HISTORY UNIT 1 CANADA EAST

Question 1

What is Canada East known as in the present day?

Answer 1

Canada East is known as present-day Quebec.

Question 2

What was the dominant linguistic group in Canada East during the 1800s?

Answer 2

The dominant linguistic group in Canada East during the 1800s was French speakers, known as Canadiens.

Question 3

What was the primary religious affiliation of the majority of Canadiens in Canada East?

Answer 3

The majority of Canadiens in Canada East were Catholic.

Question 4

Question: What was the general socio-economic status of most Canadiens in Canada East?

Answer 4

Most Canadiens in Canada East belonged to the working class.

Question 5

Who primarily controlled the economies of Montréal and Québec City?

Answer 5

English businessmen primarily controlled the economies of Montréal and Québec City.

Question 6

Question: What was the economic experience of the working class in Canada East despite prosperity for businesspeople?

Answer 6

Despite prosperity for many businesspeople, the working class in Canada East earned low wages and did not share in this prosperity.

Question 7

What system of land ownership was in decline in Canada East during the mid-1800s?

Answer 7

The seigneurial system (tenant farming) was still in use but declining in Canada East.

Question 8

Canada East was part of a larger political entity with Canada West; what was this entity called?

Answer 8

Canada East, along with Canada West, formed the Province of Canada.

Question 9

What impact did the union with Canada West have on French-English relations?

Answer 9

The union of Canada East with Canada West led to French-English tensions.

Question 10

What were the main economic resources of Canada East?

Answer 10

The main economic resources of Canada East included agriculture (farming and commercial farms), the lumber industry, land ownership and rental, manufacturing (especially clothing), and business and commerce.

Question 11

Who were the seigneurs in Canada East?

Answer 11

Seigneurs were wealthy landowners in Canada East who rented out smaller plots of land to Canadien farmers.

Question 12

Who were the Papineaus and what is their significance in Canada East?

Answer 12

The Papineaus were a family of wealthy seigneurs who owned a vast amount of land (178,000 acres); Louis-Joseph Papineau was an important politician and a key figure in the Lower Canada rebellions in 1837.

Question 13

What was the main business of the Papineaus, besides land rental?

Answer 13

The Papineaus’ main business was sawmills, but they also profited from large commercial farms.

Question 14

How did the division of land among children affect farming families in Canada East?

Answer 14

When parents in farming families died, land was divided among children, creating smaller plots over generations that could no longer support families.

Question 15

What was a common alternative employment for Canadiens when farming became unsustainable?

Answer 15

When farming could no longer support families, Canadiens often sought jobs in the lumber industry.

Question 16

Why did many Canadiens migrate from rural areas in Canada East?

Answer 16

Many Canadiens abandoned farms and migrated to cities or the United States due to poverty and inability to pay off debts without sufficient land or money.

Question 17

What was the percentage of Canada East’s population living in cities by 1867?

Answer 17

By 1867, 20% of Canada East’s population lived in cities. (5% in 1800)

Question 18

How much of Montreal’s entire manufacturing force was in the clothing industry, and how much percent of workers were women and children?

Answer 18

By 1871, approximately 20 percent of Montréal’s entire manufacturing workforce was in the clothing industry, with about 80 percent of workers being women and children.

Question 19

Besides factories, where else did women in Canada East find employment?

Answer 19

Women in Canada East also worked in laundries, private homes (as servants), and mines, as well as in professions such as teaching.

Question 20

What was the primary aim of the English politicians who dominated the government of the Province of Canada after the Act of Union in 1840?

Answer 20

Their primary aim was to assimilate the French population, promoting English customs and seeking to remove the French language.

Question 21

What was the response of many Canadiens to the policy of assimilation?

Answer 21

Many Canadiens resisted this assimilation, leading to the growth of French nationalism.

Question 22

What is French nationalism?

Answer 22

French nationalism is the belief in an independent nation for people with a shared language, land, history, and culture, with the goal of protecting French identity.

Question 23

Which governors of the Province of Canada supported abandoning assimilation policies?

