LIFESTYLES OF THE 1920’S Canadian History 1201

LIFESTYLES OF THE 1920’S  Radios were the great invention of the 1920s as rural Canada could now stay in touch with news and events in urban areas  Many families moved into cities to work in factories  More and more people worked in the service industries  Transportation, banks, etc.  The work week became shorter and better wages meant more time for leisure activities  i.e. Dance marathons, contests, sports, etc.

 People were now allowed to buy on credit for the first time ever and bought items like cars, radios, vacuum cleaners, etc.  The Group of Seven were the most famous artist group from 20 th century Canada  They painted Canadian landscapes LIFESTYLES OF THE 1920’S

 Spectator sports grew in popularity  Football, baseball, hockey, etc.  Many nightclubs began to have live music  Many began watching American films  “Talkies”  Clothing styles changed dramatically  Women cut their hair and wore skirts above the knees – Flappers  Women smoked and had more freedom in employment

LIFESTYLES OF THE 1920’S  People were dancing the “Charleston”“Charleston”  A new “slang” was formed  Baloney – Nonsense  Crush – Falling in Love  Real McCoy – Genuine Article  Kisser – Lips  Crash a Party – Uninvited Guest  Gyp – Cheap  Scram – Leave Quickly ** Slang Activity

SOCIAL INEQUALITIES  Women  Still underrepresented in government  Still were not considered “persons” under the law  Some laws had changed, but attitudes had not  Many still felt that a women’s place was in the home  The training women received in some schools prepared them for marriage, motherhood, typing and/or shorthand classes  Even if women did graduate from University, they were likely to be paid far less than men  Women were seen as “temporary employees”  They would work until they were married and then they would be fired

SOCIAL INEQUALITIES  Women (cont`d)  Most women did have the right to vote in federal and provincial elections  Women could run for election to the House of Commons  Agnes Macphail was the only female MP for 14 years  A growing number of women were involved in physical activities  The Edmonton Grads  Olympian Ethel Catherwood

SOCIAL INEQUALITIES  Children  By 1929, children under the age of 14 were legally prohibited from working in factories and mines in most provinces  Children who lived on farms still worked long hours  Children began to stay in school longer  Usually until Junior High  Home Children were still being exploited  By the 1920’s reformers were condemning the practice of Home Children  The Home Children program was ended in 1930

SOCIAL INEQUALITIES  Immigrants  In the 1920’s, many believed North Americans and northern Europeans believed that they were superior races  Racism began to rise in Canada in the 1920’s  For example, some restaurants refused to serve black people  A few Canadians demonstrated their racist outlook in extreme and occasionally violent ways  Members from the Orange Lodge supported “One flag, one religion and one language” and did not welcome non-English immigrants  The Ku Klux Klan was active  In Saskatchewan they helped ban French schools and RC nuns from teaching in public schools

SOCIAL INEQUALITIES  Native Peoples  Throughout the 1920’s and 1930’s, Native peoples struggles to keep their culture and heritage  The government policy during this period was Assimilation  Native children were sent to special residential schools where they were forbidden from learning about their own cultures  At the same time, Native peoples who tried to live off Reserves in Canadian towns and cities faced discrimination and prejudice  Natives were given few opportunities to find good jobs and make a living so many faced poverty  If they lived on reserves, they weren`t allowed to vote  In the 1920`s `s, Native peoples were beginning to form organizations to fight for their rights

TASK  Complete the worksheet “The Roaring 20’s?”