Historical Perspective How can we better understand the people of the past?

Perspective There is an ocean of difference between current worldviews (beliefs, values and motivations) and those of earlier periods of history

Perspective Presentism- present ideas and customs on people and events of the past There is some value in applying the common experiences of humans present day and in the past (love, death, hunger) We can relate to the past but we can’t think like the past

Perspective We can “infer” how people felt and thought in the past by understanding the context (the time period or event) and by assessing evidence

Names- 1920’s BOYS Robert John James William Charles GIRLS Mary Dorothy Helen Betty Margaret

Names- 1980’s BOYS Michael Christopher Matthew Joshua David GIRLS Jessica Jennifer Amanda Ashley Sarah

Names 2000’s BOYS Jacob Michael Joshua Matthew Daniel GIRLS Emily Madison Emma Olivia Hannah

Canada 1900’s Remarkable changes in Canada from 1890’s- 1914 Laurier guided Canada through 15 years of prosperity and social and political upheaval- perspectives were changing Immigration transformed Canada into a diverse, transcontinental nation with growing cities and industries However, not all Canadians were part of the new positive outlook- Indigenous people, Eastern European and Asian immigrants, women and workers struggled within the period due to the perspectives at the time

The Perspectives of the Past Try to imagine how many different perspectives Canadians had in the past before the First World War! We (2016) might call those perspectives old fashioned, traditional, discriminatory, racist, close minded- WE CAN’T DO THAT (or can we?)