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Jan 1, 1500
Cultural Consequences of the Native-European Encounter
Europeans brought natives wool and cotton and tools and utensils made of iron, steel and brass and wool which natives integrated into their materials. Natives adopted the practice of keeping orchards full of fruit. Europeans imported domestic animals such as pigs, providing meat without hunting. Wars became more deadly with guns after the arrival of the Europeans. The decimation of the aboriginal population was decimated mainly by the epidemics brought over by Europeans. -
Jan 1, 1500
Animism
It was the religion held by the Native Americans before the arrival of the Europeans. Animism introduced the belief that all objects had immortal spirits. Natives took special care of animals that they had just killed because they believe that the reason they had been able to kill the animal was that it had given itself to them. To avoid disfavor of these spirits, natives tried to appease them in a variety of ways, for example, the Hurons would make offerings of tobacco to the spirits. -
Jan 1, 1500
Shamanism
It was part of the belief system held by the Native Americans before the arrival of the Europeans. It included the presence of a shaman, an intermediary between humans and spirits, like a priest or a medicine man. Shamans are called upon to explain meanings of dreams and are considered to be people who have special access to the world of spirits. Shamans could not impose their will on the group. -
Jan 1, 1500
Communication With Spirits
- Communicate with spirits
- Algonquins and Iroquoians saw tobacco smoke as a means of making contact.
- Tobacco on a fire, but more often smoked from a pipe
- For all natives, dreaming was a way that spirits could show themselves.
- Dreams could be prophetic
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Jan 1, 1500
Social Relationships
- Respect for elders
- Traditions
- Freedom of actions - no written laws or private property
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Catholicism
It was the religion held by the French, and was enforced in New France, because it was a French colony. The primary religion in New France, which consisted of the Parish (priests, bishops, etc.) -
A Colonist's Everyday Practices
The colonists adapted the “french style” to a “canadien-style” including a winter coat fitted with a hood and fastened at the waist with a belt. Shoes were abandoned for moccasins which were improved by waterproofing them. Most colonists wore hats whose flaps could be folded down or woolen tuques. They also adopted aboriginal means of travel like using snowshoes, sleds and canoes. They introduced native products such as squash, corn and maple syrup into their diets and discovered pipe tobacco. -
The Parish Framework
At the heart of the parish is the priest, the direct representative of the church for the colonists. The priest had to watch and see if the instructions of the church were being respected. The parish was also a place of social interactions and gatherings. Since there aren’t any newspapers, the pulpit and square were the perfect place to communicate orders and decrees. -
Absolutism in the Colony
Absolutism was the method of distribution of power enforced in New France by the Europeans. It's a political ideology where a ruler receives their powers from God, and are the sole ruler and representative of God on Earth. Before 1663, royal absolutism was manifested mostly through the control the king exerted over the chartered companies. The extent of the powers of the governor and the intendant, who were appointed by the king, were also indicative of royal absolutism -
Liberalism
Liberalism is a political ideology based on individuals having equal fundamental rights, including protection from the abuse of the monarch’s power. Thanks to the press, liberal ideas spread and soon turned into political demands. These demands were created by the British. During the 1830s, some canadiens adopted a radical position, which led to the rebellions of 1837-1838. -
Imperialism
Imperialism is an ideology that advocates the political, cultural, economic and military dominated exerted by the Mother Country on the colony. With the change of empire, the English Canadians were imperialists, meaning that they believed in Great Britain exerting its control over the colony. This ideology lasted from 1760-1867. -
British Merchant's Demands
The merchants wanted to remove the french laws because they did not allow a political representation of the people. They demanded to have the same rights as British subjects in the mother country. They wanted their rights to be respected, but they would deny these rights to the Canadians because they weren’t protestant. The adoption of the Quebec Act was an insult to British merchants. They had been refused a legislative assembly and found themselves governed under French civil law. -
Le Canadien
In 1806, Le Canadien, a unilingual French newspaper, publicly defended the liberal demands. The paper promoted reformist liberalism, meaning that it wanted the establishment of a responsible government in Canada which is more commonly described as an executive or Cabinet that is dependent on the support of an elected assembly, rather than on the monarch. -
Republicanism and Nationalism in the 1830s
Republicanism is an ideology that suggests people should govern themselves. After the failure of the Patriotes rebellions, some of the French Canadians adopted a more radical point of view when it came to nationalism. This became known as republicanism. Like nationalism, French Canadian republicans wanted to protect the French language and culture. It grew to popularity during the revolts of the 1830s. -
Ultramontanism in the 1840s
Republicanism is a political and religious doctrine where the Catholic Church dominates in every way, including political power. The failure of the 1837-1838 rebellions and the adoption of the Act of Union in 1840 had an influence on ideas that circulated in the colony. After 1840, the Catholic church relied on ultramontanism to increase its power and to become more and more influential.
