Home > Current Teaching > Essay Topics

Essay Assignment # 2

Please choose one from the following essay questions. Details on completing this assignment are contained in the course syllabus.

This essay is to be 10-12 pages in length, using double-spaced 12 point times new roman text. Please use footnotes in the Turabian style and include your bibliography in addition to the 10-12 pages. A title page is required. Some initial sources are suggested for each topic. You can choose to use these sources, or not, but also must source material from 3 learned journal articles and 3 entries in the Dictionary of Canadian Biography. This is a research essay and I expect that you will construct it using a strong statement of thesis, explanation of the key points that will form your argument and a concluding paragraph that reiterates your argument. This assignemnt is due in Tutorial on Friday 17 November.

1. How much success did the European fur traders and missionaries have in assimilating the natives of eastern and central Canada to white ways and ideas before 1700? Was native culture virtually eradicated or did it survive largely unaltered?
1. B. Trigger, ed., Handbook of North American Indians, vol 15: Northeast (or Natives and Newcomers)
2. C. Jaenen, Friend and Foe
3. D. Delage, Bitter Feast
4. A.G. Bailey, The Conflict of European and Eastern Algonkian Culture 1504-1700
2. Was the deportation of the Acadians in 1755 necessary and understandable, for military-strategic or other reasons, or was it a clear case of wanton cruelty and/or racial prejudice?
1. Griffiths, Naomi. The Contexts of Acadian History, 1686-1784. Montreal: McGill-Queens’s University Press, 1992.
2. Lockerby, Earle. “The Deportation of the Acadians from Ile St-Jean, 1758.” Acadiensis 27 (1998): 45-94.
3. Plank, Geoffrey. An Unsettled Conquest: The British Campaign against the Peoples of Acadia. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2001.
3. What was life like for the average citizen of New France? Was s/he exploited and oppressed by the ruling classes or did s/he enjoy a relatively prosperous, free, and happy existence?
1. D. Miquelon, New France 1701-1744.
2. W.J. Eccles, The Canadian Frontier.
3. A. Greer, The People of New France.
4. L. Dechene, Habitants and Merchants in 17th-Century Montreal
4. What accounts for the fall of New France to the British in 1759? Was it the result of the incompetence of New France's political and military leaders or the size and skill of the British forces?
1. G. Stanley, New France
2. C.P. Stacey, Quebec, 1759
3. G. Fregault, Canada: The War of the Conquest
5. What was the impact of the “Conquest” on the development of French-Canadian society? Do historians agree?
1. Bosher, John F. The Canada Merchants, 1713-63. New York: Oxford University Press, 1987.
2. Brunet, Michel. French Canada and the Early Decades of British Rule, 1760-91. Ottawa: Canadian Historical Association, 1981.
3. Greer, Alan . The People of New France, 109-21. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1997.
6.  To what extent was the British government sensitive to local conditions in making colonial policy for Quebec between 1763 and 1791? Do historians agree?
1. Creighton, Donald. Empire of the Saint Lawrence. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2002. (Also: Toronto: Macmillan, 1956, 1970.)
2. Milobar, David . “Conservative Ideology, Metropolitan Government and the Reform Of Quebec, 1782-1791.” International History Review, 12 (1990): 45-64.
3. Neatby, Hilda . Quebec: The Revolutionary Age, 1760-91. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1966.
7. Why did Nova Scotians not join the American Revolution? Was it a result of differing ideologies, economic self-interest, fear of reprisals, or other factors?
1. J. Brebner, The Neutral Yankees of Nova Scotia
2. G. Rawlyk, ed., Revolution Rejected
3. Cahill, Barry. “The Treason of the Merchants: Dissent and Repression in Halifax in the Era of the Revolution.” Acadiensis, XXVI (1996): 52-70. (Reprinted in Atlantic Canada Before Confederation, Acadiensis Reader, Volume One, Third Edition, eds. P.A. Buckner et al, 146-64. Fredericton: Acadiensis Press, 1998.)
