Minds On
The railway
In this lesson you will learn about the creation of the railroad and its role in the unification of Canada. You will also be learning about the impact of the railway on various groups and communities in Canada.
The building of the railway was a significant moment in Canadian history. It changed the country a great deal.
Student Success
Think-Pair-Share
If possible, with a partner, consider what this new system of transportation could change about the growth of a country as large as Canada.
- What could this change for those living in Canada at the time?
- What could this change for the development of Canada?
Complete the Changes in Canada: Transportation in your notebook, using the following fillable and printable document or in a method of your choice.
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Consider how the train could change the growth of Canada: |
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New Transportation System |
Change for those living in Canada at the time |
Development changes in Canada |
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Train |
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Press the ‘Activity’ button to access Changes in Canada: Transportation.
Note to teachers: See your teacher guide for collaboration tools, ideas and suggestions.
Action
Perspective 1: unity
Consider the following quote:
“Of all the conditions usually attached to a union of this colony with Canada, that of early establishment of railroad communication from sea to sea is the most important. If the railroad scheme is utopian, so is Confederation. The two must stand or fall together.”
Source: (New Westminister, British Columbian, 1870)
Brainstorm
What do you think?
According to the quote, why is the railroad important to Canada?
Record your response in a method of your choice.
Press ‘Let’s check!’ to access a possible answer.
Development of the railway in Canada
The development of steam-powered railways in the nineteenth century changed transportation in Canada and was important to the building of Canada. The railway was vital to the growth of factories and industry in transporting goods to market and raw materials to factories.
The building of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) was important in settling western Canada and was the main factor in British Columbia joining the Confederation. In 1871, Sir John A. Macdonald promised to build a railway across the country in ten years' time and join the country “from sea to sea.” The proposed line would be 1,600 kilometres longer than the first American transcontinental railway and would ensure a Canadian presence across the country across from the United States of America.
Source: (James H. Marsh, 2009).
Cities and settlements like Winnipeg and Vancouver would rely heavily on the railroad. Stopping resistances to the government like the North-West Rebellion would rely on the railroad to bring swift reinforcements.
Source: (James H. Marsh, 2009).
Let’s analyse!
Analyse each of the following images:
This is an 1883 ad for the Canadian Pacific Railway. The land along the Railway belt will cost $2.50 per acre. The ad discusses that some sections of land are reserved along the Main Line. There are instructions on how people can pay for this land to the Land Commissioner in Winnipeg, John H. McTavish.
This 1883 poster for the Canadian Pacific Railway describes that the only route between the east and west of Canada is via Ottawa, the capital city of the Dominion.
This is a 1920s ad in Britain for the Canadian National Railway. There is an individual holding a poster of a train going through a rural area with the caption, “Canada – the Right Land for the Right Man.” There are also details for local agents, for those interested.
After analysing each of the images, record your conclusions in the following chart.
Complete the Let’s Analyse Activity in your notebook, using the following fillable and printable document or in a method of your choice.
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Question |
1883 ad |
1885 poster |
1920s ad |
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What is the purpose of the image? |
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What is the message of the image? |
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How does the image relate to the idea of the railroad unifying Canada? |
Press the ‘Activity’ button to access Let’s Analyse Activity.
Perspective 2: danger and division
Consider the following quote:
“… the price of building the transcontinental railroad had been high: it cost the Canadian government 10.4 million hectares of the best Prairie land; an estimated $63.5 million in public funds and the government load of $35 million; not to mention the displacement of Canada’s First Nations and the lost lives of many immigrant labourers.”
Source: (Library and Archives Canada, 1885)
On one hand, the Canadian Pacific Railway unified the country and connected the provinces of Canada; however, the building and construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway created lasting impacts on various individuals and communities in Canada.
Press the following tabs to explore the impacts of the CPR on individuals and communities.
Treaties 1 to 7 between the Crown and the Indigenous peoples from 1871 to 1877 solidified Canada’s claim to the lands north of the US-Canada border. Canada interpreted the treaties to mean the lands in the Prairies were open for agricultural settlement and that they had a right to build a national railway through Indigenous lands without Indigenous consent.
Source: Michelle Filice, 2016
Indigenous peoples lost their right to their traditional territory and as the CPR brought more settlers to the western plains, the buffalo were driven away or killed, and many Indigenous peoples were violently forced onto reserve land.
No longer able or allowed to maintain their traditional livelihoods and earn a living also meant that many Indigenous men had to take up low wage and dangerous jobs in railway construction. In some cases, Indigenous peoples had to travel thousands of kilometers from home to build railway bridges, cut trees and rail ties, and work in mines blasting away mountainsides to make way for rail lines.
