Victorian Values
This regal figure symbolized national stability and moral authority during a century of massive change in industrialization, empire-building, and social reform.
Who is, Queen Victoria.
You have 45 seconds to answer:
If you lived in 1900-1914 Canada before WW1, how would your life be different? List 5 things.
You’d likely work full-time instead of going to school, often in a factory, farm, or as a servant.
No phones, internet, or cars—you’d walk, ride horses, or take trains for travel.
Strict gender roles—boys were trained for trades or farming; girls for cooking, sewing, and housekeeping.
Limited rights and freedoms—you couldn’t vote, and most decisions were made by adults or employers.
Life was more physical—no modern appliances, so chores and daily work took much longer.
Clothing was formal — even teenagers wore heavy, layered outfits daily.
Many Canadians saw themselves as what, rather than independent citizens?
British Subjects
What was the first and last name of the man in charge of encouraging immigration to Western Canada in the early 1900s?
Clifford Sifton
It was believed that a woman's place was where?
In the home.
What 3 did the Victorian Era emphasize most:
A) manners
B) religion
C) family
D) wealth
E) Respectability
A) Manners
B) religion
E) respectability
By 1914, Canada’s population had grown by what percentage?
A) 34%
B) 43%
C) 46%
D) 64%
C) 46%
Why did French Canadians feel disconnected from English Canada?
(2 reasons)
Language, religion, and cultural differences
Why did Chinatowns and Japantowns develop in Canada?
As safe zones due to racism and exclusion
How did this quote reflect ideas about females in early Canada?
“A girl’s intellectual energy must not be overtaxed, for it is drawn from the same reservoir that sustains her reproductive powers.”
1. Gender-based education
2. women are fragile
3. women should be gentle, modest, and focused on home life
4. education could harm women’s health or fertility, discouraging them from pursuing higher learning.
How was the Victorian Era an Era of contradiction?
* Many possible answers, you only need to say 1 major reason*
* Period of great optimism about progress but also anxiety about social change, urbanization, and loss of tradition.
* Technological innovation (railways, telegraph, photography) contrasted with rigid social hierarchies and lack of rights for women and the poor.
* Advocated for family values and domesticity, yet many families were broken by child labour and factory life.
* Era of scientific advancement (Darwin, medicine, engineering) but also deep religious conservatism and resistance to change.
* Marked by rapid industrial progress yet widespread poverty and poor working conditions.
* Women cannot lead... yet their QUEEN led them ad was the model for society.
Two-part question:
1. What kind of country was Canada mainly rural or urban?
2. What is urbanization?
Rural and agricultural
Urbanization is the growth of cities as people move from rural areas to urban ones for work and opportunity, leading to larger, more crowded cities and fewer people living on farms.
Define “push” and “pull” factors in immigration with an example for each.
Push = reasons to leave (poverty, war)
Pull = reasons to come (jobs, land, freedom)
What word means believing your culture is superior to others?
Ethnocentrism
What modern gender roles still reflect Victorian ideals?
Men as providers, women as caregivers, and leadership linked to masculinity
What major transformation defined this era’s technology and economy?
The Industrial Revolution
What were social expectations like in 1900 Canada?
People were expected to be loyal to Britain and proud to be part of the British Empire.
Men were expected to work, earn money, and provide for their families.
Women were expected to stay home, raise children, and manage the household.
Children were expected to obey adults and help with chores or work.
Respectability and manners were very important—people were judged by how “proper” they behaved.
Religion and morality guided daily life; people were expected to be modest and disciplined.
Society was strictly divided by class and gender, and people were often judged by their appearance, job, and background.
Indigenous peoples, immigrants, and people of colour faced discrimination and were often excluded from mainstream society.
What is Xenophobia?
Fear or dislike of foreigners.
How did ethnocentrism influence Canada’s immigration policies in the early 1900s?
It led to the belief that white Europeans were superior, shaping laws that excluded Asians, Jews, and Black immigrants.
What was the Wandering Womb theory?
