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The Elizabethan Poor Laws
provided an indoor relief for the seniors, handicapped, and other worthy poor. -
Houses of Correction
Houses of Correction established, focusing on providing work for the unemployed and controlling "vagabonds" and the "idle poor." -
French Colonization of Canada
French settlers, led by Samuel de Champlain, established the first permanent European settlement in what is now Canada in 1608 with the founding of Quebec City. -
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Exclusion of Poor People from Exemptions and Privileges
Poor people in New Netherland excluded from the exemptions, privileges, and freedoms granted to wealthy patroons, emphasizing early class-based divisions. -
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The First English Civil War
This war was primarily about the balance of power between Parliament and Charles I. The war caused economic downturns and up to 200,000 people lost their lives. -
Church-Supported Care for the Poor; No Hospitals or Asylums
Church collections, fines, and voluntary offerings are early informal charitable practices. They were used to support the poor, but no hospitals or asylums existed for children or the elderly. -
First Law for the Support of the Poor in New Netherland
The first formal legal framework for supporting the poor is enacted, which marks a shift towards more structured welfare provisions in colonial New York. -
Settlement Laws
Designed to prevent the migration of poor people to wealthier parishes by limiting labor mobility and tying individuals to their birth parish, impacting the social and economic lives of the lower classes. -
Hudson's Bay Company formed
The fur trade caused many Indigenous peoples to abandon their traditional lifestyles and economies. -
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Expansion of Poor Relief and Workhouses in New York
Legislation is passed to provide for the care of the poor, discourage vagabondage, and begin establishing public workhouses for poor and indigent people, representing the growth of institutional care and punishment for poverty. -
Knatchbull's Act
Established workhouses as the primary method of relief, pushing the poor into institutions where they had to work in exchange for assistance. -
First Indian Department
The first Indian Department to manage affairs between the colonial government and Indigenous peoples created by the British. -
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Seven Years' War
The war involved many nations, including France, Great Britain, Spain, Austria, Sweden, and Russia. The war ended with the Treaty of Paris, which gave Britain control of many colonial territories and impacts on various groups, especially in North America. It led to the displacement of Indigenous communities, widespread destruction, and loss of life. The conflict forced many Indigenous nations to choose sides between the British and French, weakening their political autonomy and land rights. -
Royal Proclamation of 1763
A British decree forbade colonial settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains to maintain peace with Indigenous tribes, leading to tensions with settlers. -
Pennsylvania Hospital Established
The Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia became the first institution in the U.S. exclusively for the care of the sick, funded by voluntary donations, a precursor to modern healthcare institutions. -
Quartering Act (Mutiny Act)
The Quartering Act required colonial assemblies to provide housing and supplies to British troops, further straining relations between the colonies and the British government. -
First Continental Congress
In response to British policies, delegates from the colonies met to discuss a collective response, marking a key moment in colonial unity and resistance to British rule. -
Dunmore’s Proclamation
Issued by British Governor John Murray, Earl of Dunmore, the proclamation offered freedom to enslaved individuals who joined British forces to fight against the American rebels. It marked the first large-scale emancipation in colonial British America and began the British alliance with escaped slaves, influencing future abolitionist sentiment. -
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American Revolution: the Influx of Loyalists to Canada
Around 50,000 Loyalists fled to Canada during the American Revolution, shifting the region’s demographics and influencing Canada's social and political landscape -
Declaration of Independence
The Continental Congress formally declared the colonies' independence from Britain, asserting their right to self-governance and laying out grievances against British rule. -
African Union Society Founded
Mutual aid societies contributed positively to the free black and slave community in Rhode Island, USA -
Gilbert's Act
Allowed parishes to combine into unions to establish joint workhouses, improving the administration of poor relief but still maintaining harsh conditions for those receiving aid. -
Treaty of Paris Ends American Revolutionary War
The Treaty of Paris officially ended the American Revolutionary War, granting independence to the United States and establishing its national boundaries. -
First Federal Grant for Public Schools
The U.S. government made its first federal grant, allocating land in the Northwest Territory for establishing public schools, promoting the spread of education in newly settled areas. -
