canada: a changing society canada at the turn of the century
TRANSCRIPT
Canada: A Changing Canada: A Changing SocietySociety
Canada at the Turn of the CenturyCanada at the Turn of the Century
Life at the Turn of the CenturyLife at the Turn of the Century
• Huge inequalities between the rich and the poor.
• The rich were very rich.• Taxes were so low that they were
left with most of their money to spend.
• It went to houses, horses, carriages and luxuries.
• However, most Canadians used gas or kerosene lamps and cooked on wood burning stoves.
• Most did not have electricity or running water.
• Most lived in little wood houses and often 2 to 3 generations lived under the same roof.
Average CanadiansAverage Canadians
EducationEducation
• Wealthy children could look forward to an education.
• Children of farming or working class families often had to leave school (if they went to school at all) to work on the farms or in the factories.
• Farming families needed the extra hands during harvest times.
• In 1871 Ontario passed a law saying all children must at least get an elementary education.
• By 1900 all provinces, except Quebec, had laws that required all children between 7 and 12 to attend school
Health CareHealth Care
• Drinking water came from unpurified rivers and lakes.
• There were no sewers to take away waste, people just through it in the streets.
• Rats and lice infested houses.• These conditions led to sickness
and high death rates. • Most children died because of poor
diet and lack of medical attention.• Most of the medicines we have
today were not invented yet.
Aboriginal PeoplesAboriginal Peoples
• By 1900’s their traditional ways of life were disappearing.
• Many had been forced to move onto reserves.
• The Indian Act, introduced in 1876 was designed to eventually assimilate or absorb Aboriginal people into Canadian society.
• The Aboriginals did not want to give up their traditions or way of life.
• The government started outlawing them to force the Aboriginals to assimilate.
Residential SchoolsResidential Schools
• Aboriginal children were sent to live in special residential schools run by missionaries.
• They were not allowed to speak their own languages or follow their cultural practices.
• Rules were strict and punishment was severe.
• Few children gained a good education and most were ill-treated.
• The schools broke the connection between children, parents and culture.
• Aboriginal ways were lost and forgotten.
Industrial RevolutionIndustrial Revolution
• The development of industrial machines was one of the greatest changes in the 1900’s.
• Electricity brought a source of power that was cheap.
• Factories could produce goods faster, cheaper and in greater quantities.
• Inventors developed new machines to increase production.
• In Canada factories pumped out clothing, shoes, canned foods, tools and farm implements.