I had reason to go looking for a Canadian web site similar
to
Legends Of America, an
excellent history resource with some real ‘meat’ to it—meaning, it is history
made interesting. It also features some Canadian characters who have played a
significant role in American history, i.e.
Pearl
Hart,
Bat
Masterson, etc., for which there is hardly a mention in Canadian-based
histories.
A veritable wasteland
What I found was a depressing collection of thumbnail
sketches, afterthoughts to American
frontier history, a roll call of stodgy Canadian/British statesmen (John A.
Macdonald, etc.), and lesson plans so dry you could strike a match on them.
For example, here is one lesson directed toward grade 3
students:
The earliest settlers who made
their homes in the wilderness were known as pioneers.
Many pioneers of Upper Canada
came from France, England, Scotland, Italy, Germany and other countries in
Europe. Some settlers went to other parts of North America and later
moved into Upper Canada.
They came to Upper Canada for
many reasons. Some came so they could freely practice their
religion. Some did not like the way their home countries were being
run. Some just hoped they could have a better life in a new country.
Interesting Facts about the Early Settlers
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in 1800, only 10%
of the population lived in towns or cities - most lived on farms
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in 1800, the
population of Upper Canada was 35 000
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before 1800, most
immigrants came from America
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after 1815, large
numbers of immigrants started to come from the British Isles (England,
Ireland, Scotland)
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between 1825 and
the 1830's more people came from the British Isles than from America
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Is it any wonder
kids find history “boring” and “irrelevant?”—That is if they study any Canadian
history at all.
There is better (more interesting) history available
Admittedly, it
wouldn’t be hard to find a more interesting perspective, but even here there is
very little effort to promote it. With very few exceptions the major Canadian media
are more interested in politics and scandal—oh, and Kate’s pregnancy—than promoting
Canadian heritage. Mind you, if they got
their history from the above lesson, it is perhaps understandable.
There are interesting examples of Canadian history
On my own blog,
Gerry B’s Book Reviews, I have
reviewed several excellent histories that are in-depth as well as
interesting. Some of these include:
In the near future,
I will be launching a web site dedicated to finding interesting examples of Canadian history. Until then, I leave you with
this vignette:
John A. Macdonald,
first prime minister of Canada, trained all the Parliamentary Pages to serve
him gin in the House of Commons, because it looked more like water than
whiskey.
