Leading up to Confederation Horizons pgs 55-72

After the Rebellions, immigrants began arriving again in large numbers. The English population soon surpassed the French population. The French worried that their culture was being destroyed Lord Durham’s report didn’t ease the fears of the French – his aim was to assimilate the French into English culture

Upper Canada now known as Canada West Lower Canada now known as Canada East Toronto becomes a city Buildings Businesses (doctors, dentists, merchants) Banks Busy roadways Canada West is growing = many opportunities await

Bank of Upper Canada [Archives of Ontario, AO 6177]

As business grew, so did the challenge of transporting goods to the market and consumer

Britain begins to pull funding from projects in the colonies Private developers and the colonies must come up with money on their own for their building projects Ships Canals Intercolonial Railway Many people (but not everyone!) begin to promote the concept of Union as a way of achieving prosperity for the colonies and to complete the projects they wanted – political leaders stepped forward

So, what about the day to day lives of people who were living during all of this important Canadian Confederation political stuff???

Quality of life determined by – money, education and social standing Income tax free = tons of $$$

Poor often worked as manual laborers Some took farming jobs in exchange for part of the harvest. No social safety net No employment insurance No health care No income assistance The Church was the only group to help the poor.

Religion was important to immigrants Irish were typically Catholic Scots were typically Presbyterians The Anglican Church was the official church in the colonies Churches were like a community Leaders made decisions about education, schools, issues in the community Some people received help from the church – others gave money to church as a way of showing how much they had to spare

Native people pushed aside by settlers Aboriginal reserves were located at edge of settlements Europeans bought “Indian land” or labour Native people forced into agriculture

As settlement spread closer to Native territory government tried to pressure Native people into renting or selling their best land Although many attempts were made to assimilate Natives they held on to their culture traditions oral histories

“Victorians” – people who lived in Britain or in British Empire during rule of Queen Victoria Victorians believed they were superior “to be born British was ‘to win the lottery of life’” Attitude Sure of themselves Christian Modesty Seriousness Morality / proper behaviour Importance of social status – social events Materialistic

Clothing was significant to social status Even labourers dressed formally in long dresses, aprons, hats and ties Women Long dresses made of fine cloth Parasols to protect from the sun Men Long jackets High, stiff collars Homes Heavy, decorated furniture Knick-knacks servants

An age of discovery Germs Aspirin Antibiotics Antiseptics X-rays Vitamins Hormones Vaccinations are now available to ordinary people

Common diseases: Cholera Smallpox Typhoid fever Influenza Tuberculosis Scarlet fever Not a lot was known about disease and hygiene Doctors infected patients during operations Hazards during child birth Louis Pasteur discovered bacilli and vaccinated people against disease

People wanted to be entertained Sports Swimming Bear-baiting Dog and bull fighting boxing No TV, radio or recorded music! Parlour games

Lots of $$$ = ability to travel Steam Transatlantic travel by steamboat Trains had strict timetables By mid 1800s every city had at least one newspaper