The construction of Canada’s railways created a great demand for workers. New immigrants from the British Isles, continental Europe, and China made up much of the labour force for these projects. Fifteen thousand Chinese labourers helped to build the Canadian Pacific Railway, while working in harsh and dangerous positions with very little pay – the average Chinese worker got paid half the pay of their White co-workers. From this pay, they had to pay for their food and gear. Historians estimate that more than 600 Chinese workers died during the building of the CPR, more than four for every mile of track.
Racism towards the Chinese workers was widespread. Newspaper articles and editorial illustrations of the time repeatedly portrayed the Chinese in a degrading way. Many feared that Chinese workers, who were willing to accept lower wages, would take jobs away from White workers. Euro-Canadians who did not understand Chinese cultural practices, in areas such as dress, living conditions, and even funeral rites were particularly abusive to the Chinese workers and settlers.
In the same year the CPR was finished, the government also began to limit the entry for immigrants of Chinese origin into Canada, with the Chinese Immigration Act. The intention of the Act was to ensure Chinese settlers did not outnumber Euro-Canadians.
Let’s explore!
Explore this video entitled “Heritage Minutes - Nitro” to learn more about the life of a young CPR Chinese worker in 1880s British Columbia.
After exploring the video, make a list of the dangers the Chinese workers faced in the construction of the railway.
Record these dangers in a notebook or a method of your choice.
Press ‘Let’s check!’ to access possible dangers.
The Chinese workers faced many dangers.
A few possible answers include:
- It is dark in the tunnel.
- Pouring nitroglycerine into a hole in the dark tunnel is dangerous.
- It will explode if bumped.
- The walls will cave in.
- The opening can become blocked.
Black porters
From the 1900s to mid-1950s, Black men were employed as sleeping car porters in Canada. They experienced racial discrimination and exploitation on the job. In their jobs, they attended to travelers aboard sleeping cars and were expected to cater to every need of their passengers. They were responsible for greeting passengers, stowing baggage, setting up berths for sleep, looking after sick children and adults, and doing anything that passengers required. Porters were not allowed to sit with passengers, and they were supplied with one small uncomfortable folding seat.
Source: (Travis Tomchuk, 2020)
A typical run lasted 72 hours, but porters were not provided with sleeping quarters. They had to nap where and whenever they could.
Porters’ wages were low and pay increases were rare. Porters also had to pay for their uniforms and the meals they ate while on the run. Eventually the porters formed their own union, Order of Sleeping Car Porters, which became the first Black labour union in North America to fight for better working conditions of black men
Source: (The Canadian Encyclopedia, 2021).
Hidden history
Explore the following video entitled “The Hidden History of Canada’s Black Porters,” to learn more about the Black porters of the railroad system.
After exploring the stories of these two perspectives of those whose contributions were integral to the building and running of the Canadian Pacific Railway, summarize what you have learned in the following organizer.
Complete the Perspectives Organizer in your notebook, using the following fillable and printable document or in a method of your choice.
Let’s recall!
Recall your ideas from the Minds On section. Reflect on the following questions:
- Did you consider those who worked on the building of the railroad or those who worked on the trains?
- What can you add after this learning to your Minds On responses?
Record your ideas in a notebook or a method of your choice.
Consolidation
The Last Spike!
Examine the following photo entitled “The Last Spike.” It is the famous picture depicting the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway with the hammering of the last spike into the railway.
Examine the photograph and consider the following questions:
- Who is included and who is excluded from this important event? Why might that be?
- What does this tell you of Canada at the time?
- What message is being told in this photograph?
Complete the Analyse The Last Spike Activity in your notebook or using the following fillable and printable document. You can also use another method of your choice.
Press the Activity button to access the Analyse The Last Spike Activity.
Activity(Opens in a new tab)A photo to remember
Based on what you learned in the lesson, how could you create a better photograph commemorating the completion of the railway?
How could you change to railroad policies that would have stopped the mistreatment of the Black porters?
For this activity, choose either the perspective of a worker from China or the perspective of a Black porter.
Press each tab to explore the activity for each perspective.
Using a method of your choice, create a new photograph, or record a paragraph about who you would include in The Last Spike Revisited photograph.
Explain why you would include this group.
Create a paragraph with a set of guidelines that outlines how these porters were disrespected and discriminated against and what the railroad should have done to ensure the proper treatment of these employees.
Complete the The Last Spike Revisited Activity in your notebook, using the following fillable and printable document or in a method of your choice. You can also use another method of your choice.
Press the Activity button to access the The Last Spike Revisited Activity.
Activity(Opens in a new tab)Reflection
As you read the following descriptions, select the one that best describes your current understanding of the learning in this activity. Press the corresponding button once you have made your choice.
I feel...
Now, expand on your ideas by recording your thoughts using a voice recorder, speech-to-text, or writing tool.
When you review your notes on this learning activity later, reflect on whether you would select a different description based on your further review of the material in this learning activity.