Canada History Chapter 7 Growth and Change PDF

ON8_history_07.qxd 1/11/08 11:18 AM Page 138 Home Quit CHAPTER 7 Growth and Change This industrial section of Chaudière, Ontario, is typical of the growth of factories in Canadian cities in the early 1900s. Before READING Making Connections Look at the labels on your clothes. Make a list of the coun...

ON8_history_07.qxd 1/11/08 11:18 AM Page 138 Home Quit CHAPTER 7 Growth and Change This industrial section of Chaudière, Ontario, is typical of the growth of factories in Canadian cities in the early 1900s. Before READING Making Connections Look at the labels on your clothes. Make a list of the countries where they were made. Find out whether any of those countries use child labour. What labour laws exist for children in Canada? Consider age requirements, hours, pay, health, and safety. This chapter will help you see why these laws are important, and how they came to be. H 138 hat do you think your first job will be out of school? How will your career be similar to that of someone living in Canada before the 20th century? Up to the late 1800s, Canada’s economy had been based almost entirely on natural resources—the fur trade, farming, fishing, and forestry. The period between 1890–1914 witnessed the rapid growth of Canadian mining and manufacturing. New communities, like Lethbridge, Alberta, and Sudbury, Ontario, developed to take advantage of local resources. Older cities, such as Montréal, Québec, or Toronto, Ontario, continued to grow into large manufacturing centres. Factories were built there to take advantage of the large supply of cheap labour. The growth of cities brought new challenges, however. Many factory workers, including women and children, worked long hours in terrible conditions for very little pay. What could be done to improve their quality of life? W Unit 3: Canada: A Changing Society ON8_history_07.qxd 1/11/08 11:19 AM Page 139 Home Quit These women, demonstrating in New York City in 1912, show that Canadian women were not alone in their fight for the right to vote. What does this tell you about the importance of this struggle? Questions to Consider as You Read this Chapter You will explore these aspects of the Unit 3 Big Idea: How did social and economic factors, technology, and people promote change in Canada? When and how did mining and manufacturing become important? What factors contributed to the growth of industries and cities? Literacy Thinking About Finding the Main Ideas A concept map is similar to a web, but is organized into specific subtopics. Your purpose is to determine what changes took place and how these affected Canada. Use the subheadings or questions in this chapter as subtopics. Add details under each subtopic. Subtopic What effect did inventions and technology have on Canadians? Subtopic How would my life be different if there had not been pressure to change the position of women and children in Canada? How can I compare the challenges facing farmers and workers around 1900 with their challenges today? Change in Canada Subtopic Chapter 7: Growth and Change H 139 ON8_history_07.qxd 1/11/08 11:19 AM Page 140 Home Quit A Study of Two Towns: Lethbridge and Sudbury During READING Checkpoint When you compare something, you examine similarities and differences. Create a T-chart or Venn diagram to compare Lethbridge and Sudbury. How do these two cities reflect change in Canada? Add that information to your concept web. In previous chapters, you have learned about the expansion of agriculture that took place in the 1880s and 1890s. This trend continued into the 1900s. There was a strong demand in the United States and Europe for wheat, Canada’s main export. In 1901, wheat exports amounted to 2 000 000 tonnes. By 1913, they had climbed to 7 700 000 tonnes. Farmers could sell all the wheat they could produce. There was another kind of economic expansion going on at this time. Canada is rich in natural resources such as coal, iron, copper, and nickel. These were not as valuable as gold, but there were large deposits of these minerals across the country. Once prospectors found the deposits, businesses quickly took over to develop them. In this section, you will learn about how fuel and mineral resources were responsible for the start of two towns that are now cities. WEB LINK For more information on Lethbridge, Alberta, visit our Web site. Wheat became “king” in the Prairies. Why do you think that was? Lethbridge, Alberta Predict what you think Lethbridge’s population will be in 50 years. What did you base your prediction on? H 140 Unit 3: Canada: A Changing Society The area that eventually became Lethbridge lay in the extreme southwestern part of the Northwest Territories, about 200 km southeast of Calgary. It is rich in coal deposits. It became the first industrial town in western Canada. Lethbridge showed that the West’s economy would not be based just on agriculture. Mining was going to be important to the region. Today oil and natural gas have replaced coal as Alberta’s most valuable fossil fuels. Lethbridge’s population in 2006 was 95 196. ON8_history_07.qxd 1/11/08 11:19 AM Page 141 Home Quit Lethbridge, Alberta 1874 Nicholas Sheran, a New Yorker who originally came to Canada as a gold prospector, opened the first coal mine digging horizontally into the side of a river valley to create a drift mine. He supplied coal to the NWMP post at Fort Macleod. He soon sold his coal across the border in Montana, where it was very popular at $25 a tonne. 