers and Suffragists was Nellie McClung.
• She held that when WWI broke out, it helped to prove that certainly women belong in the house, but not 24hrs a day; they should have the same rights and freedoms as men.
• The war brought women together in volunteer organizations and employment;  they began to share ideas, work for political equality with men, and they took active roles in journalism and campaigned for better public health, working conditions, and wages.  They also pushed for equal opportunities in careers such as medicine and law, and for the right to own property.
• Suffragists campaigned enthusiastically for women’s Suffrage (the right to vote).  The first breakthrough came in Manitoba in 1916 – women were given the right to vote in the Province.  Within a few months, Saskatchewan , Alberta, British Columbia, and Ontario had granted Women’s Suffrage.
• The main goal was to win the right to vote in Federal Elections.  In the election of December 1917, the Wartime Elections Act granted the vote to the mothers, sisters etc. of men who were fighting overseas.  By the time the war ended, the right to vote had been extended to almost all women in Canada over the age of 21.
• The Dominion Elections Act gave women the right to run for election in parliament in 1920.  Native women and most native men were not allowed to vote.

Conscription

• At the beginning of the war, people were very patriotic and wanted to help in any way that they could.  As a result, Canada was flooded with volunteers willing to enlist in the army.
• As the war progressed, people became less enthusiastic about helping, and the number of volunteers decreased.
• In 1917, Prime Minister Robert Borden visited Canadian soldiers at the front and was shocked by what he heard: Canadian Volunteer enlistments were not keeping up with the number of men killed or wounded in battle.
• Military officials desperately needed more soldiers and they asked Borden to send more Canadian troops to Europe.
• When Borden returned home he asked the parliament to pass a Conscription Bill.
• Conscription means that “all able bodied men would be required (i.e forced) to join the army.”  Enlistment would no longer be a choice.

The Election of 1917

• With an election coming in December 1917, the government passed two bills: The Military Voters Act and the Wartime Elections Act.
• The Military Voters Act allowed soldiers overseas to vote in elections at home in Canada.
• The Wartime Elections Act gave females living in Canada who were relatives of soldiers fighting in Europe the right to vote.
• A Union Government was formed by Conservatives and Liberals that believed in Conscription.
• The election was brutal

-         Laurier and his followers were accused of letting down the soldiers at the front.

-         Borden and the Union Government won the election, although they got only three seats in Quebec.

·        The split that had feared for so long seemed to have happened – riots occurred in Montreal and Quebec City; the French and English Canadians were entirely torn apart.

·        In November, 1918, at the end of the war, Canada was a divided nation.

Chapter 8

 Prohibition and the Rumrunners

·        The “Roaring Twenties” (1920s) had new forms of entertainment that were available to almost everyone (ex: movies, radio, dance clubs, and cars).

·        There was also much crime, corruption, and extreme poverty for some people.

·        Prohibition started in Canada in 1916 and 1917 during World War I.  It made the production and sale of alcohol illegal.

·        The Women’s Christian Temperance Union worked to ban the use of intoxicating liquor.

·        They argued that the grain should be used to feed soldiers and civilians.  Also, money was needed to feed families instead of being spent on drink.

·        Even when prohibition was introduced you could still find “bootleg booze”, which was illegal liquor made and sold by organized bootleggers (ex: Rocco Perri).  There were even private clubs called “speakeasies.”

·        Some Canadian rumrunners made fortunes smuggling Canadian liquor south of the border to the US.  Almost $1 million of liquor crossed from Windsor to Detroit each month.

·        Prohibition had some positive social effects such as the decrease in crime and arrests for drunkenness.  More workers took their pay cheques home instead of to the taverns.  Industrial efficiency improved because fewer work days were missed. 

·        Provincial governments realized they were losing money in potential taxes on liquor sales and people argued that legalizing liquor under strict government controls would be easier to enforce than total Prohibition.  Gradually, individual provinces dropped Prohibition throughout the 1920s.  (PEI was last to eliminate this law in 1948.)

Other Post-War Problems

·        Wartime industries (ex: munitions factories) closed down after the war.

·        Workers were laid off and women were under pressure to return to house-hold duties so that men could have jobs, even though it was really hard for them to find work.

·        Many war veterans were unemployed and bitter because they wondered why there were no jobs for them in the country that they had just fought to defend. 

·        They also resented the fact that some business people at home had made huge profits in war industries while they risked their lives in Europe.  They felt that they at least deserved a chance to make an honest living.

·        Rapid inflation became a problem around 1919.  The prices of basic items such as food and clothing had increased greatly, while wages had not.

·        The cost of living had more than doubled from 1914 to 1919!

·        Workers and returning soldiers joined unions to fight for better living and working conditions. 

·        Workers (miners, machinists, steelworkers, loggers, etc...) across the country staged strikes.    

The Winnipeg General Strike of 1919

·        One of the most important and dramatic strikes in Canadian History.

