Canada in the 1920s

—The Twenties: Growth & Change

—Immigration

—In 1921 Canada’s population was 8,787,949

—Less than 1% were from Asia or the Caribbean

—17% were born in Europe

—White people could enter Canada easily but coloured people could not

—Chinese Exclusion Act 1923

—1928 Law limit of 150 Japanese people per year

—Rural to Urban (country to city)

—Between 1871-1931 Canada’s population went from mostly rural to mostly urban.

—This is called urbanization

—This changed the areas of education, employment, leisure, and consumerism

—Education

—During rural 1800s eight years of education was enough

—In the 1920s 1/3 of students went to high school for 2 years or more

—Working class children left school between grades 6 and 8

—Middle and upper-class families finished high school

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—Education

—In the 1920s 2% of students would go to University or College

—Today 40% of Canadians have post secondary education

—1920s had separate entrances for girls and boys

—Boys learned trades, girls learned to cook or become secrataries

—Employment

—Lots of JOBS in the 1920s!  Most for men.

—¾ of all factory jobs in Canada were held by men in 1921

—Most women had a job between their school years and marriage

—The New Consumerism

—1910 Niagara Falls used to make hydroelectricity

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—Electricity was

   transforming

   the way people

   lived

—Gas and Electric Stoves

—Electric Toaster

—Electric Vacuum Cleaners

—Electric Washing Machines

—Radios

—Phonographs (record players)

—We have come a long way!

—Cars

—Cost was $400

—Half of Canadians could afford a car

—Changing Social Values

—The Roaring Twenties – time between WWI and the Great Depression

—Feeling of freedom, excitement, and a great economy

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—Women in Politics

—Five women ran for office in 1921 election, one was elected.

—Agnes Macphail

—Spent 25 years in politics

—Changed:

Minimum wage

Social benefits

Prison reform

Equal status for women

—The Persons Case

—Only “fit and qualified persons” could be senators

—Group of Alberta women – The Famous Five said women are persons

—Supreme court said no!

—Famous Five challenged it and won

—Cairine Wilson – first woman senator of Canada

—

—W.L. Mackenzie King unveiled plaque to the Valiant 5 in the Person's Case

—New Popular Culture

—Flapper:  young woman who dressed and acted in an unconventional way.

—They drove cars

—They did the Charleston – fast jazz dance

—They smoked cigarettes

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—By 1929 80% of radio programs were American

—New music – JAZZ

—1927 – “Talkies” invented (movies with sound)

—Five major American studios produced 90% of all films

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—The End of Prohibition (to ban alcohol)

—Early 20th century, liquor was cheap but caused problems

—The Temperance movement worked to ban alcohol

—Many thought it was wrong to drink when troops were fighting

—1915-1917 every province except Quebec had prohibition laws

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—1920-1930 provinces cancelled prohibition.  After the war people wanted to drink

—Prohibition in the USA until 1933

—This caused an underground crime wave

—Chicago was a big crime city in the 1920s

—An Inventive Era

—Some Canadian inventions before 1920:

—James Naismith – Basketball

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—Sandford Fleming – Timezones

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—Reginald Fessenden – Wireless Radio Broadcast

—1920s Inventions

—Insulin

—Invented by Dr. Frederick Banting

—Diabetics can’t produce enough insulin to convert food into energy

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—Plug-in Radio

—Edward “Ted” Rogers

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—Snowmobile

— Armand Bombardier

—Death of his son pushed him to build a proper snowmobile

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