1882 The North Western Coal and Navigation Company established the first large-scale operation in the area. Miners used hard labour and some mechanical aids to dig the coal. Horses and mules dragged the coal out in cars on railway track. The miners eventually dug a drift mine about 300 m into the side of the valley. This was as far as they could go without proper ventilation methods. 1883 There were four drift mines dug into the valley, and a dock on the Oldman River was used to ship the coal to the CPR main line. 1884 The town was known as Coalbanks and had a population of about 250 people. 1885 The company built a 175-km railway line from Coalbanks to Dunmore, near Medicine Hat, to join the CPR main line. A new town, called Lethbridge, was surveyed to replace Coalbanks. It had six stores, five hotels, 19 saloons, four billiard rooms, two barber shops, and a stable. Its population was about 1000. 1892 The first shaft mine was dug. Shaft mines contain a vertical shaft, with horizontal galleries coming off it into the coal seams. 1908 Coal production reached 1634 tonnes/day 1914 The outbreak of the First World War further boosted demand for coal. Chapter 7: Growth and Change H 141 ON8_history_07.qxd 1/11/08 11:19 AM Page 142 Home Quit Sudbury, Ontario 1884 Thomas Froode and James Cockburn founded the McAllister and Lady MacDonald Mines in Sudbury in 1884, mining copper and other minerals. 1885 Samuel Ritchie, from Akron, Ohio, began prospecting in the area for copper deposits. 1886 Ritchie’s Canadian Copper Company began mining in the area, with a workforce of 25 miners. The rock contained large amounts of nickel, but it had no commercial use at the time. British and French scientists later developed a way of using nickel to harden steel and the demand for nickel took off. 1893 Thomas Baycroft, a Scotsman, founded the Tam O’Shanter mine property in Snider Township. Legend has it that Baycroft had such a keen prospecting instinct that he could literally smell mineral deposits. He later sold the mine to the Canadian Copper Company. 1898 Aeneas McCharles, a prospector from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, founded the North Star Mine near Creighton. He sold it to Mond Nickel Company in 1902. 1902 Ritchie merged the Canadian Copper Company with six others to form the International Nickel Company—Inco. 1907 John Frawley, one of Sudbury’s first merchants, and Luc Potvin established a gold mine in Long Lake, near Sudbury. It operated from 1909 to 1916, employing about 600 miners. By 1910, it was producing about 25 percent of Ontario’s gold. 1914 The outbreak of the First World War further boosted demand for nickel and the other minerals that came from Sudbury. H 142 Unit 3: Canada: A Changing Society ON8_history_07.qxd 1/11/08 11:19 AM Page 143 Home Quit Sudbury, Ontario There was no settlement in the Sudbury area until the CPR line came through in the early 1880s. In building the line, labourers uncovered rocks that contained a valuable mineral, copper. Prospectors soon moved in to look for rich sites. They could quickly become rich by discovering deposits and later selling the sites to businesses that could mine them. Copper—and later nickel—became the basis of Sudbury’s wealth. These minerals were exported all over the world. In 2006, Sudbury’s population was 157 857. WEB LINK For more information on Sudbury, Ontario, visit our Web site. What reasons would a family have to relocate to Sudbury, Ontario? Canada’s wealth began with its agriculture, but mineral and fossil fuel production developed and expanded rapidly in the late 1800s and early 1900s. These two industries showed what a promising future Canada had. Immigrants began to flock to the new nation to find work, not only on its farms, but also in its mines. Soon, the Canada of 1867 was unrecognizable in the rapid economic expansion that took place. THINKING It Over 1. a) Identify two events in the history of i) Lethbridge and ii) Sudbury that you find significant. Create two newspaper headlines that could be used to introduce a report about each event. b) Explain why you find the events you chose significant. k c t 3. a) Do some research into the size and economic structure of your own community around 1900. What was its size then, and now? What were/are its main industries? b) Create a Venn diagram to compare the development of your community with that of Lethbridge or Sudbury. k c a 2. In a small group, discuss how other groups, such as First Nations or farmers, might feel about the events you chose in question 1. t c k Chapter 7: Growth and Change H 143 ON8_history_07.qxd 1/11/08 11:19 AM Page 144 Home Quit Real People Making History The battle to end child labour H 144 Unit 3: Canada: A Changing Society ON8_history_07.qxd 1/11/08 11:19 AM Page 145 Home Quit How Did Cities and Factories Grow? Canada experienced rapid expansion between 1881 and 1911. In 1881, about 25 percent of the population lived in cities. By 1911, this percentage had almost doubled. At the same time, there was a rapid increase in the number of factories manufacturing goods. Entrepreneurs opened factories in cities that had access to raw materials and transportation. The growth of cities and the growth of factories were related to each other. During READING Checkpoint