D. A. Muise: Article Analysis

In chapter 12 of Atlantic Canada A History; Margaret R. Conrad and James K. Hiller are trying to show the poor economic situation that the Maritimes and Newfoundland faced in between the first and second World Wars. The rest of North America seemed to be moving on and achieving economic success, but this was not the case for the Maritimes and Newfoundland. In this chapter Conrad and Hiller try to find the factors that affected the economy in the Maritimes and Newfoundland during this time. Conrad and Hillers research show that the Maritimes often had a lot of bad luck when it came to achieving economic success. Their research shows that Cape Breton and New Brunswick had potential for economic success through coal mining and selling fox pelts

James Murton argues that public history in Quebec is an opportunity to see the authentic core of the province, “the rural habitant” (Murton 421) through the Canadian Steamship Lines (CSL) and the cultural background of the province. Quebec was popularized by tourism and supported the idea of an authentic Quebecker. Though, it played an interesting role in challenging the ideals of English-Canadian nationalists residing in the region. The CSL painted a myth and memory of Quebec as a romantic place where its population was interested in preserving the Old World (422). For the province, the nature of public memory often reflects the French-Canadian folklore development, seen “to have preserved the essential culture of the race or of the nation”

Woman along with the children were affected while working during the industrial revolution. During 1834 and 1836 Harriet Martineau, a British feminist and abolitionist, visited America and enthusiastically embraced the social implications of the Industrial Revolution, (DTA, 223). Martineau compared the lifestyle of women to slaves and said the United States contradicted the principles of the Declaration of Independence. She did believe though with some progress that it could become New England’s new industrial order. One of the Mill factories Martineau visited, Waltham Mill, was a prime example of the scheduled lifestyle of women mill workers. Women Mill workers of all ages worked at Waltham Mill, which I compared to a boarding school because of their strict schedules. The ladies had a time to wake up, to be at work, to eat, and to go to school. A lot of women did not mind the harsh conditions they lived and worked in because they fought for their equality of rights for a long time now.

One piece of evidence that Learner uses to support her thesis is by discussing women’s rights and job opportunities in the 1800 - 1820s. In this time period, women were found in many different kinds of employment because they were needed in the work force. The American Industrialization, which happened in a weak economy with a shortage

In the end, the changing role of Canada’s women during the War was the beginning of a chain reaction of events that have forever changed the Canadian workplace and also that of men’s archaic views on the capabilities of women in general. Many look back to the period during the war in which women were encouraged to get out of the kitchen and go to work, and wonder how a five year period could be so instrumental in forever changing the norms of society? Two authors, who

As Chapter 1 of Katrina Srigley’s Breadwinning Daughters addresses, Young working woman in a depression, it shows how the young women of the working class in the Canadian society, have to search for jobs in order to assist their families, and also the struggles that they have to go through to get jobs and work according to it. At that time the scope for employment was scanty and the salaries of the workers were too low for any family to survive with adequate means. The rate of unemployment at that time has been 30% and the rate of unemployment for women has been much higher. Even though the economy of Canada started suffering from the year 1929 to 1939, the situation became too critical in 1933 and reached its

Canada’s industrialization occurred later and was shaped by its colonial status; that immigration was a major factor in creating a workforce; and that resource industries played a cen- tral role.

Li, Peter S. "Economic Life." The Encyclopedia of Canada's Peoples. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2011. .

A chart illustrating the Occupations of Women Wage Earners in Massachusetts in 1837 shows that nearly half of the women wage earners were in the hat business. While the hat business isn’t one of high skill, it was new for women to be wage earners at all. The emergence of factories (such as Lowell) created a new demand for workers that men alone couldn’t fulfill. A Letter written by a factory worker around the same time as the chart tells Ms. Edward’s story about her job. She is very happy with her life and tells the recipient of the letter that she enjoys boarding with a family, regardless of how “factory girls” are seen by the public.

The pains and dangers they have endured in our defence give them the right to expect it” (46). The arrival of the Great Depression in the 1930s did nothing to lessen this sentiment. Due to the lack of jobs as a result of the Depression, women’s jobs were not seen as a priority, in fact, in a reply to a letter written in 1936 to the National Employment Commission, the Commissioner wrote that “[Women] have a lot of rights in good times, when there is lots of employment,” in an attempt to justify the takeover of women’s jobs (87). Once again, women were being edged out of the workforce. Society ignored the contributions they made during the war and their worth as workers, instead impressing upon them the role of the homemaker that women were trying to move away from. During the 1940s women were sequestered into a role of submissiveness and domesticity, both at home and in the workplace. Post World War II Canada promoted the dream of domestic bliss to boost the economy. Women were expected to be stay-at-home mothers while the men were the breadwinners. The Canadian magazine ‘Chatelaine’

Beginning in the mid eighteenth century, much of Europe underwent a sustained series of changes in the way goods are produced known as the industrial revolution. During this movement, technological advancements greatly impacted the coal, heavy metals and textile industries as machines replaced hands as the main mechanism of operation. Consequently, a worker’s level of skill soon lost value and factories that demanded individuals performing menial tasks at a fast rate dotted the landscape. Females became more prominent in the workplace, especially because their smaller hands were better suited for textile factories and their smaller bodies allowed for easier movement in coalmines. Middle class males viewed female workers as a threat to morality, family structure and gender roles while the women saw their employment as a necessary means to provide for themselves and their families. This difference can best be explained by a cultural worldview that increasingly emphasized science and inherent differences between the two sexes. Furthermore, the firsthand accounts depicted by the females stand as the most reliable illustrations of work in the nineteenth century because they take into account the needs of the working class.

Starting off with women’s rights in the beginning of Canada’s time women were seen as lesser than man and were said to be unable to work because they weren’t ‘manly’ enough. This all changed and continued to improve as events such as the two World Wars lead to improving rights for women because when the men were overseas, women were able to show they were capable to do what men could (Ex. working in factors). Later on, they continued changing Canada for they better by creating that equally. They did this as events such as the person case and the start of Status of Women (NAC) lead to a movement and more opportunities for women. An example of this is when Agnes MacPhail becoming the first member of parliament and RCMP hiring its first women after stating in 1874 “Women’s first and only place is in her home.”

In the years between 1815 and 1850 Canada was a promise land for many new and young settlers, many of these settlers voyaged to Canada as they were loured by settlement propaganda, however, for some, emigration is not a choice, but a necessity. It is apparent when juxtaposing these three documents that although Canada was labeled the land of hope and new opportunities, these opportunists came at a great expense along with extreme lifestyle changes. This can be shown through the similarities and differences in their initial months in Canada, and in the jobs they undertook.

This chapter shows the pain and frustration a women had to go through in order to become part of the working class. Unfairness and misuse in labor is a predominant issue during the late eighteen hundred and early nineteen hundreds. While this book does show us the bad side of our history it also shows us our growth and how we have prospered and learned from our

In my thesis, I contend that the Industrial Revolution impacted women because women in the working and poor classes were a key labor force in mills and factories, they supported their role as the backbone of the household economy by completing housework in the middle class, and finally the Industrial Revolution made an impact on the contributions of ideas made by women.