Our work thus far can be divided into a few categories:
- Historiography
- Canada's Identity
- Colonization
- Our System of Government
Historiography:
Be prepared to discuss the classic question, "What is history?" You worked on your family history projects and had to deal with the practical issues of writing history. You must be able to apply this experience to the criticism of historical writing. Key questions:
- How do we decide what is worthy of study?
- Is political history more important than social history?
- Does bias always exist? How do we best deal with historical bias to get a balance?
- Reread the article on Pierre Trudeau from the blog. Should this article affects Trudeau's reputation and how history will view him? Is it historically significant?
Canada's Identity:
In your presentations you had to make the case for a Canadian identity -- what was it? How was it unique?
Many people discussed the concept of multiculturalism. We also looked at length at the Globe and Mail series, "Our Time to Lead." Be familiar with the idea of Canada as a cultural mosaic -- a series of distinct and unique cultures which create a national identity. Be able to contrast this concept with the American melting pot -- one people out of many.
Canada's involvement in World War I was also identified as a key to the national identity. be able to explain how fighting in Europe actually helped Canada gain recognition as its own nation. Consider the reputation Canadian troops developed for toughness and perseverance. How does this fit with the toughness required to persevere in building the railway, building a country with a small population on a large land mass, and surviving the frontier and the elements?
Colonization:
See the questions for the Tuesday, October 5 blog entry. Be especially familiar with #1 for each chapter and #2 for Chapter 4. As well, you should know the following:
- Who were the Jesuit missionaries? What was their goal?
- What was the cause of early European exploration?
- Who was Samuel de Champlain?
- What kind of alliances with native peoples did Champlain build?
- How did the fur trade evolve? (see table p 104-105)
- How did the Acadian colony end?
Our System of Government:
Review the links below to review how a bill becomes a law in Canada. Also, review the chart in Chapter 5 on royal government and be able to identify the parts of our system that have endured to present day.http://www.filibustercartoons.com/law.gif
http://www.fedpubs.com/subject/law/statutes.htm