What main idea about change is discussed in this section? Add it to your concept map. WORD The Snowball Effect of Factory and City Growth S MATTER entrepreneurs people who start or organize businesses The growth of cities and industries created a snowball effect. They grew together, getting larger all the time. The process worked like this. The Snowball Effect of Canada’s Population Immigrants settling in cities Employers building factories in cities Canada ’s grow ing pop ula tion The more people settled in cities, the more industry developed. The more industry developed, the more people were drawn to cities. Immigration Immigration was the most important factor in population growth at this time. The number of immigrants varied depending on how well the economy was doing. If the economy was doing well, the government opened the immigration tap. If it was performing badly, the government slowed immigration to a trickle. You can see the variation in immigration rates in the table on the next page. Environmental Milestones The Creation of National and Provincial Parks Despite the growth of cities and factories, there were also efforts to preserve the environment. Banff National Park, west of Calgary, was founded in 1885. It is Canada’s oldest National Park. Algonquin Provincial Park, in eastern Ontario, was founded in 1893. It is the oldest provincial park in Canada. This was an era of rapidly expanding population and settlement. Such parks were set aside to preserve the natural beauty and ecology of the areas. Chapter 7: Growth and Change H 145 ON8_history_07.qxd 1/11/08 11:19 AM Page 146 Home Immigration to Canada, 1880s–1910s Decade Immigrants 1881–1890 866 177 1891–1900 339 268 1901–1910 1 644 347 1911–1920 7 712 624 Quit Immigration reached its peak in 1910 and the years immediately following it. In 1913—the last full year before the outbreak of the First World War—400 870 immigrants streamed into Canada. Most were escaping terrible conditions in their home countries and hoped for a better life for themselves and their families. Some came in search of land to homestead; some were recruited for mining; others took factory work. The Growth of Cities WORD S MATTER expropriate legally take property from its owner cottage system the manufacture of goods made by many people working individually in their homes factory system the manufacture of goods made by many people working together in a large building Cities seemed to be a natural place for many immigrants to settle and search for work. The following table shows how quickly Canadian cities developed during this era. The country was on its way to becoming an urban society. Population Growth in Canadian Cities, 1891–1911 Place 1891 1911 Increase Halifax 38 437 46 619 22% Montréal 219 616 528 000 140% Toronto 181 215 381 833 111% Winnipeg 25 639 136 035 431% Calgary 3876 43 704 1028% Vancouver 13 709 120 847 782% Canada 4 833 000 7 207 000 49% Industrialization and First Nations Some First Nations people took construction jobs in the growing cities or worked in mines, lumber mills, or canneries. Some Aboriginal women were hired for cleaning or laundry. On the whole, however, First Nations people were marginalized by industrialization, especially as immigrants became more numerous. This was not the case for all Aboriginal people. Some who stayed on reserves prospered if they had good land. In Saskatchewan, for example, the Assiniboine reserve successfully practised mixed farming, growing vegetables, grain, and raising cattle and sheep. However, Aboriginal lands were in demand by growing towns and industry. In 1908, the federal government made it possible for Aboriginal people to be moved from any reserve that was close to a town of more than 8000 citizens. In 1911, a change to the Indian Act allowed municipalities or companies to expropriate reserve land for certain uses, such as roads or railways. H 146 Unit 3: Canada: A Changing Society ON8_history_07.qxd 1/11/08 11:21 AM Page 147 Home Quit Factories Changed the Way People Worked John A. Macdonald’s National Policy increased tariffs on imported manufactured goods. This encouraged businesses to build factories at home to supply the expanding Canadian market. The period from the 1880s onwards saw a huge growth in factories that manufactured clothing, household goods, and many other products. Factories changed the way goods were produced. Up until the appearance of factories, textiles had been made in the cottage system. Look at the following table and note some of the differences between the cottage Woman in a sewing factory, around 1912 system and the factory system. How a Shirt Was Made The Cottage System—1800 The Factory System—1900 1. Farmers grew and harvested flax. They then sent the flax to individual families in their cottages. 1. Cotton fibre was imported from the U.S. to a factory in the city. 2. 2. Children separated the fibre from the rest of the plant. Various machines spun, wove, dyed, cut, and sewed the cloth to produce a finished shirt. 3. Women used spinning wheels to spin the fibre into thread. 3. 4. Men wove the thread into linen cloth. Unskilled workers fed materials into the machines, removed finished products from them, and kept them clean. Skilled workers maintained the machines. 5. The cloth was then sent to another family cottage. 4. The shirt was then sent to the store for sale. 6. Children dyed the cloth. 