·        Trade workers voted to strike; 30 000 others walked off the job as well.

·        Almost all industries and key services were shut down.

·        Ottawa sent Mounties and soldiers to put down the strike.

·        June 21, a day known as Bloody Saturday violence erupted in Winnipeg.

·        Shots were fired by mounted police and one striker was killed.

·        Strike leaders were forced not to become union members or become involved in union activities.

·        A Royal Commission was appointed to investigate the causes of the strike.

·        Some were forced not to become union members or become involved in any union activities.

·        H.A. Robson, head of the Commission, concluded that the strike was caused by high cost of living, poor working conditions, and low wages.

·        Labourers turned to politics to make their voices heard.  Many were elected to all levels of government in the 1920s.

Foreign Investment in Canada

·        At the beginning of the 20^th century, the biggest foreign investors in Canada were British.

·        Less was invested into industrial enterprises because of the uncertainty of profit so they invested into Canadian Government Bonds and Railroads.

·        Because of WWI, British investment fell off so the Americans moved in as Canada’s #1 foreign investor.

·        Americans put money into the expanding areas of the Canadian Economy such as Mining, Pulp and Paper, and Hydro-electric power.

·        While the British usually let Canadians run the businesses their own way, Americans introduced the Branch Plant System.  That is, branch plants were set up in Canada that functioned under the direction of parent companies in the US.  This allowed American companies to place a Made in Canada tag on its products and avoid the high tariffs charged for shipping products across the border.

·        Many saw this as manifest destiny realized – top management jobs were held by Americans and profits earned by the Canadian branch plants were sent back to the United States.

·        Some people were afraid that Americans would completely take over Canada’s economic system.

Effects of the Boom Years

• One result of the industrial boom in the 1920’s was that Canadians gradually regained confidence in their country.
• The mood was generally optimistic and people were willing to take risks.
• Financial success stories inspired ordinary citizens to believe that they too could get rich by two dollar bets on horses, investing in stocks and bonds and hockey pools. These were all seen as ways for the ordinary working man and woman to strike it rich quickly.

Politics of the 1920’s

·        In July 1920 Arthur Meighen a conservative, was sworn in as prime minister of Canada.

·        He took over from sir Robert Borden who had resigned.

·        French Canadians were still seething over the conscription crisis of 1917.

·        Martimers were demanding more jobs and better conditions. Prairie farmers were suffering from a post war slump and they claimed that high tariffs increased their costs of operation. Farmers also demanded that the railways be taken over by that government and the rates reduced.

·        The man who became prime minister for most of the 1920s was destined to be the most successful political leader of his age and that man was the grandson of William Lyon Mackenzie the leader of the rebellion in upper Canada.

·        For almost 30 years William Lyon Mackenzie King dominated the liberal part and political life in Canada. He was Canada’s longest serving prime minister (so the book says).

·        On the surface, King seemed to possess few qualities that would attract large numbers of voters. Some of these qualities were:

                  -He was a pudgy man, some say “dumpy” in appearance.

                  -He was cautious and careful and extremely shrewd.

                  -He had strong interest in spiritualism and sometimes through mediums    and séances tried to contact the dead.

• King’s political genus lay in making liberal policies acceptable to various groups and regions across the nation.
• He often put off reaching a decision until he worked out comprises among the diverse interests.

Canada’s Growing Independence

• In 1926, all the countries of the British Empire met at an Imperial Conference.  King insisted that the delegates talk about the powers of the dominions and the nature of their relationships to each other and to Britain.
• At the conference, Canada and the other dominions were declared self-governing while at the same time remaining a part of a Commonwealth of Nations.
• By the statute of Westminster, Canada became fully independent in all but two legal details.
• Canada still had to ask the British Parliament to amend the Canadian Constitution (BNA Act).
• A Privy Council was set up temporarily to manage serious court cases until Canada could get its own court system up to par.
• It was understood that both legal arrangements would be ended when Canadians agreed on the powers to be held by the Provincial and Federal Governments.

Women and the Persons Case

• Women in Canada had won the right to vote in Federal elections by 1918 but still did not enjoy all of the privileges that men had.
• The famous Persons Case underlined the inequality women still faced.
• Women’s groups asked the Prime Minister to appoint a woman to the Senate.
• The BNA Act stated that qualified persons could received appointments but the question was raised was a woman a “person” in the eyes of the law?  Was a woman qualified for the appointment to the Senate?
• The Famous Five (Emily Murphy, Nellie McClung, Louise McKinney, Henrietta Edwards, and Irene Parlby) put up a huge fight to gain acceptance for women in the Senate and by the Canadian law.
• After a long battle, the Supreme Court of Canada declared that the word persons did not refer to women.  Therefore, a woman was not a person and thus not able to sit on the Senate.
• Though discouraged, the Famous Five appealed to the only court higher than the Canada Supreme Court – the Privy Council in Britain.
• After three months, the Privy Council announced its decision – the word persons did indeed refer to women as well as men.  The Famous Five had won!
• Many thought that Emily Murphy ought to have been the first woman elected to the Senate but another woman, Cairine Wilson of Montreal was appointed instead.

