Into the Modern World What was life like for Canadians and Newfoundlanders at the beginning of the 20 th century?

REGIONS AND RESOURCES

The North For much of the 1800’s, the main economic opportunities in the Yukon and Northwest Territories were whaling and fur trading. By 1900, whales were becoming scarce but furs provided by the First Nations and Métis were still important. In 1896, gold was discovered in Klondike and thousands came to mine, but few made money. By 1900, the gold rush was over but some miners stayed on to trap furs.

British Columbia The main economic resources were forest and ocean resources. Many logging camps were along the coast so logs could be rolled in to the water and floated to ships or sawmills. The main fish resource was salmon and many canneries were built so the fish could be exported to countries around the world.

Prairies In Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, the main crop was wheat. Ranching (raising beef cattle for sale) was also important in some areas. New technologies were helpful (railway for transporting goods and tractors for making farming easier).

Central Canada As in the 1800’s, farming and forestry were still important to the economy. Because of the National Policy, Central Canada became a centre for manufacturing. Products included farm equipment, paper, shoes, and clothing as well as exciting new products such as gramophone records.

Maritimes Due to the National Policy, the Maritimes suffered a loss in manufacturing. Also suffered a loss in shipbuilding due to steamships. Many moved and those who stayed worked in farming, fishing, mining or shipping.

Newfoundland The traditional cod fishing industry was still very important but not able to provide jobs for all. The Newfoundland government decided to borrow ideas from Canada to make the economy grow. Offered cheap land, built a railway across the island and offered tax benefits to businesses. As a result, the mining and pulp and paper industries grew.

The Industrial Revolution Changes to the way things were being made had an enormous impact on many parts of life in Canada and Newfoundland. Allow Tim and Moby to explain further…

New Sources of Power Old power sources: wind, water, people, animals. Hydroelectricity: Electricity generated from the power of water allowed for the telegram, telephone and wireless radio. Steam Engine: powered trains, ships and large machines in factories (burn coal to heat water to make steam). Internal Combustion Engine: allowed for the first practical automobile (a mist of gasoline is exploded by a spark and the energy comes from the explosion).

New Building Materials Traditionally, wood and stone were used for building materials. Wood structures can’t be too high or they bend. Stone structures are strong but too heavy to be built high. The development of good quality steel allowed for skyscrapers, longer bridges and could also be used as the framework for machines, tractors, steamships and automobiles.

The Quebec Bridge (across the St. Lawrence River) was complete in It collapsed twice while it was being built, killing 88 workers in total. Why do you think engineers had such difficulty getting the design right?

New Ways of Working Machines could now do the work that used to be done by hand. Items were no longer produced one by one, but rather hundreds a day. Workers now only made one part of an item, not an entire item. Many people moved to the city (and away from farms) for factory jobs. Tim and Moby will tell you about assembly lines.

Daily Life

Homes Types of homes ranged from lean-tos, wigwams, cabins, sod houses, apartments, 2- 3 bedroom homes and mansions (depending on location and income). In some towns and most cities conveniences like electric light, indoor plumbing and gas heat were available. Many of these options were too expensive.

Communication Mail Service: In 1898 the postal rate for sending a letter anywhere in Canada was 2 cents! Telegrams: A message sent over wire cables in Morse code. Telephones: were becoming more common in urban homes. Calls were made through an operator.

Transportation Horse and Carriage: still most popular Boat/Ferries: good for coastal communities. Electric Streetcar: only is some cities. Bicycle: most popular new form of transport. Automobiles: Only for the wealthy. Very rough roads. Railway: most practical for long distance.

Work Rural families were involved in ranching, farming, fishing, prospecting or trapping. In towns and cities, many people worked in factories. Also, professions like doctor and lawyer were developing. Many young women were hired as domestic help. Children were an important part of the workforce.

Healthcare Healthcare was still very basic. Although there were doctors, they were rare in rural areas and there was still little they could do to help the seriously ill. Crowded and unsanitary living conditions in the poorer parts of cities caused diseases, like tuberculosis, to spread quickly.

Education By 1900, all children were required to go to school until 14-16, depending on the province. This was not strictly enforced and was more realistic for children in rich families. Poorer children had to help out at home seasonally or all year round. Schools were divided based on religion, culture and language. At the time, more regulations were coming regarding training for teachers and curricula. One room school houses vs. consolidated schools.

Art and Leisure Games Reading Sledding Skating Baseball Lacrosse Boxing Bicycling Theatres Movies: black and white, no sounds, periodic screens with words, music by a piano or orchestra in the theatre.

Social Disparity Disparity is when things are not equal. Social Disparity is when some groups in society have many opportunities and others have few.

Very Poor and Very Rich Before the Industrial Revolution there wasn’t a “middle-class”. Why? No laws to protect workers from unfair treatment. No minimum wage. Children had to work to help out so they couldn’t go to school. Without education, they couldn’t get good jobs. This left them stuck in the poverty cycle.

No Social Programs Another reason for the gap between rich and poor was the lack of social programs. No medicare, no employment insurance. Money for these programs comes from taxes. The thought was that this wasn’t part of the governments job. Some churches and charities helped out poor families but many people believed that the poor only had themselves to blame.

No Rights for Women Women had fewer opportunities than men. Most believed that the big decisions in women’s lives should be made by men. Girls and women in wealthy families were not encouraged to work. Their roles were to be good mothers and wives and the housework was done by servants. Lower class women had to work and got paid less to do the same work that men did.

Racism and Discrimination The government was still made up mostly of males who were White, English, wealthy and Protestant. These men generally thought it was their right and responsibility to make decisions for people of other backgrounds. Wilfred Laurier was Prime Minister from and was Canada’s first Francophone PM.

Turn of the Century Inventions Zipper Typewriter Radio Cold cereal Movie projector Wireless radio telegraph Escalator Gasoline powered car Dishwasher Vacuum Cleaner Jell-o Ganong chocolate bar Bloomers (pants) for women Fountain pen Paper Cup Windshield wiper Peanut Butter Golf Tee Telephone Cracker Jack Refrigeration Motorcycle Bicycle X-ray