4. Clarke, Ernest. The Siege of Fort Cumberland, 1776. Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 1995.
5. Stewart, Gordon and George Rawlyk. A People Highly Favoured of God: The Nova Scotia Yankees and the American Revolution. Toronto: Macmillan, 1972.
8. To what extent did the inhabitants of Upper Canada 'rise as one' to repulse invading American forces during the war of 1812? Do historians agree?
1. Benn, Carl. The Iroquois in the War of 1812. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1998.
2. Sheppard, George. Plunder, Profit and Paroles. Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 1994.
3. Stanley, G.F.G. “The Contribution of the Canadian Militia.” In After Tippecanoe: Some Aspects of the War of 1812, ed. Philip Mason. Toronto: Ryerson Press, 1963.
9. How did the fur trade affect the interaction of humans and the natural environment? Do historians agree?
1. Carlos, Ann, and Frank Lewis. “Indians, the Beaver and the Bay.” In Perspectives on Canadian Economic History. Second Edition.
2. Douglas McCalla and Michael Huberman, eds. Toronto: Copp Clark Longman, 1994.
3. Martin, Calvin. Keepers of the Game. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1978.
4. Ray, Arthur. Indians in the Fur Trade. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1974.
10. How did the fur trade affect the role and position of native women? Do historians agree?
1. Brown, Jennifer. Strangers in Blood. Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, 1980. 
2. Van Kirk, Sylvia. Many Tender Ties. Winnipeg: Watson and Dwyer, 1980.
3. White, Bruce M. “The Woman Who Married a Beaver: Trade Patterns and Gender Roles in the Ojibwa Fur Trade.” Ethnohistory, 46 (1999): 109-147.
11. How do historians account for the rebellion of 1837-38 in Lower Canada? Do they agree?
1. Greer, Allan. The Patriots and the People. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1993.
2. Manning, Helen Taft . The Revolt of French Canada, 1800-35. Toronto: Macmillan, 1962.
3. Ouellet, Fernand. Lower Canada. Translated and adapted by Patricia Claxton. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1980.
12. What were the causes of the 1837 rebellion in Upper Canada? Was this essentially an ideological conflict between the forces of democracy and privilege, or an economic clash of classes--one rural, the other urban-commercial--or a personal vendetta brought about by a group of egomaniacal, perhaps even insane rebel leaders?
1. W. Kilbourn, The Firebrand.
2. W. LeSueur, William Lyon Mackenzie: A Reinterpretation.
3. C. Read and R. Stagg, eds, The Rebellions of 1837 in Upper Canada.
4. A. Dunham, Political Unrest in Upper Canada, 1815-1836.
5. S. Ryerson, Unequal Union
13. How well did the pioneer "gentlewoman" adapt to life in Upper Canada in the period 1790 to 1840 approximately? Did she make the adjustment easily, or with great hardship?
1. H.H. Langton, A Gentlewoman in Upper Canada.
2. N. Griffiths, Penelope's Web.
3. B. Light and A. Prentice, eds., Pioneer and Gentlewomen of British North America.
4. Gray, Sisters in the Wilderness
14. Do the actions of blacks or the actions of whites best explain the development of black communities in Upper Canada and Nova Scotia prior to the 1870s? Do historians agree?
1. Stouffer, Allen P. Light of Nature and the Law of God. Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 1992.
2. Whitfield, Harvey Amani. “‘We Can Do as We like Here’: an Analysis of Self Assertion and Agency among Black Refugees in Halifax, Nova Scotia, 1813-1821.” Acadiensis, 32 (2002): 29-49.
3. Winks, Robin W. The Blacks in Canada. Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 1971.
15. How do historians characterize the social and economic background and the settlement patterns of Irish immigrants? Do historians agree?
1. Akenson, Donald. The Irish in Ontario. Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 1984.
2. Elliott, Bruce. Irish Migrants to the Canadas: A New Approach. Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 1988.
3. Grace, Robert J. “Irish Immigration and Settlement in a Catholic City: Quebec 1842-1861.” Canadian Historical Review, 84 (2003): 217-251.
16. Was the united province of Canada (1841-67) beneficial to French-Canadians or did it represent a sort of "second Conquest", as Lord Durham intended and as Quebec nationalists later claimed?
