1. BEAUTIFUL BRITISH COLUMBIA Colony to Confederation and Beyond

2. Review/Background Info  BC joined Confederation in 1871, on the promise that the CPR would be built on its land within 10 years (done)  The decision to join, however, was not based solely on the CPR construction: 1.Canada would have to take over the colony’s debt 2.BC wanted responsible government 3.BC wanted a trade link to Ontario’s region (which the CPR provided) Some people still thought joining the US would be a better deal for BC, since the rest of Canada was far away, but Oregon and California were nearby and could provide a great trade relationship One of the leaders of the anti-confederation movement wrote up a “wish list” petition for the govt, including things on purpose that he thought the Canadian govt would scoff at, and then reject, leading to BC being open to join the US; however, when Ottawa read the list of demands, they were mostly agreed to (that tells you how badly Canada wanted BC). One of those demands was that the CPR be built within 10 years on BC soil

3. Immigration to BC How did people find their way to beautiful BC?  Native peoples were already on the land from years and years ago  Natives from the Hawaiian Islands also migrated to the West Coast in the early 1800s  In the 1840s there was a large amount of Kanakas in the Lower Mainland area, many of whom married local First Nations women and settled  There were also some HBC employees in the region  The gold rush in 1858 brought many immigrants to BC: Black Americans knew that slavery was illegal in Canada, so they travelled up to Vancouver Island and asked to settle (the governor agreed, and even helped them find work). Some of these men were interested in forming a military, which BC did not have, and when the governor gave permission, these Black Americans created the Victoria Pioneer Rifle Corps  Although slavery was illegal, discrimination still occurred, to which the Chinese, Japanese, and Indian immigrants can confirm.  Joe Fortes is one of the most well-known Black immigrants to Vancouver. He was part of a ship’s crew and left the boat when it docked at Vancouver in 1884. He got a job at a saloon, built a house on the English Bay beach, became an official lifeguard for English Bay, and eventually died in 1922. His funeral was attended by 1000s of people.

4. Immigration to BC continued  There was an influx of Jewish immigrants to BC, as well (1858)  Some of them came from the California Gold Rush, but most came straight from Europe (and England in particular)  They weren’t really gold-seekers; they were interested in opening businesses to sell supplies and sundries to miners  There was quite a large Jewish population on Vancouver Island (and the mainland) and in the early 1860s, a synagogue was built and members became quite active in the community The Oppenheimer name might sound familiar. These five Jewish brothers came from Germany to opens supply stores during the California Gold Rush, and then moved to Vancouver Island to do the same. They persuaded the governor to extend the Cariboo Road to Barkerville. They had “crazy” ideas that the Burrard Inlet would someday become a busy port (yes) and they bought up land in Vancouver. When the CPR was being constructed, it needed land, so the brothers offered up their land for free. Why? Because they knew it would increase in value once the CPR was completed. David Oppenheimer became the second mayor of Vancouver and is responsible for a lot of the city’s infrastructure, such as laying pipes to bring clean water from the North Shore, a sewage system, new electric street cars, established Stanley Park, and offered up land for schools and parks.

5. Immigration to BC continued  We’ve talked a bit about the Chinese immigration already  They were the largest non-European immigrant group to BC  Many migrated north from California  Discrimination limited their mining potential, but they persevered by mining left-over mines and opening general stores  Many of them worked for the CPR, but were treated terribly: less than 50% pay as European workers, more deductions from their pay, they had to pay for their food and lodging, and they were always chosen to do the most dangerous jobs  Many Chinese planned to leave after the CPR work was done, but because they were shorted money, they couldn’t afford to get home, so they moved to Vancouver or Victoria to look for work  We have already discussed that the Cdn govt imposed a head tax of $50 and then $500 for Chinese immigrants, shortly after the CPR was completed

6. Immigration to BC continued  The first documented Japanese immigrant to BC was named Manzo Nagano, and he arrived in 1877  Most first generation Japanese who arrived to BC were young, literate, and sought work in the fishing and mill industries  Most of these immigrants settled around suburbs of Victoria and Vancouver, in areas that became known as “Japan Town” or “Little Japan”  Japanese faced discrimination, as well: They could not vote They were denied the right to work in fields such as law and mining They were paid less wages than Caucasians for the same labour jobs  The Canadian government was trying its best to ban all Asians from entering Canada by passing head taxes and limitation laws.  They built up their communities, however, and soon Christian and Buddhist churches, as well as hospitals, were constructed in Mission, Steveston, Vancouver, Tofino, and Victoria

7. Student Assignment  Read “Zoom In” on page 233 (about Joe Fortes). Answer the bullet question at the end of the reading. Your answer will be one paragraph, showing organized thought and support.  Amor De Cosmos infamously stated that Chinese people were a threat to society because they “did not assimilate”. Why would people have entertained this type of thinking at the time?  The Kanakas who arrived on the West Coast do not form distinct communities today, like some other cultures (China Town, Little Japan, Little Italy, etc…). Why do you think this is?