The idea claimed a woman’s uterus could “move” or “fall out” from physical activity
What was the global effect of Britain’s Victorian influence?
Spread of English language, culture, and colonialism
In what ways did rapid urbanization present challenges or issues in Canada? (list 3 ways)
(30 seconds)
Overcrowding – cities grew too fast, leading to cramped housing and poor living conditions.
Poor sanitation – limited sewage systems caused disease and pollution.
Child labour – many children worked long hours in unsafe factories.
Poverty and inequality – a growing gap between rich and poor in cities.
Unsafe working conditions – few labour laws to protect workers in factories or construction.
Pollution – smoke from factories and waste from homes dirtied the air and water.
Lack of infrastructure – roads, transportation, and housing couldn’t keep up with the population boom.
Discrimination – immigrants and Indigenous peoples often faced racism and were given the lowest-paying, most dangerous jobs.
1. Name all 13 Provinces and Territories from WEST to EAST (45 seconds)
Yukon (1st or 2nd)
British Columbia (1st or 2nd)
Northwest Territories (2nd or 3rd)
Alberta (2nd or 3rd)
Saskatchewan
Manitoba
Nunavut
Ontario
Quebec
Newfoundland and Labrador
New Brunswick
Prince Edward Island
Nova Scotia
EVERY GROUP MUST RESPOND TOGETHER AS A WRITTEN STATEMENT.
(2 MINS TO RESPOND, ALL GROUPS WITH A RESPONSE WHICH SHOWS GENUINE REFLECTION IS AWARDED 500 POINTS)
________________________________________
Whenever a new immigrant group becomes highly visible, economically active, or demographically significant, they become targets.
When new groups arrive, they face exclusion and in response, create support systems and huddle in communities together. A consequence of this is often that they get blamed for not "integrating" and are "othered".
Why do you believe people often react with fear or resentment when new cultural groups become visible or successful?
When new groups arrive, they face exclusion and create support systems and huddle in communities together, then get blamed for not "integrating" and are "othered".
They become a target of fear, racism, scapegoating, and exclusion because the core, its really about losing familiarity, status, or identity.
My Long-Winded Response:
It is my belief that this pattern is in repetition as its roots are based in fear and insecurity, often surfaced when we feel our identity or comfort is being challenged.
Humans are creatures of comfort and habit; thus, when new groups become visible or successful, some react by seeing diversity as a threat rather than a strength.
A clear example of this is visible in Abbotsford's population today. South Asians (particularly those of Punjabi descent) make up about 75% of the city’s visible minority population. Their presence is deeply woven into Abbotsford’s identity through language, religion, business, and community life.
While this strong cultural presence enriches the city, it has also, at times, led to tension or resentment rooted in cultural misunderstanding, rapid demographic change, or economic competition rather than race itself.
Hate crimes targeting South Asians have risen sharply( by more than 227% from 2019 to 2025) and copious national surveys demonstrate that around 40% of British Columbian South Asian Canadians experience racism regularly in High School and into adulthood daily life.
This reflects a broader pattern in Canadian history: when a new immigrant group becomes highly visible or economically active, they are often blamed, “othered,” and targeted.
The same cycle once affected Chinese railway workers, Japanese Canadians during WWII, and South Asians in the early 1900s.
This shows that racism in Canada is not new: it simply adapts to new contexts. Recognizing this pattern helps us see that the issue is less about individual prejudice and more about fear of social change.
The more we understand this history, the better prepared we are to break the cycle and build empathy in our communities. That is why this course discusses visible minority groups so frequently. The more we understand this history, the better prepared we are to break the cycle and build empathy in our communities.
Explain why Canada decided to create "caring and applied sciences" for young women in schools in the 1900's.
Canada created “caring and applied sciences” courses for young women—like cooking, sewing, and childcare, because of the beliefs about women’s roles at the time.
* It reflected the idea that a woman’s main purpose was to manage a household and raise children
* These courses reinforced traditional gender roles
* The goal was to make women “useful citizens” (not my words, be mad at the gov't)