Category: Reflections On the Past

Generally when you think of the past you think the norm where men were dominant and and the women had very limited rights. Even as true as it was, women subconsciously did have power and in some situations control in the pre-confederation years. When young girls were shipped over to Canada from Great Britain, those who survived the long and dangerous trip were the ones to choose a suitable mate that they like. They did however have a deadline to choose a mate, but it was their choice and it was not technically forced on them. The roles were changed because the single men would have done anything to be with one of these women. It was an ironic time because even though men were usually in control, the women were making the more important choices.

Once a women was to settle down, to populate the areas by them they were to have at least 5-7 kids. so they were always busy. Even with watching the kids while the men worked, the women did a lot around the house such as: sewing and farming. Some of the women were entrepreneurs and would develop companies and do there own trades. Some of the items that they would trade were hides and furs, but to make them more unique they would sometimes dye or tan them to make them more stylish.

Women were very underrated with how much power they did have and people never thought twice about it. In my opinion they were definitely the unsung heroes of the past and do not get the credit they do deserve.

Going into this course I really enjoy sports, so reading and listening how and what Native Americans did for amusement and sport was fascinating. They discovered Lacrosse which was a very viscous sport with the potential for people to die in some cases. The sport did bring the communities together for their shared amusement and it was amazing to understand what was done in order to play and what was done before games begun. With what rituals were done to actually playing the game, it had so much meaning because there was relevance for every boy to play by gaining strength and skill and becoming someone who is solidifying themselves as a true warrior for their community. The sport of lacrosse really gave the Native Americans a true identity and put Canada on the map.

The history of Canada goes unnoticed for the most part and tends to be forgotten because of the small impacts people think Canada only made. However, after going in more depth with the Canadian history I realized how important Canada really was in shaping today’s society. In the past men were predominantly the ones in power and control, however, when it came having the British women come over seas, women started  having the choice of who they wanted to be with and provided for their families and region.

Going into a Canadian pre-confederation history course I was not sure what to expect by if this was going to interesting or a boring class and as the classes went on i started to be more intrigued with how the Canadian events impacted everyday life. The Indigenous people were very important to this history because of not only being the first people in what is now Canada, but because what they were fighting for when Europeans came to the region. It was always a constant battle, but overtime it did give a strong identity of the region.

Being a French Canadian myself and learning about how my ancestors came about Canada is remarkable and I would not have gained that knowledge without going in depth and reflecting on the amazing history of Canada.