7. Adults cut and sewed the cloth to produce a finished shirt. 8. The shirt was then sent to a shop to be sold. Spinning, weaving, cutting, and sewing required much skill. Families worked together to produce goods. Women and children performed much of the work. Families did not work as a unit. Chapter 7: Growth and Change H 147 ON8_history_07.qxd 1/11/08 11:21 AM Page 148 Home Quit Working Conditions in Factories Factories were dangerous places to work. Today, most factory machines are powered by electricity. They draw power through protected electrical cables. In the 1890s, access to electricity was not common. Factory machines were often powered by open belts running from pulleys in the ceiling. These were, in turn, powered by belts running from a pulley attached to a steam-powered boiler. With all these open belts so close to workers, accidents were inevitable. Hair, arms, and clothing could easily get caught up in the belts, so workers had to be very careful. In the cramped working conditions, mistakes were easy to make. Although factory work generally paid poorly, women and children earned less than men did. In 1911, in Québec textile factories, female spinners were paid on average 12.8 cents an hour. Men earned 19.6 cents for similar work. Factory wages did not go far. Rising Voices Demanding Change WORD S MATTER advocate to recommend or support by argument Social Gospel a movement that emphasized the application of Christian principles to social problems movement a group of people with a common goal temperance literally means moderation, but when used in relation to alcohol it meant to abstain prohibition total abolition of the sale of alcohol H 148 How would you describe the working conditions in this factory? These social injustices did not go completely unnoticed. Various groups began to advocate for reform in the factories. Religious organizations, social reform groups, and trade unions were prominent in the struggle for social change. Unit 3: Canada: A Changing Society ON8_history_07.qxd 1/11/08 11:21 AM Page 149 Home Quit The Social Gospel James S. Woodsworth was a Methodist minister in Winnipeg. He supported an interpretation of the Bible that was known as the Social Gospel. Religious people had a duty to improve their communities, he said. Woodsworth and others organized charities to help the poor and pressured the government to pass laws to protect workers. The Social Gospel movement became an important force in the early 1900s. The Temperance Movement The Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) was founded in the 1870s. It supported prohibition. Temperance literally means “moderation.” To the WCTU, it meant banning alcohol entirely. The movement saw alcohol as a social evil. In their opinion, alcohol caused drunkenness, crime, family violence, and consequently ruined many lives. The WCTU organized factory workers into groups to “take the pledge”—vow to refrain from alcohol consumption. The WCTU also demanded that the government introduce laws to protect workers from the worst evils of the workplace, such as child labour. They campaigned against the use of tobacco and actively promoted education and women’s rights. The WCTU continues its work to this day. James S. Woodsworth CANADA MINUTE Women and the Vote There was much resistance to women’s suffrage (the right to vote in elections). In Ontario, women who owned property could vote in local elections from the 1850s onward, but the fight to vote in provincial and national elections continued. In 1916, Manitoba became the first province to allow women to vote in provincial elections. In 1917, some women got the vote in federal elections. The following year, most women got the federal vote. WEB LINK Woman’s Christian Temperance Union convention in Calgary, 1911 For more information on the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, visit our Web site. Chapter 7: Growth and Change H 149 ON8_history_07.qxd 1/11/08 11:21 AM Page 150 Home Quit WEB LINK Labour Unions For more information on the history of labour unions, visit our Web site. The terrible conditions in many Canadian factories led many workers to join labour unions affiliated with workers’ unions in the U.S. Unions worked to improve conditions through negotiations with employers, and strikes, if necessary. Unions in Canada made only limited progress at this time, for the following reasons: The federal and provincial governments were hostile to unions. They saw unions as conspiracies to hurt employers. Unions were generally interested only in male workers. The Knights of Labor was one of the first unions to concern themselves with women, as well as men. Early unions were formed by skilled workers, such as boiler makers or carpenters. They were generally not concerned with unskilled labourers. Year Number of Employed People Number of Unionized Workers Percentage 1911 2 723 634 133 100 4.9% 2004 13 400 000 4 100 000 30.6% Why might unions enter a float in a parade, such as this Teamsters Union float in a Lethbridge parade in 1912? As the chart shows, more than 95 percent of workers in Canada were not union members in 1911, so unions had very limited influence. As the number of immigrants continued to rise, and cities and factories grew, union membership also increased. Still, factory wages remained low and working conditions poor for many years. The hard work