ThesisLife in the 1900’s was depressing and was an era filled with extremely hard and strenuous work that didn’t offer any future for the average canadian in doingbetter. If you were an average wage earner you would be virtually stuck in thesame job for the rest of your life, while rich maintained their wealth mainlycaused by the low taxes. Living conditions were poor for average canadians andeven worse for the arriving immigrants. At this time some of the modernconvienences were just being invented and even if it were for sale only theextremely rich had the option of purchasing the items. Sports being very new, inthe aspect of it being organized was small time compared to present day.
Travelling required time and was uncomfortable. Only the rich could have theluxurious accomadations for those long journeys. Many jobs were available tomost people but you were under constant scrutiny while working and would have tobe willing to do any thing the boss wanted. I believe my friends and I wouldmost likely resent and despise it if we had to live in the 1900’s.
During the 1900’s horses played a significant role in the everyday life. A horsedrawn carriage would bring a docter to the house of where a baby would be born.
A hearse was pulled by horses to the cemetery when somebody died. Farmers usedthem to pull their ploughs while town dwellers kept them for transportationaround town. Horses puled delivery wagons for businesses such as bakery, dairy,and coal company. Horses pulled fire engines through the streets in a fireemergency.
The bicycle was widely accepted by canadians because of its easy maintencecompared to a horse. The bike allowed an option of transportation. The bicyclealso gave a sense of freedom to virtually anybody willing to learn.
Henry Ford revolutionized the world we live in by inventing the “horselesscarriage”, if it had not been for him, instead of taking the GO bus in themorning we’d be riding a horse named Wanda. Not only did his invention offer amethod of transportation to the public, but it helped with our emergencyservices such as fire engines, police cars, and ambulances. Now we have a largevariety of cars to choose from varying in size and price. He also brought alarge profitable industry to North America…The car industry. Back then thereweren’t many problems that they created. Today, we have our deteriorating ozonelayer, poisonous chemicals that come from exhaust fumes (CO2)(Carbon Monoxide).
Not to mention the traffic accidents, parking problems and traffic jams indowntown Toronto.
11 years previous to WW I Orville and Wilbur Wright made a successful flight inthe first airplane at the beach of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Although theflight only lasted 12 seconds it would change the way we see the world.
The telephone allowed the houseneeds to be satisfied without leaving they’rehomes. Women received an oppurtunity to work as a a switch board operator.
I don’t know if I can stress the importance of Marconi’s invention enough. But Ican say, that without it not only would there be no T.V. or radio there would bea lot of unemployed people right now(even more unemployed than now!!!). Thereason for that is radio provides people with jobs such as DJ’s, musicalprogrammers etc. Also, radio is a major form of advertising, without it therewould not be as many advertising agencies or as many positions in this field.
Without T.V., advertising agencies would also face the same consequences. T.V.
provides millions of people with employment in commercials, T.V. shows, andmovies.
Baseball was the most popular sport in the United States where the World Seriesbegan in 1903. Tom Longboat was born in Brantford, Ontario and was known foroutrunning a horse over a 19 km coarse. He set a record of 2 hours, 24 min and24 seconds when he ran the Boston Marathon.
Jan 22/1901 Queen Victoria died at the age of 63 years. The Queens reignstretched across the globe. With her death came modernization. In the early1900’s horses were being used extensivley for all transportating duties and somemanual labor jobs. A few years later the bicycle hit Canada and presented theCanadians with a better option of transportation mainly because of thesimplicity of maintence. During these other discoveries the automobile was beingperfected for use by the general public. By the 1920’s the automobile was nolonger a rich man’s toy and was being used by many people. 1903 saw the firstsuccesful flight fo the airplane bh Orville and Wilbur Wright at Kitty Hawk,North Carolina. At about the same time Alexander Graham Bell invented thetelephone in Nova Scotia. By the turn of the century telephones had usesincreased from ordering household goods to supplying jobs for women and men.
1901, Signal Hill in St.John’s Newfoundland Guglielmo Marcone received the firstradio signal sent across th e Atlantic Ocean. 20 years would elasped beforeradio broadcasting becomes mass entertainment. First movies were seen in the19th century. 20 years will pass till speaking films arrive. 1903 the UnitedStates had their first World Series. In Canada, Tom Longboat was a famous runnerwho was famous for running faster than a horse on a 19 km course. Later to beproclaimed the worlds best marathoner. In the early 1900’s modern covienenceswere just being available like bathrooms, electric washing machines, sewingmachines, electric hearing aids, vacuum cleaners. The very fortuanate who couldafford these items would order them from the Eaton’s Catologue. All types ofgoods could be ordered in the Eaton’s Catologue from fence posts to fashionablehats. The time period between 1901 and 1911 almost 2 million people immigratedto Canada from Europe, Britain and the United States. Due to the populationgrowth, in 1905 Alberta and Saskatchewan became apart of the Confederation. Therailway boom in 1903-1904 helped elevate the employment. Materials needed tobuild the railways and the transporting of the materials started theindustrialization. Urbanization led to a serious problem of overcrowding. Thethree economic classes were the rich, average, and the immigrants. With lowtaxes this allowed the rich to spend on frivalous items such as horse andcarriages. In contrast the average would only use their money for theneccessities in survival. At the bottom were the immigrants that were forced tolive in unsanitary conditions and dank, damp basements.
Not only were there differences of wealth or lack of but there was a differencein women and men’s treatment. For example women did not have the freedom toenter pool room’s, taverns and even bowling allies. Choices for women wereworking in stores and factories. Even if you came from a rich family yourchoices would have been nursing or teaching. Coming from a poor family womentended to just become a domestic servent. Women didn’t have the right to votelike the men. In 1876 Dr Emily Stowe formed Toronto Women’s Literary Club(TWLC).
The purpose of this club was to inform women of their rights and to help securewomen’s rights. This group persuaded U of T to admit women in 1866. Alsoimproved wages and working conditions. Womens Christian Temperence Union(WCTU)their goal was to combat problems created by alcohol in the society. A greatsocial speaker Nellie Mclung received her start in WCTU to lead in the fight forequal freedom and for womens rights.
ConclusionAfter discovering information about the 1900’s I have come to the conclusionthat in the 1900’s was both good and bad. It was good because of the risingindustries thus raising the economy. The main industries working for Canada werethe railways, and road building. These industries provided needed jobs and thematerials needed to complete these projects helped Canada grow even more. Lowtaxes meant you could pay for more important expenditures than paying to thegovernment. The bad part of the 1900’s was the three living standards in howmost people were the poor and very little were rich. The modern convienenceswere not available to everyone in the early 1900’s because these devices wouldhave been very expensive caused by the newness of the products. Even though wereguys I can see how women would have despised the fact that you were not able tovote or enter any buildings without checking it if it’s not a tavern, pool room,and a bowling alley.
Due to these outsanding points that stuck first in my mind I have changed mymind and believe it was both good and bad.
