B. Canada, 1890–1914: A Changing Society · Canada, 1890–1914: A Changing Society

Be a Historian: Canada, 1890–1914 and Today

B2 B1 B3About 60 minutes

Learning goals

I can use the historical inquiry process to investigate a question about Canada between 1890 and 1914.
I can gather evidence from primary and secondary sources and compare different groups' perspectives.
I can compare Canada in 1890–1914 with Canada today, explaining continuity and change.
I can explain how the First World War, beginning in 1914, ended this period.

Words to know

inquiry question
An open question that needs evidence and thinking to answer, not just one fact.

evidence
Information from sources that supports a claim.

corroborate
To check that two or more independent sources agree.

bias
A one-sided view that can affect what a source says or leaves out.

thesis
Your main answer to the inquiry question, stated in one or two sentences.

presentism
Judging people in the past only by today's values, without understanding their context.

Let's start with a question

If you could ask one person from 1890–1914 one question, who would you ask, and what would you ask?

In this lesson you put everything together. You will plan and carry out your own historical inquiry, comparing Canada then and now, and you will see how the period ended in 1914.

A row of old red-brick and stone shop buildings with tall arched windows along the main street of a small town, with trees and flower planters on the sidewalk. — Many Ontario main streets still have buildings from around 1900. Buildings like these are evidence you can use to compare then and now: what has stayed the same, and what has changed? AI-generated image

How the period ended: August 1914

On 4 August 1914, Britain declared war on Germany. Because Canada was part of the British Empire, Canada was automatically at war. Canada could decide how much to contribute. Thousands volunteered right away.

The war changed the issues you studied:

French-English tensions grew, especially over conscription in 1917 and Regulation 17.
Immigrants from Germany and Austria-Hungary, including many Ukrainians, were labelled "enemy aliens"; thousands were interned in camps from 1914 to 1920.
Women took on new jobs, which helped win the vote (1916–1918).
Black Canadians, First Nations men and others who wanted to serve faced barriers; you will study this in Grade 10.

So 1914 is a turning point, and a good place to end this unit.

The historical inquiry process

Formulate a question. Make it open, focused and researchable. Not: "When was Amber Valley founded?" Better: "How did Black homesteaders build Amber Valley despite the obstacles they faced, and how is their story remembered today?"
Gather and organize evidence. Use primary sources (photos, letters, laws, petitions, newspapers, census records) and secondary sources (encyclopedias, museum websites, books). Record where each came from.
Interpret and analyse. Ask who made each source, when, why, and for whom. Look for bias and missing voices. Corroborate: do other sources agree?
Evaluate and draw conclusions. Write a thesis that answers your question, supported by evidence and considering more than one perspective.
Communicate. Share it as an essay, a poster, a podcast, a slideshow or a museum label, with sources listed.

The five steps of the historical inquiry process. Real historians loop back: new evidence often sends you back to sharpen your question.

Topic	Canada 1890–1914	Canada today	Continuity or change?
Who could vote	Mostly men; most women and many racialized and Indigenous people excluded	All citizens 18 and over	Change
Immigration	Openly chose people by race; head tax, continuous journey rule, efforts to keep Black Americans out	Rules do not select by race; apologies for past policies	Change (debates about fairness continue)
Where people live	Most rural; cities growing fast	About 80% urban	Change
French-English relations	Conflict over schools and war	Official bilingualism; French-language school boards	Mostly change, with continuing debates
First Nations, Métis, Inuit	Indian Act controls; residential schools; treaties signed	Indian Act still exists; treaties still in effect; reconciliation, self-government	Both
Work	Long hours, child labour, few protections	Labour laws, workers' compensation, unions	Change
Economy	Wheat, resources, factories in central Canada	Resources still important, plus services and technology	Both

A starting chart for comparing then and now. Add your own evidence to each row.

Worked example

Modelled example: A mini-inquiry from start to finish

Question: Did life improve for factory workers in Ontario between 1890 and 1914?