1. M. Wade, The French-Canadians, vol. 1
2. J. Monet, The Last Canon Shot
3. J.M.S. Careless, The Union of the Canadas
17. To what extent did the interest of political leaders in economic development in the 1850s overcome the social and cultural divisions within the Canadas? Do historians agree?
1. Careless, J.M.S. ed. The Pre-Confederation Premiers. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1980.
2. Den Otter, Andy .A. The Philosophy of Railroads. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1997.
3. Young, Brian. George-Etienne Cartier. Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 1981.
18. What are the main explanations historians offer for the union of the British North American colonies in the 1860s?
1. Creighton, Donald. Road to Confederation. Toronto: Macmillan, 1964.
2. Martin, Ged, ed. The Causes of Confederation. Fredericton: Acadiensis Press, 1990.
3. Romney, Paul. Getting It Wrong. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1999.
19.  Were Nova Scotia and New Brunswick pressured, tricked, or intimidated into joining Confederation, against the will of most of their citizens, or did they join willingly, even enthusiastically, of their own accord?
1. Ged Martin, ed. The Causes of Confederation.
2. K. Pryke, Nova Scotia and Confederation.
3. W.S. MacNutt, New Brunswick: A History
4. W. Whitelaw, The Maritimes and Canada Before Confederation.
5. P. Waite, The Life and Times of Confederation
20. To what extent and in what ways did roles for women change in British North America between 1790 and 1885? Do historians agree?
1. Errington, Jane. Wives and Mothers, School Mistresses and Scullery Maids. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1996.
2. Danylwycz, Marta . Taking the Veil. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1987.
3. Guildford, Janet . “‘Separate Spheres’: The Feminization of Public School Teaching in Nova Scotia, 1838-1880", Acadiensis, XXII (1992): 44-64. (Reprinted in Atlantic Canada Before Confederation, Acadiensis Reader, Volume One, Third Edition, eds. P.A. Buckner et al, 315-335. Fredericton: Acadiensis Press, 1998.)
21. What were the sources of division in Red River society prior to and during the Riel Resistance of 1870? Do historians agree?
1. Coutts, Robert J. The Road to the Rapids: Nineteenth Century Church and Society at St. Andrew’s Parish. Calgary: University of Calgary Press, 2000.
2. Ens, Gerhard. Homeland to Hinterland. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1996.
3. Pannekeok, Frits. A Snug Little Flock: The Social Origins of the Riel Resistance. Winnipeg: Watson and Dwyer, 1991.
22. To what extent and in what ways did first nations peoples and their leaders seek to accommodate the social and economic changes of the nineteenth century?
1. Chute, Janet. The Legacy of Shingwaukanse. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1998.
2. Smith, Donald B. Sacred Feathers. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1987.
3. Prins, Harald E.L. The Mi’kmaq: Resistance, Accommodation and Cultural Survival. New York: Wadsworth, 1996.
23. Did the Metis do the right thing in 1885 when, ignored and provoked by an uncaring federal government, they once again took up arms against Canadian authorities? Or did they act rashly, urged on by an unstable Riel, despite genuine efforts by the federal government to address their concerns?
1. W.L. Morton, Manitoba: A History
2. T. Flanagan, Riel and the Rebellion: 1885 Reconsidered
3. D.N. Sprague, Canada and the Metis, 1869-1885
4. Flanagan, Thomas. Riel and the Rebellion: 1885 Reconsidered. Saskatoon: Western Producer Prairie Books, 1983.
5. Stanley, G.F.G. The Birth of Western Canada. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1961.
6. Sprague, D.N. Canada and the Metis, 1869-1885. Waterloo: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 1988.
24. Was the federal government's "National Policy" of 1879 a success or a failure, in terms of fostering such things as national unity, population growth, economic development, and economic independence from the U.S.?
1. D. Creighton, Dominion of the North
2. R.C.Brown,"The Nationalism of the National Policy"(article)
3. J. Dales, "Canada's National Policies"
4. D. Bercuson, ed., Canada and the Burden of Unity.