B2. Inquiry: Perspectives in British North America
Specific Expectations
B2.1
formulate questions to guide investigations into perspectives of different groups and communities, including First Nations, Métis, and/or Inuit communities, on some significant events, developments, and/or issues that affected Canada and/or people in Canada between 1800 and 1850 (e.g., the War of 1812, cholera epidemics, increased immigration from Europe, heightened class divisions in Upper and Lower Canada, the rise of the Patriotes in Lower Canada, the Battle of Saint-Eustache, the Battle of Seven Oaks, the Mica Bay incident, education reform)
- Which questions might guide your investigation into the reaction of different groups, including Indigenous peoples, to the call to arms in 1812?
- What questions might guide your investigation into the roles of Inuit in Arctic exploration during this period?
- What view did members of the Family Compact have of William Lyon Mackenzie? Was their view different from that of moderate Reformers?
- What view did different groups have of the increasing number of Irish immigrants in Upper and Lower Canada?
B2.2
gather and organize information and evidence about perspectives of different groups and communities, including First Nations, Métis, and/or Inuit communities, on some significant events, developments, and/or issues that affected Canada and/or people in Canada during this period, using a variety of primary sources (e.g., diaries, Indigenous oral histories, traditional songs, excerpts from books that were popular at the time, newspaper editorials, paintings or drawings from that period, petitions, speeches) and secondary sources (e.g., poetry, songs, paintings, or drawings from after this historical period; museum exhibits; documentaries; online videos; historical fiction; web resources and/or books on Canadian history)
- Would the letters of Richard Pierpoint be a reliable source on the living conditions and concerns of African Canadians during this period? What sources could you consult to investigate other perspectives?
- Where might you find information about the viewpoints of different individuals or groups on political issues leading up to the Rebellion in Lower Canada?
- How and where could you search for primary sources on Indigenous perspectives on the War of 1812 and its aftermath?
- When you analyse this painting depicting life in the Arctic, what can you determine about the perspective of the artist? What might this painting look like if it had been painted from an Inuit perspective?
B2.3
assess the credibility of sources and information relevant to their investigations (e.g., by considering the perspective, bias, accuracy, authenticity, purpose, and/or context of the source and the values and/or expertise of its author)
- If you were consulting websites for information on the Pemmican Proclamation, how would you determine which sites were the most reliable and credible?
- Who wrote this diary? What social, economic, or political position did this person hold? How might this person’s position have affected his or her values or perspective? How might those values affect the usefulness of this source?
B2.4
analyse and construct maps as part of their investigations into some significant events, developments, and/or issues that affected Canada and/or people in Canada during this period, with a focus on exploring their spatial boundaries (e.g., locate major battles of the War of 1812 or of the Rebellions of 1837–38; construct flow maps to show where famine Irish were displaced from and where they settled in Canada; analyse demographic maps to determine settlement patterns in Upper Canada and how they affected First Nations and Métis people in the colony)
- What types of maps might you use to gather information on immigrants entering Canada?
- When you examine this map, what do you notice about the location of the main battles of the War of 1812?
- What types of information would you need to put on a map to illustrate encroachment by newcomers/settlers on the lands of the Six Nations in the Haldimand area?
B2.5
interpret and analyse information and evidence relevant to their investigations, using a variety of tools (e.g., use a graphic organizer to compare the perspectives of English and French Canadians on the Durham Report; analyse the content of selected paintings to determine the perspectives that are presented and the perspectives that are missing; use a graphic organizer to help them determine similarities and differences in the perspective of various groups, communities, and/or individuals, including Indigenous communities and individuals, on life outside colonial towns/cities; use graphs to help them determine the increase in immigrants to the various colonies in British North America)
- Which type of organizer might be best suited to help you analyse various perspectives on the Act of Union?
- What information would you need to plot on a Venn diagram to help you analyse similarities and differences in the perspectives of the supporters of Mackenzie and Papineau?
- What does this newspaper editorial reveal about attitudes towards Irish Catholics in Upper Canada?
- What type of graphic organizer might you use to help you determine whose perspectives are present in and absent from these documents describing the impact of the War of 1812 on First Nations and Métis families?
B2.6
evaluate evidence and draw conclusions about perspectives of different groups and communities, including First Nations, Métis, and/or Inuit communities, on some significant events, developments, or issues that affected Canada and/or people in Canada during this period
- What did you find out about the ways Métis and First Nations viewed the growth in settlement in Upper Canada?
- What did you learn about differences in the ways various groups in Lower Canada viewed the Rebellion of 1837? What accounts for the differences in perspective?
- What have you concluded about why some religious institutions in Canada felt the need to establish residential schools? What evidence supports your conclusions?
B2.7
communicate the results of their inquiries using appropriate vocabulary (e.g., immigrant, rebels, famine, Loyalist, Reformer, Patriote, British North America, Upper Canada, Lower Canada, Family Compact, Château Clique, responsible government) and formats appropriate for specific audiences (e.g., a dual perspective poem or story on western settlement written from the points of view of settlers and First Nations and/or Métis people; a dramatic presentation on the lives of immigrants from different regions or classes; an annotated map explaining the impact of the Rebellions of 1837 on various groups; a work of art depicting the various groups involved in an event along with a write-up explaining their viewpoints)
- What might be the most effective way to explain the different perspectives on this issue to your audience?