and dedication of unions and the various other groups that tried to improve the situation ensured progress, but it was slow. THINKING It Over 1. Look at the table on page H 147 showing how a shirt was made in the old cottage system and in the factory system. Use illustrations to create a timeline to show the various stages of production in both systems. Which system do you prefer? Why? k t c 2. Much has been accomplished in terms of the conditions these women worked to improve upon, H 150 Unit 3: Canada: A Changing Society but there are still areas in the world where those conditions are still serious concerns. Choose one issue, such as child labour, women’s right to education, factory conditions, or health care, and write a persuasive letter to the editor expressing your point of view on the matter. Remember to explain your reasons for your opinion. t c k ON8_history_07.qxd 1/11/08 2:01 PM Page 151 Home Work with Evidence Quit Using Historical Novels You can learn a lot about history by reading historical novels. The following is an extract from L’enfant cigarier (The Child Cigar Maker), written by Marie-Paule Villeneuve. It tells the story of Jos, an 11-year-old boy employed in a cigar factory. The Queen Cigar Factory waited for him… Whenever he saw it, Jos always felt his heart flutter. A dungeon. From seven in the morning to six at night… he was held prisoner there, six days a week… Jos had been employed at Queen’s since September 6, 1885, his ninth birthday. That year, the Québec government passed a law preventing manufacturers from employing boys less than 12 years old, or girls less than 14… As the morning passed, Jos placed the cigars in piles. The supervisor passed by regularly, collecting each batch of 50, eliminating at least five that were too long, too ripped, too fat, or too thin. Jos didn’t hear his criticisms any more. He knew that the darned cigars wouldn’t get thrown out. Subtracted from his pay, that was all… Jos had worked at Queen’s for two and a half years. His work contract, which his father had signed with an X at lawyer Archambault’s office, stated that he would get a dollar a week the first year, two the How would you feel about having to work in a cigar factory instead of going to school? second and three the third. After two and a half years, he never earned more than a dollar, his wages always being cheated by fines that he thought were unjustified… [At the end of the week, Jos’s fines are greater than his wages. He owes the factory 15 cents. His father complains to the manager. The manager explains,] “It’s very simple. He’s made 500 cigars, of which 200 were ruined. He talked to his work companions ten times and was late for work once. In future, when he’s not on time, he must report to the police station, as stipulated in his contract. The company has agreed to teach him the trade of a cigar maker. It’s a chance for him. Do you want him to be a packer like you all his life? It’s for his own good. He’s only an apprentice.” THINKING It Over 1. Think of three words that describe your feelings about the working conditions the author describes in the factory. Discuss the reasons for your word choice with a partner. t c 2. With a classmate, discuss what strategies the author has used to inform her audience about the topic. How effectively has she done this? What would you do differently? t c a Chapter 7: Growth and Change H 151 ON8_history_07.qxd 1/11/08 11:22 AM Page 152 Home Quit What Impact Did Inventors and Pioneers Have? During READING Checkpoint Write the name of each person in this section and note if and how that person’s contribution relates to your life. The late 1800s and early 1900s was a period when many inventors and pioneers had an influence on the development of Canada. Some made inventions that directly helped businesses to expand, or people to live easier lives. Others pioneered new roles for women or better schools for children. The work of the inventors and pioneers was amazing and has had a lasting impact. George Ross (1841–1914) George Ross was Ontario’s Minister of Education (1883–1896) and Premier (1899–1905). As Minister of Education, he improved the education system in the province, building many new schools to house the rapidly expanding population. At that time, there were lots of disputes over language and religion. (For example, Should French be allowed as a language of instruction? Should the government fund Roman Catholic schools?) Ross managed to reduce tensions over these issues and to give more children a chance at an education. Businesses benefited by having employees who could read and write. They could read and understand instructions for operating machinery and also safety warnings. Alexander Graham Bell (1847–1922) Alexander Graham Bell, a Scottish immigrant, was an inventor with many different interests. He worked with his father as a speech therapist for hearing impaired people. He was especially interested in how sounds are transmitted. He began to experiment with different ways of transmitting sounds—such as the human voice—by electrical connections. He is most famous for developing the first telephone system in 1876. With his assistant, he was able to transmit understandable sounds by wire in a demonstration in Brantford, Ontario. This led to the development of the first telephone, which gained popularity in the 1890s. The telephone helped businesses