Question | Answer |
Clapboard | horizontal boards, the outer “skin” of a house |
Queen Victoria | ruler of the British Empire and lived in Britain. People she ruled were called “Victorians” and came to the throne 1837 in her teenage years |
Victorian | someone who lived during the era of Queen Victoria |
Native Peoples | The original people of the Eastern Woodlands, was ignored & forgotten |
to assimilate | to join the majority group and give up the traditions of one’s own group |
“attitude” | aka “Victorians” because they were so sure of themselves & had few doubts |
“gravity” | a kind of seriousness, particularly as the century wore on |
parasol | a fancy umbrella to keep out the sun |
smallpox | a deadly virus that was eradicated in every part of the world in 1980 |
carnivores | flesh-eating |
enmity | hatred |
spasmodically | in spasms |
carbolic acid | an acid compound present in coal tar that can be used as a disinfectant when diluted with water |
suffrage | right to vote |
Emily Stowe | Canadian woman who was born 1831, & one of the first female doctors |
matriculation ticket | a piece of paper including that a student is enrolled in a course and will matriculate, or graduate |
serial format | in weekly or monthly installments |
droll | humorous |
“blood sports” | brutal sports; bear-baiting, dog-and-bull fighting, bare-knuckle boxing |
whist | a card game for four players divided into two teams |
“teenager” | unknown in Victorian era, was used until the middle age of the 20th century |
infrastructure | the community systems that make travel, communications, and businesses easier; ex. Roads, canals, transportation and postal service |
Sarah Bernhardt | one of the 1st superstars, and was the most famous person in Europe |
firebox | the steam boiler |
bushel | an old measure of dry goods equivalent to roughly 35 liters |
peck | one-quarter of a bushel |
phrenology | the science of personality study based on the bumps of the persons head |
federation | a federal union in which the members keep certain powers themselves, and give certain powers to a central government |
external relations | dealings with other countries |
Canadas | Upper and Lower Canada, whose names were changed to Canada West and Canada East – modern Ontario and Quebec |
responsible government | a government in which the executive council is responsible to the legislative assembly, whose members are representatives of the people |
John A Macdonald | born in Scotland, 1st prime minister 1867-1873 again in 1878-1891 |
Lord Elgin | a well suited governor that believed in a responsible government and came from a wealthy well-connected family |
mercantilism | an economic system based on colonialism. The home country takes raw materials in from its colonies and manufactures goods, which it sells for profit |
Corn Laws | laws which protected British agriculture |
depression | a period of low economic activity marked by high unemployment |
treason | betrayal of one’s country |
to culminate | to climax |
Vincent Massey | The 1st Canadian to be appointed governor general, in 1952 |
to annex | to incorporate a territory or country into another country |
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American Civil War | a war between the southern and northern American states over states’ rights. The divisive issue was slavery |
whip | the person responsible for ensuring discipline and solidarity within a political party |
George Etienne Cartier | was a wealthy businessman who had invested in and promoted railways. |
“loose fish” | independent members if the Legislative Assembly |
Clear Grits | so-called because a brave person has “grit” |
Tories | owners of the middle ground in Canada West, and was led by John A. Macdonald |
parti rouge | A small political group in Canada East led by Louis-Joseph Papineau. They hated the Act of Union and favored the American-style government |
parti bleu | The most powerful political group in Canada East. They focused on the protection of French-Canadian rights and on the economic development of Canada East |
George Brown | an imposing figure that had popular support all over Canada West. Also owned a newspaper to help spread his views |
homogeneous | similar to everyone else |
franchise | a special privilege granted to a group |
sovereignty | the right to self-determination |
Potato Famine | the failure of the potato crop in Ireland in 1840s, which caused widespread starvation and cause many people to emigrate |
Fenian Raids | Irish society known as the “Fenians” planned to harm Britain by striking at Canada |
constitution | the laws that set fourth the powers and the responsibilities of the government and guarantee the rights of the people |
British North America (BNA) Act | A passed act in the parliament of Britain. It was in sharp contrast to the United States, which declared itself and nation, fought a revolution, defeated Britain and formulated its own rules. This helped create the Country of Canada today |