Abstract The paper looks at Jack Granatstein's "Who Killed CanadianHistory?" where he claims that the history of Canada has been seriously damaged by the practice of studying differences rather than commonalities. The paper asserts that Granatstein fails to appreciate that there is ample room for group and particularist histories that do not fit easily within an over-arching historical narrative. The paper maintains that Granatstein fails to recognize that Canadians, living in an evermore diverse society, need to have an ever-expanding and ever-diversifying view of history too.
From the Paper "In fairness to Jack Granatstein, there are various problems afflicting public memory in Canada - or at least there were in 1998 when his tome was released. For instance, one online source notes that a 1997 Angus Reid poll found only one-third of Canadians knew that Remembrance Day commemorates the end of World War One whereas a scant five percent knew that the Upper and Lower Canada rebellions took place in 1837. More unsettling, given its political relevance today, only 10 percent of Canadians between the ages of 18 and 24 who were contacted by pollsters knew what the Quiet Revolution was all about and 17 percent of respondents - nearly one out of every five - inexplicably claimed Tennessee Williams and Andy Warhol were Canadian. To this melange of error and misunderstanding could be added numerous other instances drawn from the same survey. The end result of all of this, in the view of Dr. Granatstein, will be - may already be fast becoming - disaster."
Tags: differences, commonalities, cosmopolitan, diversity, society
Abstract This paper looks at whether or not the fragmentation of Canadianhistory over the course of time has been bad for Canada, as historian, Jack Granatstein suggests in his book "Who Killed CanadianHistory?" Ultimately, the author of the paper takes the view that Granatstein's book raises some worthwhile points, but fails to consider all the ways in which a new approach to teaching history has engaged minority students and compelled those in the majority to take a more thoughtful look at their own past.
From the Paper "Additionally, critics of Granatstein's work argue that he fails to appreciate that the proper role of education is not simply to give students dry "facts" but to teach them the skills they need to critically assess those facts and to arrive at their own conclusions after systematically amassing and analyzing the available evidence. Suffice it to say, proper teaching (at least in the social sciences) is about having students critically engage the "big" questions which will eventually confront them as voting adults; it is not about giving them questions which have already been answered."
Abstract This essay reviews J.L. Granatstein's book "Who Killed CanadianHistory?" The essay argues that while Granatstein is right that a national vision needs to be kept in Canada's consciousness, there does need to be room for diversity as well.
Abstract In this article the writer looks at the Historical Minutes, sixty five short films which recreate key moments and persons in Canadianhistory. The writer describes that these films are defined by a proud, intensely nationalistic viewpoint and delivered in a glossy theatrical sheen reminiscent of a Hollywood film. The writer points out that though the Minutes are divided into different sections, the majority of the content is political in nature with an emphasis on the growth of democratic Canada, the unification of Canada as a nation, and its struggle against the bonds of the Commonwealth and the typical struggles all democratic nations undergo in achieving political freedom and equanimity.
From the Paper "Canadian Symbols assemble a somewhat disconnected bunch of people and events, the most obvious and relevant being that of the Canadian Flag and its identity. (Several segments expanding on the history of the Flag and the players involved may have provided more relevant and interesting history than some of the other Canadian Symbol features, such as British actor Pierce Brosnan playing the first Englishman to apparently be inducted into the Red Indians). The Commerce pieces cover mostly uninteresting territory, attempting to connect with modern viewers by reference to such icons as the Bell network and the word "Cineplex"."
Abstract This paper discusses the two significant periods of working-class militancy in Canadianhistory, the Knights of Labor in the 1880s and the Winnipeg General Strike in 1919. The paper analyzes how the issues of racism and sexism in the pre-20th century period in Canada brought about some of the most dramatic changes in the Canadian society and how these issues were key factors in the challenges of the Knights of Labor and the Winnipeg General Strike. The author explains how these two events, one of which marks the actual beginning of the revolutionary attempts concerning labor, and the other marking the culminating point and eventual results respectively, helped shaped the development of the Canadian working force.