to communicate more easily with one another. Today, it is a part of everyday life. John A.D. McCurdy (1886–1961) John A. D. McCurdy was a partner in the Aerial Experimental Association, at Baddeck, Nova Scotia. McCurdy worked with Alexander Graham Bell and Bell’s wife, Mabel Hubbard, to develop a “flying machine.” They successfully launched more than 200 short flights before their greatest success, in 1909. The “Silver Dart” was the first powered airplane to take flight in the British Empire. McCurdy spent the rest of his life helping to develop airplanes. Very expensive at first, air travel allowed business people to travel greater distances to supervise their companies. H 152 Unit 3: Canada: A Changing Society ON8_history_07.qxd 1/11/08 11:22 AM Page 153 Home Quit Adam Beck (1857–1925) Adam Beck was first a business person in London, Ontario, and was later elected mayor. He saw that electricity could make people’s lives easier. In 1905, he persuaded the Ontario government to develop a hydroelectric plant in Niagara Falls. It began operations in 1910, supplying cheap power to homes and businesses in the area. He worked tirelessly to persuade cities and towns to hook into the hydroelectric system. Electrical machines replaced steam-powered ones in factories. This eliminated many of the open belts and pulleys, and greatly reduced worker accidents. Martha Black (1866–1957) Martha Munger came from Chicago, but spent most of her life in the Yukon. She prospected for gold during the Klondike Gold Rush of the 1890s, and later ran a sawmill. In 1904, she married George Black, Commissioner of the Yukon, and she later became a member of parliament. She gave lectures on the Yukon in Britain, and was made a member of the Royal Geographical Society in 1917—a rare honour for a woman at this time. In 1935, she was elected to parliament as the member for the Yukon—only the second woman to be elected to the House of Commons. Her book, My Seventy Years, tells of her adventurous life, from the gold rush to parliament. Robert Samuel McLaughlin (1871–1972) Robert Samuel McLaughlin worked with his father and brother in a carriage-building business in Oshawa, Ontario. In 1908, he expanded the business to include automobile production. The company built Buicks and Chevrolets in Oshawa for an American company. In 1918, General Motors of Detroit bought the business, but retained McLaughlin as its president. Oshawa became a major automobile-producing centre. By the mid-1920s, the plant employed more than 3000 people. Trucks and other automobiles made it easier to ship raw materials to factories and finished goods out of them. This helped businesses become more efficient. Chapter 7: Growth and Change H 153 ON8_history_07.qxd 1/11/08 11:22 AM Page 154 Home Quit Guglielmo Marconi (1874–1937) Guglielmo Marconi was born in Italy. He was interested in electricity and radio waves. Around 1900, he began to investigate longdistance radio waves. He believed that it was possible to send signals across the Atlantic. In this way, a radio company could compete with telegraph cables connecting Europe and North America. In 1901, he launched a kite containing a radio antenna into the air at Signal Hill in St. John’s, Newfoundland. He successfully received radio signals transmitted from a tower in Cornwall, England, 3500 km away. These experiments were important in helping to develop regular trans-Atlantic radio contact. Mabel Hubbard Bell (1857–1923) Mabel Hubbard was born in Boston, Massachusetts. She became deaf at the age of five, from Scarlet fever. Mabel Hubbard was highly intelligent, with a special talent for science. She married Alexander Graham Bell in 1877. Mabel and Alexander were the first editors of a magazine published by the National Geographical Society, which was founded by Mabel’s father in 1888. It has since become one of the world’s leading monthly magazines. She ably assisted Alexander in many of his experiments. She also assisted their friend, J.A.D. McCurdy, as he developed his “Silver Dart” airplane. She developed a strong interest in women’s rights. She helped women to get appointed to teaching positions in Boston in the 1870s. She also played a prominent role in efforts to win women’s suffrage in the U.S. She was a pioneer who did not let any obstacle stand in her way to achieve success. These pioneers and inventors helped to create change in Canada. Life in cities and factories began to improve. Transportation improved. Women and children started to get fairer treatment. What would life be like today if it were not for the achievements of these pioneers and inventors? THINKING It Over 1. Why were these inventors and pioneers significant? With a partner, discuss how their contributions are significant to your life today. t k 2. Choose four of the people in this section. What effect did their work have on business and industry in the past and today? t k a H 154 Unit 3: Canada: A Changing Society 3. Plot these people and their contributions on a timeline. With a partner, discuss how some of their contributions might have helped others to make their contributions. k t c ON8_history_07.qxd 1/11/08 11:22 AM Page 155 Home Quit How Did Women’s Roles Change? The role of women in society was severely restricted in the late 1800s. Married women were expected to devote their lives to their family. It was extremely rare to find women involved