Answer 23

Governors such as Lord Metcalfe (1843–1845) and Lord Elgin (1847–1854) supported abandoning assimilation.

Question 24

What did Lord Metcalfe believe was necessary for the Canadiens to be ruled “to their satisfaction”?

Answer 24

Lord Metcalfe believed that attempts to systematically change Canadiens into English must be abandoned for them to be ruled “to their satisfaction”.

Question 25

Question: What was the role of the Catholic Church in promoting Canadien identity?

Answer 25

The Catholic Church played a significant role by speaking publicly about the importance of the French language, gaining political influence, encouraging Canadiens to be leaders of Catholicism, investing in new industries (railways, mining, and lumber) and founding Laval University in 1852 (first French-language University in BNA).

Question 26

Which Catholic bishop is specifically mentioned as promoting Canadien nationalism?

Answer 26

Bishop Laflèche is specifically mentioned as promoting Canadien nationalism, emphasizing attachment to the French language and the Catholic faith.

Question 27

What contributed to the rise of Canadien artists in the mid-1800s?

Answer 27

A growing French-speaking middle class in Canada East embraced Canadien literature and arts, contributing to the rise of Canadien artists.

Question 28

Who were some key Canadien writers who made Canadien history and stories popular?

Answer 28

Writers such as François-Xavier Garneau and Philippe-Joseph Aubert de Gaspé made Canadien history and stories popular.

Question 29

Who was Joseph Montferrand and why is he significant in Canadien culture?

Answer 29

Joseph Montferrand was a lumberjack famed for defending Canadiens, becoming a Canadien hero in stories, influencing artists, and symbolizing Canadien identity.

Question 30

What was the lasting impact of the development of French nationalism in Canada East?

Answer 30

The development of French nationalism in this period has had a lasting impact, as seen in Quebec’s official language today being French.

Question 31

Why did many Canadien farmers in Canada East lose their land to seigneurs like the Papineaus?

Answer 31

Many Canadien farmers rented or bought land from wealthy seigneurs like the Papineaus on credit and often could not make their regular payments or repay loans taken out for necessities, resulting in them having to give up their land or sell it back to the Papineaus for a fraction of the price paid.

Question 32

Why did many families in British North America in the mid-1800s fall into debt?

Answer 32

Intense competition for work resulted in low wages, forcing families to borrow money to survive and leading to debt.

Question 33

What did Patrice Lacombe’s novel The Ancestral Farm depict?

Answer 33

It depicts the Canadien migration as families moved to cities, hoping for a better life, often doubling the suburban population.

Question 34

Who, historically, contributed significantly to the economy through unpaid work within households?

Answer 34

Historically, women contributed significantly to the economy through unpaid work within households, such as farming, cooking, and making clothing.

Question 35

How did factory and mine owners take advantage of the large number of women trying to make a living?

Answer 35

Factory and mine owners in Canada East paid women less than men for the same work due to a large number of people seeking employment, allowing them to lower wages and exploit cheaper labor. (e.g mines like Bolton, Québec,)

Question 36

By the 1860s, what proportion of the factory workforce in Montréal consisted of women and children?

Answer 36

By the 1860s, women and children made up over 30 percent of those working in factories in Montréal.

Question 37

Between 1853 and 1859 in Québec, what was notable about the number of female teachers compared to male teachers?

Answer 37

Between 1853 and 1859 in Québec, female teachers consistently outnumbered male teachers, making up an average of 66% of the teaching workforce.

Question 38

Why did the Papineaus oppose the abolition of the seigneurial system in 1854?

Answer 38

Because they viewed it as a destruction of their French heritage by the English.

Question 39

What were some actions and goals of Catholic bishops and priests in British North America?

Answer 39

Catholic bishops and priests travelled to cities and rural communities, publicly spoke about the importance of the French language, gained political influence, and encouraged Canadiens to be leaders of Catholicism in the Americas

Question 40

What were the names of the town and region of Quebec that were named after the Papineaus?

Answer 40

The town of Papineauville, the region called Papineau.