Northwest Ordinance and University Land Grants
The Northwest Ordinance endowed states and territories with land grants for the establishment of universities, promoting higher education in newly formed states. -
Federal Pensions for Disabled Veterans
The U.S. federal government accepted responsibility for providing pensions to disabled veterans of the Revolutionary War, establishing early social welfare policies for those in need. -
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Brown Fellowship Society
A mutual aid society established by free mulatto men in Charleston, SC, providing burial services, widow and orphan care, and assistance during illness. Also focused on supporting the education and welfare of indigent and orphaned colored children. -
Speenhamland System
A relief system that supplemented the income of the poor based on the price of bread, marking an early attempt to address poverty through wage supplementation rather than institutionalization. -
Boston Dispensary Established
The Boston Dispensary was founded as the first organized medical care service in New England, paving the way for home care programs and community health services. -
Poor Law Amendment Act
Abolished previous poor relief systems, including the Speenhamland System and workhouses, replacing them with a stricter system designed to reduce costs and discourage reliance on public assistance. This marked a major shift in social welfare policy. -
Act for the better protection of the Lands of the Indians in Lower Canada
This 1850 law is one of the first pieces of legislation that includes a set of requirements for a person to be considered a legal Indian. -
The Gradual Civilization Act
The Gradual Civilization Act requires male Status Indians and Métis over the age of 21 to read, write and speak either English or French, and to choose a government-approved surname. -
Charity Organization Society of London
Named initially as Society for Organisation Charitable Relief and Repressing Mendicity, its goal was to organize charity events and prevent poverty, based on the Poor Law. It gave social work a more scientific approach, with constant trainings, techniques, and objective learnings. -
Gradual Enfranchisement Act
Along with the Gradual Civilization Act, the Gradual Enfranchisement Act aims at removing any special distinction or rights of First Nations peoples to assimilate them into the larger settler population. -
Social Gospel Movement
A social movement that emerged in Canada, promoting the application of Christian ethics to social issues such as poverty and inequality, laying the groundwork for modern social work. -
The First Numbered Treaty Is Signed
A number of Indigenous groups made treaties with Canadian governments before the 1876 passing of the Indian Act. -
The Indian Act was passed
Aimed to eliminate First Nations culture in favour of assimilation into Euro-Canadian society. -
The Rise of Settlement Houses Movement
Beginning in England and the United States, settlement houses provided support services to the poor population and European immigrants. Offered by middle-class workers, it included daycare, English lessons, and healthcare. -
Social Darwinism
A concept of “survival of the fittest”, which influenced how society saw lower classes. It was a rise in the idea that we should not help the poor, since people who are powerful are meant to survive because they are naturally better. -
Amendment to the Indian Act (1880)
An amendment to the Indian Act formally disenfranchises and disempowers Indigenous women by declaring they “cease to be an Indian in any respect” if they marry “any other than an Indian, or a non-treaty Indian.” -
Potlatch and Tamanawas Banned
The federal government outlaws the potlatch ceremony and Tamanawas winter dances of Indigenous peoples in British Columbia, bowing to pressure from missionaries. -
Residential School for Indigenous children
Government funded religious schools mandatory for every First Nations child, which eliminated their Indigenous culture and beliefs. -
Creation of the Pass System
Though not a law, the pass system prevents the movement of First Nations peoples off reserves. Together with the Indian Act, the pass system is part of an overall policy of assimilation. -
Jane Addams's Hull House
offered public education programs to everyone in the community along with social services such as a public kitchen, access to public baths, and a nursery. -
Association of Neighborhood Houses of BC (ANHBC)
Served as a hospital, housing for children, and camp before becoming a community-based association offering neighbourhood housing and social programs to people in BC, regardless of their background. -
Amendment to the Indian Act (1895)
The 1895 amendment prohibits the celebration of “any Indian festival, dance or other ceremony.” Powwows, the sun dance and ghost dance are banned under this amendment. Another amendment in 1914 outlaws dancing off-reserve, and in 1925, dancing is outlawed entirely. -
Continuous Voyage Law
Canadian legislation aimed at limiting immigration from Asia, especially India, reflecting racial and exclusionary policies that shaped Canadian immigration law. -
Moral and Social Reform Council
Founded by the Social Gospel, the Moral and Social Reform Council was formed by churches with the intent of supporting social causes such as children, housing, and health care.
