1. Historical Significance
1. How did the growth of Canada during the 1870/80’s affect people in various regions? 2. How did this growth affect Aboriginal life? 3. What was life like for the immigrants?

2. Historical Significance = Importance The impact +
What the person or event reveals
The Story

3. To determine historical significance, ask these questions:
*Does the event (or actions of the person) result in a deep change or consequence? Did it reveal something?
*Does the person or event shed light on an issue? Why do historians pay so much attention to this?
*Is this person or event meaningful to the story?

4. What do these photos of the late 1800’s and early 1900’s have to do with the Canada we know today?

5. The CPR

6. Residential Schools

7. What is the historical significance of these photos for us
What is the historical significance of these photos for us? Without the historical person, place or thing, we may not have the life we have today. Do you believe me?
HINT: It is what this person and this event REPRESENTS that is important.

8. And The Answer Is…
One of the promises that Sir John A. Macdonald made in order to win an election was to build a railway that would run coast to coast. By doing this it allowed for settlers to move even further south and also lead to increased trade and a development of our economy. This is significant today because our country grew and prospered as a result and we became a strong trading nation. This affects the economy that we live in and therefore affects the money we have today, and how many jobs are available to us. Without the railway, we would have had not way to develop as a country and Canada would not be the large and diverse nation it is today.

9. And The Answer Is......
Residential schools were an attempt by the Canadian government to try to change the culture of the Aboriginal people. This was a racist policy. The Canadians at this time believed that their culture was superior to other cultures. The fall out from how people were treated in these schools eventually ( but unfortunately not quickly enough) to an apology by the Canadian government. This is significant today because our government now tries to treat all cultures with respect and it is part of the policies of today.. We are proud of being a multicultural nation. We teach our children to be kind to others and learn about other cultures.

10. But
The building of the railway and the residential school have no significance without the story. The story is what gives these events significance. By themselves, they are not important....They are just events.