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Residential Schools
Residential schools were church operated institutes that Indigenous children were taken to to learn domestic skills and Christianity. It was stated that the true intenition of the schools was to "kill the Indian in the child". Abuse towards the children took many forms and their deaths were common, whether it be in the school, or from attempted escapes. Residential schools operated from 1831-1996. The survivors of the schools can still gravely affected by the horrors of residential schools. -
Automobile Assembly Line
When cars were first introduced, they were expensive to make and buy and labour intensive. In 1913, an assembly line for the automobile production was invented. The assembly line sped up the process of making each car. They became cheaper to make, and took less man power. This made the cars affordable for most people, and soon, about 80% of Canadians owned a car. -
Women gain the right to vote
Suffragettes were women who fought for the right to vote, particularly during WW1. With all the men overseas, women who were directly related to the soldiers were allowed to vote in provincial elecions in their stead. After the war, women kept fighting for voting rights and by 1918, many women across Canada were alllowed to vote in Provincial elections. Black, immigrant, and Indigenous women were excluded. The right to vote opened many doors for females and gave them a voice in political issues. -
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The Spanish Flu
The Spanish flu, or the 1918 Influenza, was a global pandemic that didn't even originate in Spain. It lasted for about 2 years, infecting over 500 million people. Symptoms could include headaches, fever, sore throats, and pneumonia. The most common cause of death was from the pneumonia. -
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Prohibition
Prohibtion was the law banning the consumption and production of alcohol. It was enforced during the First World War in an attempt to save resources that could be used for the soldiers overseas. However, alcohol was still being made and shipped illeagally. The illegal alcohol was called 'moonshine' and those who made and sold it were called 'bootleggers'. Thse who transported the moonshine were called 'rumrunners'. -
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Winnipeg Genral Strike
The Winnipeg General Strike was a 37-day long strike for workers who wanted better working hours, wages, and working conditions. From May to June, 1919, employees left work and protested in the streets of Winnipeg. The strike ended on June 21, 1919, which is known as "Bloody Saturday". -
Bloody Saturday
Bloody Saturday was the last day of the Winnipeg general strike. Strikers were protesting in the streets, as they had for 36 days prior. That day, however, was the day that the police got invovled. Shots were fired, some in the air, and others at the crowd. Two were killed and thirty were injured. People paincked and fled, and the Winnipeg General Strike came to a close. -
Jazz
Jazz was a form of music that became increasingly popular in the 1920s. It originated in the Black American community and its upbeat and fast music spread to Canada and beyond. Jazz was a new kind of music that people had never heard before; it was perfect for dancing to, which created all sorts of new dance moves such as the Charleston and the Shimmy. -
Speakeasies
When prohibition was still being enforced, people met up to drink and party illeagally. They met up in secret buildings, places where one would have to know where and how to get in. If you didn't have that information, there wasn't a big chance you would find the precise locations, let alone get inside. These clandestine insitutes were called speakeasies. -
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Flappers
Flappers were the younger generation of women who became more socially active in the twenties. They wore short, tube-like dresses that fell just below their knees, and cut their hair short, both were done for ease of movement. They joined men in social outings, drinking, dancing, annd partying alonside them. These women were known to be more rebellious, as they crontradicted the formal behavior they were taught. -
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Chinese Exclusion Act
The Chinese Immigration Act was the act promoted by the Canadian government to ban Chinese immigration. With the exceptinon students, merchants, Canada-born Chinese, and diplomats, Chinese immigrants were denied admission into Canada. Male Chinese immigrants that were already living in Canada were not allowed to bring their family over to Canada (ie. Chinese immigrant father could not bring wife & children to Canada). -
The Famous Five
The Famous Five was the group of the five most prominent suffragists fighting for political rights in Canada. The gorup was made up of Nellie McClung, Emily Murphy, Irene Parlby, Henrietta Muir Edwards, and Louise McKinney. These five women helped achieve gender equality for thousands of female across Canada. Their lagacy lives on today as more women gain more rights. -
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The Great Depression
The Great Depression was a widespread economic crash. Men and women alike were laid off their jobs and debt in families was substantial. A considerable amount of people in North America barely had enough money to survive, and many died due to lack of basic needs. People's lives were drastically changed; they were kicked out of their homes, starved, and unemployed. -
Black Tuesday
Black Tuesday was the day of the North American stock market crash on October 19, 1929. The stock market lost more than 50% of its initial value in a matter of hours. The crash was but a symptom of the reasons behind the Great Depression, but this was a significant event that caused many people to end up in financial ruin. No one could explain the sudden crash, especially after the market seemed to be thriving. -
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On to Ottawa Trek
During the Great Depression, unemployment was not uncommon. Many crippled under the financial instability of the Depression. The government gave single men the opportunity to work in relief camps. Working in relief camps was not the great opportunity the men thought it was. The work they did was labour intensive and 44-hour long weeks. The men wanted better working conditions, so they made a 28-day trek that got them all the way to Ottawa.