In 1912 its name changed to Social Service Council of Canada, and its first national congress was held in 1914 in Ottawa. -
Women’s right to vote federally
After a rise in women’s protests for equality in rights and education in the late 19th century, the suffrage movement grew in Canada in the early 20th century. In 1918, the Parliament removed the gender law on voting. -
Public Charities Act
Government started offering financial support for charitable institutions catered to children and all of those “in need”. -
Montreal Council of Social Agencies
An organization with a focus in planning, researching, and reflecting with English-speaking Protestant social agencies. -
M.Richmond's Casework Approach Established in Canada and US
Exploring social casework as a methodology with data-based diagnosis and treatment plan, Mary Richmond established six practice situations that influenced social work internationally. This included communication with clients and empowering them for problem-solving. -
Canadian Association of Social Work
Established to regulate social work as a profession, creating standards of practice and employment conditions nation wide. -
Settlement House for Jewish Children in Montreal
Provided education, recreation, and other social opportunities. -
Amendment to the Indian Act (1927)
The amendment makes it illegal for First Nations peoples and communities to hire lawyers or bring about land claims against the government without the government’s consent. -
First Black Canadian Community Centre established in Montreal
Established by the Union United Church women, it had a religious and social purpose of promoting racial advancement in Montreal. -
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The Great Depression
the worst economic downturn in the history of the industrialized world - stock market crash, unemployment, and poverty were widely felt across Canada and other countries -
Stock Market Crash
After an economic boom in the Roaring Twenties, in October of 1929, there was a huge decline in the stock market. This affected many nations financially, but also socially. -
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World War 2
Impacted 30 countries because of the invasions around Europe -
Introduction of Unemployment Insurance in Canada
The establishment of Canada’s first national unemployment insurance program, a major development in social policy, which addressed the needs of workers during economic hardship. -
General Systems Theory
Founded by Ludwig von Bertalanffy in the 1930s, but published in 1946, is a biological theory applied to different fields, including social work. Explaining how different parts- small or big- of a system interact with each other and its environment. -
New Version of the Indian Act (1951)
Indigenous lobbying leads to a new Indian Act that gives elected band councils more powers, awards women the right to vote in band elections, and lifts the ban on the potlatch and sun dance. However, the 1951 Act did not alter the terms of Indian Status for women; male lines of descent are still privileged. -
The Sixties Scoop
As residential schools closed, thousands of Indigenous children were taken from their families by provincial and federal social workers and placed in foster or adoption homes. -
Right to Vote for Status Indians
Status Indians receive the right to vote in federal elections, no longer losing their status or treaty rights in the process. -
Canada Assistance Plan (CAP)
This legislation provided federal funding for provincial social assistance programs, marking a significant development in Canadian social welfare policy by ensuring more equitable support across provinces. -
White Paper Published
A federal White Paper on Indian Affairs proposes abolishing the Indian Act, Indian status, and reserves, and transferring responsibility for Indigenous affairs to the provinces. -
Development of Indigenous Social Work Education in Canada
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Formal Apology to Indigenous Peoples in Canada
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper formally apologized for the country’s role in the residential school system, recognizing the harm done to Indigenous children and communities.