The church also wanted to insert itself into all parts of life in the colony. -
Anticlericalism
Anticlericalism is popular opinion that believes the clergy shouldn’t meddle in political life, or censor cultural and intellectual life. Anticlericalism was opposed to Ultramontanism. Members of the Institut Canadien de Montréal supported this. -
Institut Canadien de Montréal
In 1844, young professionals and intellectuals in Montréal founded the Institut Canadien de Montréal which was a place for intellectual discussion. It had a library where Francophones could read local and foreign newspapers and borrow books on various subjects. This offended the church and in 1858, the bishop requested members to conform to church degrees which caused some to leave the Institut. Those who continued to support the Institut began to push for the separation of church and state. -
Capitalism between 1867 and 1930
Capitalism is an economic system in which private companies run the economy. It benefits the rich and the poor people stay poor. Industrial development required the investment of large amounts of capital as well as an abundant labor force. Capitalism and industrialization left their mark on the cities, which began to be divided into districts based on socioeconomic, language, identity and culture. -
Capitalism and Mass Culture
Newspapers made information. Businesses could then resort to newspapers to publish advertising in order to encourage readers to consume their products. Early 20th century was marked by:
- The invention of motion pictures. The first movie theater in Montreal was built in 1906. By 1933, Quebec had 134 theaters where films as well as news programs were shown.- The invention of the radio. In 1919, Montreal was the first city in the world to inaugurate a radio station.
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Socialism, Communism and Fascism from 1920 to 1940:
Socialism:
- Was meant to be a critique of capitalism industrial development
- Socialists were against the concentration of wealth in the hands of a few.
- No private ownership Communism:
- Wanted the end of the capitalist system and social classes by sharing the means of production Fascism:
- Promoted the restoration of a traditional order by authoritarian means.
~ Some races were superior to others
~ Required an all-powerful leader
~ Military life and discipline -
Secularism
It is the separation of the church and state. Although this idea had been in place since the British regime, it became relevant once again as society became more liberal. In 1948, the Refus Global was published, a manifesto written by artists and intellectuals denouncing the Church and the traditional way of life. Politicians such as Pierre-Elliott Trudeau and Gerard Pelletier also denounced traditionalism. -
Feminism
It's a social movement where women fight for suffrage and social/economic equality. The reformist organizations didn’t have much influence because women couldn’t vote. These views clashed with those of the Church and of French Canadian Nationalists, but they got the right to vote in Canada in the 1920s and in Quebec in 1940. Women also wanted to improve their status and ensure societal equality between sexes. Feminism diversified to defend different races, sexualities and classes in the past. -
Agriculturalism in the 1920s
Agriculturalism was seen as the solution to industrialization and capitalism and the emigration of French Canadians. It promoted the idea of returning to the land and having traditional religious and familial values. Agriculturalism surfaced through the adoption of various measures aimed at modernizing agriculture and encouraging the opening of new regions to colonization -
Le Refus Global
In 1948, a group of artists published Refus Global, a manifesto that denounced the Catholic Church and its traditional values, which they held responsible for what they considered to be the province’s cultural backwardness -
The State and Culture
By mid-20th century, the state began to intervene in order to encourage creative activity in visual arts, music, theater, literature and communicators. Production agencies start to emerge in television broadcasting and film. The state encouraged the hosting of events that promted Quebec’s cultural influence, like the 1967 World’s Fair and the 1978 Olympic Games in Montréal. These events not only brought Quebec to the attention of the rest of the world, but also opened it to diversity. -
Réné Lévèsque and the Parti Quebecois
In 1967, Rene Levesque founded the sovereignty association movement. Unlike RIN supporters, this association believed that the independence of Qc would allow them to defend the economy, culture and political interests of the French Canadian Nation. In 1968, the SAM and RIN united, forming the Parti Quebecois. They held 2 referendums to obtain permission from the population of Qc to negotiate independence with the Canadian government. -
Aboriginalism
In the 1970s, aboriginal people begin to assert their concept of the nation. Large hydroelectric projects in 1960 and 1970 required the flooding of lands necessary for maintaining the traditional way of life for some natives. They hoped that Qc and Canada would recognize their rights and consider their point of view. From these hopes, the provincial government signed the James Bay and Northern Quebec Act and promised to consult the Inuit and that Innus regarding everything that concerned them. -
Neoliberalism
Neoliberalism is an opinion that believes the government shouldn’t intervene in the economy and should let it function on its own. In the 1980s and 1990s, the Quebec government started privatizing companies because they were in debt. In reaction to this, this ideology emerged. The government wanted to make Quebec more competitive on a global stage. -
Oka Crisis
In 1990, the Mohawk nation is upset that a golf course wants to expand on their ancestral land. The Canadian army is called in to protect locals and fight against the aboriginal warriors. The Mohawks were fighting for their rights and wanted the Canadian governments to acknowledge them.