Struggles of Native Peoples

• Throughout the 1920s and 30s, Natives struggled to keep their own culture and heritage.
• Government wanted them to give up their traditional ways and be absorbed into Canadian (white) culture (assimilation).
• Traditional Native ceremonies were banned.
• Native people who tried to live off reserves faced discrimination and prejudice.
• Given few good job opportunities.
• 1920  -- League of Indians formed by Fred Loft. 

    -- Would draw attention to the economic and social problems facing their people.  This league demanded that Natives should get the right to vote without giving up their special status.

• 1921 – Some west coast Natives were thrown in jail for taking part in a potloch ceremony.  Masks and other sacred objects were seized by police.
• 1931 – Native Brotherhood of British Columbia was created to defend Native peoples’ land, hunting and fishing rights.
• 1920-1980s – Children were sent to special boarding schools hundreds of kilometers from their homes.  Their own traditions were not taught and they weren’t allowed to speak in their own native language.  This caused many Native children to loose touch with their traditions and families as well.

Chapter 9

Since the economy was on the upswing in the 1920s, many people indulged in non-essential items.  Inventions like the radio, the mass production of automobiles, talking films and air travel were being invented.  Fads and fashions were not in the reach of everyone but Canadians were moving into the modern age.

Fads and Fashions

• Most people became interested in dancing, fashion, games, sports and other activities.
• Fads are crazes that don’t last long.
• One of these fads was a Chinese game called Mahjong.  This game was all the raze and many people ordered Chinese furniture, robes and other Chinese objects to accentuate the experience.  This fad wore off around 1927.
• Another craze was crossword puzzles.  Everyone wanted them.  Dictionary sales soared and some railways had them to entertain their passengers.
• Dancing marathons were also popular.  People used smelling salts and ice packs to keep themselves awake.
• Women of the 20s sported a flapper look.  In winter, they wore galoshes with buckles unfastened to create the greatest possible flap.  They wore dresses above their knees and their stockings were rolled down.  They also chopped their hair in a bobbed style.
• Men wore baggy pants, bright, snappy hats and bow ties.  Their hair was greased down and parted in the middle.

The Automobile

• One of the most obvious signs of prosperity in the 1920s was the growth of the automobile.
• Henry Ford wanted to make cheap, affordable machines that everyone could afford.
• Ford applied car manufacturing mass production.
• Ford set up an assembly line.  Machines were placed in a line-up where one part would be added at a time.  The first assembly lines required that the workers move from place to place.  Later, there was a conveyor belt which moved the cars along, allowing the workers to remain in a single spot.
• When the machine reached the end of the line it was finished and ready to be driven.
• Each worker on the assembly line had a different job.  Some put on parts, while others fastened or secured them.  Each car had all the same parts, making all of them alike.
• The automobile was one of the biggest changes in the way of living in the 1920s.
• People could go to see relatives 20km away and still be home for supper.
• With the automobile, many people had summer cabins or traveled on vacations.  Most cars included a crank to start the engine and a rope (in case they got stuck… which was very unpleasant on a vacation).
• Industries began to spring-up.  Industries were making and selling gasoline, rubber, glass, paint etc.
• Tourist cabins and hotels were being set up along the major roads.
• The automobiles also were used for work, such as hauling freight from farms and factories.
• People were now able to live further from their jobs (helping to alleviate some of the problems caused by urbanization).
• The automobile also caused problems:  it polluted the air, caused traffic jams, and brought death to thousands of people each year.
• In addition, criminals also took advantage of the automobile… when they robbed an establishment, they could now make faster getaways.

Entertainment

·        Jazz moved north from New Orleans in the US and was made popular by such musicians as Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong. 

·        Charleston was the dance of the decade that emerged out of African American culture.

Barnstorming

·        Canadian aces, who returned from World War I, bought surplus biplanes and “barnstormed” across the country.  They would perform daring stunts over country fairs.

·        Eventually, the public and government began to see the possibilities of air travel.

·        Bush pilots helped to open northern frontiers of Canada by flying prospectors and supplies into mineral-rich areas.  The post office hired pilots to fly mail into remote areas in 1927.

·        Charles A. Lindbergh completed the first non-stop transatlantic flight from New York to Paris, which signalled the possibility of long-distance air travel.

The Silver Screen

·        “Talkies”, which were talking films, arrived in Canada in 1927.

·        The stars of these films were idolized and they provided excitement to people (ex: Charlie Chaplin, Rudolph Valentino, & Greta Garbo)

·        Mary Pickford was called “America’s Sweetheart.”  She came to represent the luxury and wealth the film industry brought to its stars.

·        By the end of the decade, there were more than 900 movie houses across Canada.  Movie-going was the most popular form of entertainment at this time. 

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