From the Paper "The history of the Canadian state has been marked by a lot of important events which came to shape its present. In particular concerning the current social and economic situation, in can be said that one of the most important periods in its history was the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th as the events which took place at the time constituted some of the most dramatic changes in the Canadian society. However the strive for development and emancipation could not have been achieved without sacrifices and without the background of general events that in the end shaped the way in which the Canadian society emerged in the 20th century."
Abstract This paper offers a succinct history of Canada from the time of the early settlers until modern day. The focus of the paper is the battles between different countries to rule over the area and the affect that this had on the development of a multi-cultural country.
From the Paper "However, good relations with England and status as a commonwealth nation would cause considerable dissention among the French minority in Canada. Pro-British members of government supported several of Britain's war efforts, including those in the World Wars. Canada became a major political and economic world power in the twentieth century. Although bilingualism and multiculturalism were adopted as official policies of the state, French separatists in Quebec struggled fiercely for independence. The last of two official referendums for separation from Canada was defeated in 1995 by a narrow margin."
Abstract In this article, the writer notes that there are three moments in Canada's history since 1900 which may be said to be defining moments. The writer then explains that these are the Statute of Westminster in 1931, the 1970 FLQ crisis, and the 1982 patriation of the Constitution. Further, the writer points out that these moments are significant for a number of reasons.
From the Paper "In the case of the 1970 FLQ crisis, the fundamental acrimony of the French-English divide within Canada was exposed and so too were the extremist elements of the silent Revolution in Quebec Society. Finally, the 1982 Constitutional patriation upon which Pierre ... "
Abstract This paper discusses the conflict between English and French Canadians as a key element of Canadianhistory. While the focus of the paper examines the years 1760 - 1867, a general discussion of events leading to the fall of New France is relevant and is included. The paper contends that French and English conflict in the new world, specifically in what is now officially Canada, has a long and volatile history, dating back to the emergence of an English fur trade in what is now known as the Hudson's Bay. The paper traces the nature of this conflict, roughly from the fall of New France to the English through to Canadian Confederation in 1867. Included in this discussion of the English - French conflict is the fur trade, the treaty of Utrecht, the lower Canadian rebellions and the Quebec Act.
From the Paper "Tensions between New France and the English colonies on the North American continent began to escalate when King Charles II gave the Hudson's Bay Company exclusive trading rights and property ownership to Rupert's Land. This vast area included all the lands within the area drained by the rivers flowing into both Hudson and James Bays.1 This tension became open conflict, punctuated with several cease-fires, between 1689 and the fall of New France in 1760. Even in the post conquest era, conflict continued between English Canadians and French Canadians. In the twenty-first century contemporary Canadian politicians grapple with the issue of Quebec sovereignty."
A review of two socio-historical accounts of Canada, "Wild Things: Nature, Culture, and Tourism in Ontario, 1790-1914" by Patricia Jasen and "Global forces, Local Strategies and Urban Tourism" by Susan Fainstein and Dennis Judd.
1,900 words (approx. 7.6 pages), 2 sources, 2002, $ 71.95
Abstract This paper is a review of the book by Patricia Jasen, "Wild Things: Nature, Culture, and Tourism in Ontario, 1790-1914". The book is a socio-historical account of Canadianhistory, considering relations of early Canadian settlements, tourism, with gender-race-class analysis. The book is ideal for students of Tourism or Canadianhistory. This essay also includes a short summary of an article by Fainstein, Susan and Judd, Dennis. "Global forces, Local Strategies, and Urban Tourism."
An analysis of the impact that the fur trade had in defining the social, political and economic order of early Canada, with particular reference to the Native Canadians.
