Unit 3 – Political Empowerment

1. Unit 3 – Political Empowerment Towards Confederation

2. Chapter 5: Life of the British North America Terms • Colony – a territory of the “home” country in another part of the world • Immigrant – a person who comes to live in a country that is not in his or her original home • Majority vs Minority – greater numbers vs fewer numbers

3. Rural vs Urban – country/places outside of town vs city or town • Elite- a class of people that has more political power, economic and social power than the majority. • Habitants-farmers who live in rural areas.

4. The Province of Canada • The province of Canada was made up on Canada East (mostly French heritage) and Canada West ( British heritage). • The population of British North America was small for such a large land area. 85% lived in rural areas and 15% lived in urban areas.

5. Economics • In the mid1800’s, the economy of BNA was controlled mostly by European settlers. • A closer look Pg 79 • Answers

6. Economics • In the mid1800’s, the economy of BNA was controlled mostly by European settlers. • Economy was natural resources-fur, fish, timber and farmland. • First nations and Inuit in Altantic region struggled to survive by by working on the lumber industry. • NL economy based on catching and selling of cod.

7. Question • What jobs were available to people in British North America at this time? (1800’s)

8. The People of British North America • This section describes the main groups of people living in BNA in the mid 1800’s. They faced challenges and were provided opportunities as they created a new society.

9. The British and the Irish • 2/3 of the population in BNA was either British or Irish decent The Elite • In society, an elite is a class of people that has more political, economic and social power than the majority. • The Loyalist were people from the US who had sided with Great Britain. Some of these people were wealthy because they were given large areas of land for little money and sold the land as the value increased.

10. In the colonies, the Elite had the; • Most say in government • Owned the largest businesses • Set the social standards for the community. The elite were not interested in sharing their power with others.

11. Newer Immigrants Between 1815-1850, about 800,000 immigrants from England, Scotland and Ireland came to British North America. Why did so many come? It was hard times in their homelands and many people were living in poverty.

12. Was life easy in BNA? • No! Finding work and clearing land was difficult. But, in comparison with other immigrants, The English and Scottish found it easy to fit into life in the colonies. • It was different for the Irish. Many English were prejudiced against the Irish because of problems in Great Britain and Ireland. Irish often faced discrimination if they tried to get a job in a business owned by English.

13. Religion in BNA • Religion was the most important part of peoples lives. A church was on of the first things built in a new community. Everyone attended church regular • In BNA, your religion could affect your opportunities in life. The church of England was the official church supported by the elite. Only this church was given money and land by the government. In Eastern Canada the elite was Roman Catholic, but everywhere else it was hard to get ahead unless you were Protestant.