HIST 203 Study Guide - Summer 2018, Comprehensive Midterm Notes - Quebec, Canada, World War I
HIST 203
MIDTERM EXAM
STUDY GUIDE
Fall 2018
Lecture 1 – May 1st
• Analyzing primary sources in class
• All readings are available via mycourses or the McGill Online Library
• Essay – 30%
o 8-9 pages double spaced
o Must choose between 4 given essay topics (on syllabus)
o Not a primary source research based essay
o How we tell Canadian history, why we choose a specific narrative, how it
portrays the authors point of view and the specific audience it chooses
• Final – 30%
o Two sections:
o 1) Short answer
▪ Identify and explain the historical significance of 5 out of 10 events,
concepts, names
▪ Will give us some heads up during lecture about possible options
o 2) Essays
▪ Answer 2 out of 3 essays
Confederation, 1867
• Leading up to Confederation
o New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, (get last province), joined together to form 4
provinces
▪ 4 colonies became a dominion
o What led to this union?
o Only a minority was directly benefited and most Canadians were not
consulted
• Heritage minute video
o Made under the Harper government
o Start an ongoing conversation about confederation
o Showed the depiction of the Charlottetown convention and the Quebec
conference
o A lot of alcohol – MacDonald was a known alcoholic and would use alcohol to
try and sway other confederates
• Whether 1887 or 1864 marks the beginning of Canada, is this the best place to start?
(some choose to start Canadian history earlier)
• Other historians argue that the confederation was formed through pre-existing
political ideology – responsible government
• When considering Canadian identity, historians don’t look to confederation, they
look at World War I – until 1947 there were no such things as Canadian citizens
• We won’t be limiting our view to politics
• Rich white male lawyers and business men sitting around a table
o Canada was shaped around a table rather than a revolution
• In 1867, the population of the new Dominion of Canada was 3.5 million
o Only one in five Canadians lived in urban centers (or communities with a
population over 1000)
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
o 75% of the population lived in Ontario and Quebec
• The federation of the first 4 provinces was not an equal one initially
o Debate over how the new provinces were to cooperate continued after the
deal was made
o The province of Canada had steady economic growth but poor political
growth
▪ Canadian English and Canadian French clashed
• Who were these men? Canada’s Great Coalition
o These maritime delegates don’t say anything in video, they stand up and clap
– they were impressed
o John A. MacDonald
▪ He surprised everyone by asking if the province of Canada could be
included in the delegations
▪ Brown and Cartier thought the union would help solve the current
political problems
o George Brown
▪ Leader of the reform party
o George-Etienne Cartier
Charlottetown Convention, 1864
• August 29th, 1864
• MacDonald set out the general terms of the Canadian proposal
• The main reason for confederation is the fear of annexation from the United States
and the American Civil War
o If they remain separated, the colonies will remain isolated and weak
o Threats of an American takeover was not the only reason
▪ The colonies felt pressure from the British government – internal
problems such as the political deadlock or the heave public debt from
railway building
o All reasons to consider unification
• Canadian proposal
o Loyalty to the British Crown
▪ Through membership in the British empire
o Strong central government within federal union
▪ The provinces retained control over their own local affairs
o Rep by pop in a lower house and regional representation in upper house
▪ Based on population – rep by pop
• Maritime governments with what confederation could offer their colonies
• British colonies involved had amassed considerable debts so pooling their debts in a
confederation would relieve a lot of the debt
• Oyster and champagne lunch, grand ball
• Cartier and ) made eloquent speeches – of course – and whether as the result of our
eloquence or of the goodness of our champagne, the ice became completely broken,
the tongues of the delegates wagged merrily, and the banns of matrimony between
all the Provinces of BNA having been formally proclaimed... – George Brown
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Lecture 1 may 1st: essay 30, final 30, two sections, 1) short answer. Identify and explain the historical significance of 5 out of 10 events, concepts, names: will give us some heads up during lecture about possible options, 2) essays, answer 2 out of 3 essays. Canada"s (cid:498)great coalition(cid:499: these maritime delegates don"t say anything in video, they stand up and clap. They were impressed: he surprised everyone by asking if the province of canada could be. John a. macdonald included in the delegations: brown and cartier thought the union would help solve the current political problems, george brown, leader of the reform party, george-etienne cartier. John a. macdonald"s legacy: his (cid:498)national policy(cid:499, aboriginal policy tied to (cid:498)cultural genocide(cid:499, canadian pacific railway, execution of louis riel, racist policies towards chinese immigration, a lot of people contested his legacy. North-west rebellion, 1885: had serious implications for the first nations, the federal government became increasingly coercive.