in business or politics. This situation began to change as some women and organizations started to challenge the limitations placed on them. During READING Checkpoint Note how each woman contributed to change in Canadian society. Dr. Emily Stowe (1831–1903) In 1854, Emily Jennings became the first female principal of a public school in Canada West. She was principal of Brantford Central School until she married John Stowe in 1856. As expected of middle class women at the time, she resigned from her job and devoted her life to her family. After raising three children, she decided to become a doctor. No medical school in Canada would accept a female student, so she enrolled in a school in New York. She graduated in 1867, and decided to open a medical practice in Toronto. However, the body that licensed doctors in Ontario refused to accept her application. She then opened a medical clinic, specializing in the nursing care of women and children. After 13 years, in 1880, she finally obtained a licence to practise medicine. In 1883, Dr. Stowe’s daughter, Dr. Augusta Stowe-Gullen, became the first woman to graduate from a Canadian medical school. In 1981, a Canadian postage stamp honoured Emily Stowe. Ishbel Maria Gordon, Lady Aberdeen (1857–1939) Ishbel Maria Gordon’s husband, Lord This advertisement appeared in the Globe on November 11, 1867. Aberdeen, was governor general of Canada from 1893 to 1898. Ishbel, though, refused to play the quiet life expected of the wife of the queen’s representative. Lady Aberdeen opposed the working conditions that women faced in factories; she also opposed the many limits society placed on all women. She believed that women could help to make society more civilized if they were allowed to play a larger role in it. Chapter 7: Growth and Change H 155 ON8_history_07.qxd 1/11/08 11:22 AM Page 156 Home Quit She served on committees and was important in the founding of the National Council of Women of Canada (1893) and the Victorian Order of Nurses (1897). Queen’s University recognized Lady Aberdeen’s accomplishments by granting her an honorary degree. She was the first woman in Canada to receive such a degree. Her commitment to women’s issues made her an important force of change at this time. Her work resulted in many benefits for women. The National Council of Women of Canada (1893) How do you think politicians or factory owners would have reacted to Lady Aberdeen’s views at this time? How would women have reacted? Explain. WEB LINK For more information on women who influenced change in Canada, visit our Web site. Two women cyclists. Bicycles liberated women from restrictive clothing and from chaperones. H 156 The NCWC was one of the first groups founded to pressure politicians and business leaders to address women’s issues. Its first president was Lady Aberdeen. The NCWC worked for the expansion of education for women. It supported women’s rights to vote and become involved in public affairs. Today, the organization is still a powerful supporter of women’s causes. The Victorian Order of Nurses (1897) To celebrate Queen Victoria’s sixty years on the throne, Lady Aberdeen helped to establish the Victorian Order of Nurses (VON). Its mission was to provide community health care by going into people’s homes to give nursing assistance. The people who benefited most were the elderly or chronically ill. The VON built 44 hospitals, but eventually handed them over to other organizations to run. It felt it would be better to focus on home nursing than to diversify. VON nurses leaving the Montréal branch building to go out into the district, 1910. Why is public health nursing still important today? Unit 3: Canada: A Changing Society ON8_history_07.qxd 1/11/08 11:22 AM Page 157 Home Quit Adelaide Hoodless (1857–1910) Adelaide Hoodless lived a comfortable married life until her infant son died after drinking non-pasteurized milk. She realized that many women needed better education. They particularly needed to know more about household management. She pushed for domestic science classes in schools. She also worked with Lady Aberdeen to found the NCWC and the VON. She founded the Women’s Institute (WI) movement to educate and support fairness for women in society. In 1897, she opened its first chapter at Stoney Creek, Ontario. From these small beginnings, the WI grew into an international organization. Nellie McClung (1873–1951) Nellie McClung became a member of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union and supported its efforts to prohibit the sale of alcohol, obtain better labour laws, and allow women to vote. From 1921 to 1926, she was a Liberal member of the Alberta Legislature for a district in Edmonton. She became a prominent speaker and writer across western Canada. Today, she is regarded as an important part of the movement to obtain fair treatment for women in Canadian society. Adelaide Hoodless Emily Murphy (1868–1933) Emily Murphy was born in Ontario, but spent most of her adult life in Manitoba and then the Edmonton area. She became a self-taught legal expert and lobbied governments to improve the legal rights of women. In 1911, she persuaded the Alberta government to pass an act guaranteeing widows one-third of their husband’s wealth. In 1916, she was the first woman in the British Empire to be appointed as a magistrate. In this position, she could act as a judge in some court