Gather evidence: Labour Day became a holiday in 1894; the Department of Labour was created in 1900; Bell operators struck in 1907; the IDIA passed in 1907; Ontario's Workmen's Compensation Act passed in 1914. But long hours, low pay and child labour continued in many workplaces.
Analyse perspectives: union leaders saw small wins but much left to do; owners saw rising costs; women and racialized workers were often left out of unions.
Corroborate: check the dates in more than one source (an encyclopedia and a government or museum site).
Thesis: Life improved somewhat for Ontario factory workers between 1890 and 1914, mainly through new laws such as workers' compensation in 1914, but most still worked long hours for low pay, and women and racialized workers gained the least.
Communicate: a one-page report with a timeline and a list of sources.

A good conclusion is specific, balanced (it says who gained and who did not) and backed by evidence.

Check a fact in two independent sources. If they agree, you can trust it more; if not, dig deeper.

Avoid presentism, but still judge

It is fair to say the head tax or residential schools were wrong. Many people at the time said so too, like Dr. Bryce and the Komagata Maru passengers. Understanding context helps you explain why things happened; it does not mean excusing them.

Just for fun

Weak inquiry question: "Was 1913 a year?" Strong inquiry question: "Why did so many people come to Canada in 1913?" Historians love questions that can't be answered with "yes", "no" or "obviously".

Hands-on activity

Your own inquiry project

You need: paper or a computer, a grown-up to help with online searching, and about an hour (or several short sessions).

Choose a group from this unit: Franco-Ontarians, Prairie homesteaders, Black homesteaders, Chinese or South Asian immigrants, the Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in, Treaty 9 nations, Métis families, Inuit, factory workers, or women reformers.
Write an inquiry question about how 1890–1914 changed life for them, and how their situation compares with today.
Find at least four sources, including at least one primary source (good places: The Canadian Encyclopedia, Library and Archives Canada, the Archives of Ontario, Parks Canada, museum websites).
Fill in an evidence chart: Source | Who made it and when | What it says | Whose perspective.
Write a thesis and one paragraph of support.
Present it to your family in under three minutes, with one image.

Look for: an open question, a primary source, more than one perspective, and a then-and-now comparison.

Your turn

What are the five steps of the historical inquiry process?

Why did Canada enter the First World War automatically in August 1914?

Turn this into an inquiry question: "When did Manitoba women win the vote?"

What does corroborate mean?

Name one primary source and one secondary source you could use to study the Komagata Maru.

Give one change and one continuity from the chart.

More practice: warm-up

On what date did Britain declare war on Germany?

What is a thesis?

What is bias?

Is a 1911 petition from the Edmonton Board of Trade a primary or secondary source?

What is presentism?

More practice: on your own

Why is "How many people came to Canada in 1913?" a weak inquiry question? Improve it.

Why should you use more than one perspective in your inquiry?

How did the First World War affect Ukrainian Canadians?

Choose one row of the chart and explain why it shows "both" continuity and change.

Why is The Canadian Encyclopedia a good secondary source, and what should you still check?

Challenge

Choose the single most significant event or development in Canada between 1890 and 1914. Justify your choice with two tests of significance.

Write a thesis comparing Canada in 1890–1914 with Canada today.

Explain how two topics from this unit are connected by cause and consequence.

Check your understanding

Quiz

What is the first step of the historical inquiry process?

Why was Canada at war in August 1914?

Which is the best inquiry question?

What does corroborate mean?

Which is an example of continuity from 1890–1914 to today?

Which group was labelled "enemy aliens" and interned from 1914?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: This lesson focuses on the historical inquiry process (B2) and the then-and-now comparison (B1), drawing on the unit's content (B3). It also marks 1914 as the end of the period.

How to help: Help your child search safely and choose reliable sites (The Canadian Encyclopedia, Library and Archives Canada, Archives of Ontario, Parks Canada, museum sites). Be an audience for the three-minute presentation and ask, "How do you know?"

Note: The First World War is studied in detail in Grade 10 History; this lesson only introduces how it ended this period.

Common difficulties: Writing yes/no questions; using only one source; listing facts without a thesis.