Abstract This paper explores the economic history of the fur trade in early Canada with particular reference to the Native Canadian peoples of the time. It argues that this fur trade profoundly reshaped the social and economic order of Native Canadian societies to an even greater degree than it shaped the economic relations of European settlement in early Canada. It then shows how the trade defined the social, political and economic order of early Canada in a manner profoundly different from that of the early United States.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
The Fur Trade and Early European-Indian Contacts
The European and Native Canadian Struggle for Control
The Impact of the Fur Trade on Indian-European Attitudes
Points of Contact: The Fur Trade and Inter-Racial Marriage
Later Developments
Conclusion
From the Paper "In conclusion, it is clear that the fur trade played an enormous role in the early history of Canada. The economics of this trade not only provided the impetus for more enduring European contacts with Aboriginals, but also gave both sides good reason to maintain friendly relations for the sake of self-interest. It was the cycle of these trading relationships that led to Canadian traders to move further into the heart of the Continent in an effort to bypass their often sophisticated Indian trading partners. While such moves proved to be invariably in vain, they did support European settlement and expansion in comparatively peaceful interactions with the region's aboriginal populations. From this perspective, it may be said with little or no exaggeration that the economics of the fur trade defined the relations between Europeans and Canadian Indians and, in the long term, the fundamental characteristics of Canada today."
Abstract The following discussion will focus on city hall design in the last half of the twentieth century. The focus will be on the city halls of Kitchener, Mississauga, Ottawa and Toronto. Initially, a brief history of Canadian city hall architecture and an outline of the International style will be presented. Subsequently, the four projects will be briefly described and analyzed. A concluding section will offer some qualitative comments and assess the broader meaning of these projects.
A review of three articles: Ramsay Cook's, "1942 and All That: Making a Garden out of Wilderness"; Alan Gordon's "Heroes, History, and Two Nationalisms: Jacques Cartier" and Ken Coates and William Morrison's, "Winter and the Shaping of Northern History: R
Abstract In this article review, the author demonstrates through the use of three articles how the presentation of history may be slanted. The articles include Ramsay Cook's , "1942 and All That: Making a Garden out of Wilderness ", Alan Gordon's "Heroes, History, and Two Nationalisms: Jacques Cartier" and Ken Coates and William Morrison's, "Winter and the Shaping of Northern History: Reflections from the Canadian North". The review further describes how and why an author may slant history. The paper then evaluates each article independently. The paper concludes by explaining that these writings are particularly important, because they criticize the history we have always taken for granted as a truthful depiction of what really happened, and point out the obvious flaws.
From the Paper "What all these writings share is the idea that history is written by people, and is never totally objective or valid. When we read (or write) historical documents, we need to look Also at the surrounding culture, the background of the writer and the social structures and politics of the time. It is true that history of wars is written by the winners, so the losers always become the evil aggressors and the winners the champions of the people."
Abstract Canadianhistory has created realities different from those of the United States and which continue to shape Canadian political, economic and social life. By investigating the nature of the language question in Canada and recent challenges to Canadian education, it is possible to obtain a glimpse of a country whose politics and government must be studied with attention to the influences of the past. An important set of factors has to do with the rather conservative administrative style inherited from a British system as Canada gained independence in 1867. The duties handled by different levels of government continue to reflect an older heritage, as is pointed out later in this paper.
Abstract This paper will discuss the U.S.'s replacement of Great Britain as Canada's closest economic and political ally. The starting point for this is the repealing of the Corn Laws in the middle of the 19th century and the Reciprocity Treaty of 1854. This marked the beginning of the American era which waxed and waned through Canadianhistory from that point forward. This marks an important case for study because it underlines the great need Canada has had for foreign capital throughout its development. With a small population, enormous resource base, and strong desire to maintain high standards of living, extensive foreign investment has been absolutely critical.
Abstract This paper discusses the early life and influences on Canadian feminist Nellie McClung. The author points out her place in Canadianhistory. The paper relates McClung's role as a political official, her activism and commitment to female emancipation, equality and temperance.
From the Paper 'Nellie Helen Leticia Mooney McClung was born in near the town of Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada. She moved along with her family to a farm near Millford in the Tiger Hills southwest of Brandon, Manitoba."