cases. On her first day as a magistrate, a lawyer challenged her right to hold the position as she was not considered a “person” in the legal sense of the term. She denied the lawyer’s motion that she should step down from the case. She began to work with others in a series of court actions to have the law changed to ensure that women were legal persons. At this time, the law did not allow women to be appointed to the Senate. In 1929, the law was changed to allow women to be members of the Senate. Emily Murphy THINKING It Over Research the roles and status of First Nations women in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Record your findings in a chart. Watch for bias in your sources and distinguish between fact and opinion. See page S 10 for help with detecting bias. t k c Chapter 7: Growth and Change H 157 ON8_history_07.qxd 1/11/08 11:22 AM Page 158 Home Quit HISTORICAL THINKING SKILL Understanding Historical Evidence You learned in Chapter 6 that some parts of the past are left out of history books because historians do not think they are particularly significant. Other parts are left out because there is no evidence left for historians to use to develop their stories. Historians must have evidence in order to write history. Two kinds of evidence historians use are accounts and traces. Accounts describe or explain events—they tell stories. They can be primary sources, such as diaries or letters from the time of the events, or secondary sources written later. Your history book is a secondary source account. Traces are items from the past that do not tell a story by themselves, but offer clues about what life was like or what happened. They are usually primary sources such as artifacts, photographs, and buildings. Historians try to read the clues in traces to help them develop accounts of the past. The tag pictured below is a trace from around the time of Confederation. It is a trace because it does not tell a story of what happened, but it does offer lots of information or clues about what life was like. When historians find a trace, they ask some questions like the ones below. Try these with this trace. Step 1 Questions for artifacts What is the object? What might it be used for? Who would use it? When or in what period was it used? What clues or information does it give about the time or about the people who made it and used it? Photographs are also traces. Historians often use them to gather evidence to help tell stories. On page H 57 of your textbook, there is a photograph of the people who participated in the Québec Conference in 1864. It is a trace. Look at it carefully and consider the following questions. Step 2 Questions for images Who is in the image? (You might also ask who is not in the image?) What are the people in the image doing? Who might have taken the picture? Why was the picture taken? When was it taken? What does the picture tell you about the time period, Confederation, and the people responsible for it? APPLY It Your textbook includes images of artifacts, buildings, and people engaged in various activities. These are all traces that provide evidence of what happened in the past. Examine some of these, asking the kinds of questions outlined above, and develop a list of things you can say about Canada in the 1800s. H 158 Unit 3: Canada: A Changing Society ON8_history_07.qxd 1/17/08 12:21 PM Page 159 Home Quit PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER Between 1890 and 1914, social and economic factors, technology, and people promoted change in Canada. The mining boom led to the creation of new towns. In established towns, the population grew rapidly. Immigrants poured in, many of them settling in Montréal, Toronto, Winnipeg, and Vancouver. Companies located factories in cities to take advantage of the population growth. Working conditions were poor, especially for women and children. New inventions sometimes improved working conditions. There were many movements to improve people’s lives. Although change did not happen immediately, this period is still marked by steady growth. After READING Finding the Main Ideas Use the information in your concept map to answer the question, What significant changes occurred in Canadian society during this period? Subtopic Subtopic Change in Canada Subtopic THINKING It Through 1. Research the working conditions of a) farmers, and b) labourers in 1900 compared with today. Create two Venn diagrams—one for farmers and one for labourers—to compare working conditions around 1900 with working conditions today. Include key points that apply in the appropriate parts of the diagrams. k t c a 2. Use the information contained in your Venn diagrams to write two paragraphs—one about farmers and the other about workers. What are the differences and similarities in the challenges they faced around 1900 and today? c a t 3. Draw a picture or describe a scene in words to illustrate the biggest challenge the farmers or workers have ever faced. In two sentences, explain what the picture or scene shows, and why you chose it. c a t 4. Create a “cloze,” or fill-in-the-blank, test for your classmates. For each key term in this chapter, write a sentence using the term, but leave a blank space where the key term belongs. Swap papers with a partner and see if you can correctly fill in the spaces on each other’s tests. k t c a Chapter 7: Growth and Change H 159