Life, Traveling, Sports, Cars Essay, Research Paper
Life in the 1900’s was depressing and was an era filled with extremely hard and strenous work that didn’t offer any future for the average canadian in doing better. If you were an average wage earner you would be virtually stuck in the same job for the rest of your life, while rich maintained their wealth mainly caused by the low taxes. Living conditions were poor for average canadians and even worse for the arriving immigrants. At this time some of the modern
convienences were just being invented and even if it were for sale only the extremely rich had the option of purchasing the items. Sports being very new, in the aspect of it being organized was small time compared to present day.
Travelling required time and was uncomfortable. Only the rich could
have the luxurious accomadations for those long journeys. Many jobs
were available to most people but you were under constant scrutiny
while working and would have to be willing to do any thing the boss
wanted. I believe my friends and I would most likely resent and
despise it if we had to live in the 1900’s.
During the 1900’s horses played a significant role in the everyday
life. A horse drawn carriage would bring a docter to the house of
where a baby would be born. A hearse was pulled by horses to the
cemetery when somebody died. Farmers used them to pull their ploughs
while town dwellers kept them for transportation around town. Horses
puled delivery wagons for businesses such as bakery, dairy, and coal
company. Horses pulled fire engines through the streets in a fire
emergency.
The bicycle was widely accepted by canadians because of its easy
maintence compared to a horse. The bike allowed an option of
transportation. The bicycle also gave a sense of freedom to virtually
anybody willing to learn.
Henry Ford revolutionized the world we live in by inventing the “horseless carriage”, if it had not been for him, instead of taking
the GO bus in the morning we’d be riding a horse named Wanda. Not only
did his invention offer a method of transportation to the public, but
it helped with our emergency services such as fire engines, police
cars, and ambulances. Now we have a large variety of cars to choose
from varying in size and price. He also brought a large profitable
industry to North America…The car industry. Back then there weren’t
many problems that they created. Today, we have our deteriorating
ozone layer, poisonous chemicals that come from exhaust fumes
(CO2)(Carbon Monoxide). Not to mention the traffic accidents, parking
problems and traffic jams in downtown Toronto.
11 years previous to WW I Orville and Wilbur Wright made a successful
flight in the first airplane at the beach of Kitty Hawk, North
Carolina. Although the flight only lasted 12 seconds it would change
the way we see the world.
The telephone allowed the houseneeds to be satisfied without leaving
they’re homes. Women received an oppurtunity to work as a a switch
board operator.
I don’t know if I can stress the importance of Marconi’s invention
enough. But I can say, that without it not only would there be no T.V.
or radio there would be a lot of unemployed people right now(even more
unemployed than now!!!). The reason for that is radio provides people
with jobs such as DJ’s, musical programmers etc. Also, radio is a
major form of advertising, without it there would not be as many
advertising agencies or as many positions in this field. Without T.V.,
advertising agencies would also face the same consequences. T.V.
provides millions of people with employment in commercials, T.V.
shows, and movies.
Baseball was the most popular sport in the United States where the
World Series began in 1903. Tom Longboat was born in Brantford,
Ontario and was known for outrunning a horse over a 19 km coarse. He
set a record of 2 hours, 24 min and 24 seconds when he ran the Boston Marathon.
Jan 22/1901 Queen Victoria died at the age of 63 years. The Queens
reign stretched across the globe. With her death came modernization.
In the early 1900’s horses were being used extensivley for all
transportating duties and some manual labor jobs. A few years later
the bicycle hit Canada and presented the Canadians with a better
option of transportation mainly because of the simplicity of
maintence. During these other discoveries the automobile was being
perfected for use by the general public. By the 1920’s the automobile
was no longer a rich man’s toy and was being used by many people. 1903
saw the first succesful flight fo the airplane bh Orville and Wilbur
Wright at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. At about the same time Alexander
Graham Bell invented the telephone in Nova Scotia. By the turn of the
century telephones had uses increased from ordering household goods to
supplying jobs for women and men. 1901, Signal Hill in St.John’s
Newfoundland Guglielmo Marcone received the first radio signal sent
across the Atlantic Ocean. 20 years would elasped before radio
broadcasting becomes mass entertainment. First movies were seen in the
19th century. 20 years will pass till speaking films arrive. 1903 the
United States had their first World Series. In Canada, Tom Longboat
was a famous runner who was famous for running faster than a horse on
a 19 km course. Later to be proclaimed the worlds best marathoner. In
the early 1900’s modern covienences were just being available like
bathrooms, electric washing machines, sewing machines, electric
hearing aids, vacuum cleaners. The very fortuanate who could afford
these items would order them from the Eaton’s Catologue. All types of
goods could be ordered in the Eaton’s Catologue from fence posts to
fashionable hats. The time period between 1901 and 1911 almost 2
million people immigrated to Canada from Europe, Britain and the
United States. Due to the population growth, in 1905 Alberta and
Saskatchewan became apart of the Confederation. The railway boom in
1903-1904 helped elevate the employment. Materials needed to build the
railways and the transporting of the materials started the
industrialization. Urbanization led to a serious problem of
overcrowding. The three economic classes were the rich, average, and the immigrants. With low taxes this allowed the rich to spend on
frivalous items such as horse and carriages. In contrast the average
would only use their money for the neccessities in survival. At the
bottom were the immigrants that were forced to live in unsanitary
conditions and dank, damp basements. Not only were there differences
of wealth or lack of but there was a difference in women and men’s
treatment. For example women did not have the freedom to enter pool
room’s, taverns and even bowling allies. Choices for women were
working in stores and factories. Even if you came from a rich family
your choices would have been nursing or teaching. Coming from a poor
family women tended to just become a domestic servent. Women didn’t
have the right to vote like the men. In 1876 Dr Emily Stowe formed
Toronto Women’s Literary Club(TWLC). The purpose of this club was to
inform women of their rights and to help secure women’s rights. This
group persuaded U of T to admit women in 1866. Also improved wages and
working conditions. Womens Christian Temperence Union(WCTU) their goal
was to combat problems created by alcohol in the society. A great
social speaker Nellie Mclung received her start in WCTU to lead in the
fight for equal freedom and for womens rights.
Conclusion
After discovering information about the 1900’s I have come to the
conclusion that in the 1900’s was both good and bad. It was good
because of the rising industries thus raising the economy. The main
industries working for Canada were the railways, and road building.
These industries provided needed jobs and the materials needed to
complete these projects helped Canada grow even more. Low taxes meant
you could pay for more important expenditures than paying to the
government. The bad part of the 1900’s was the three living standards
in how most people were the poor and very little were rich. The modern
convienences were not available to everyone in the early 1900’s
because these devices would have been very expensive caused by the
newness of the products. Even though were guys I can see how women
would have despised the fact that you were not able to vote or enter
any buildings without checking it if it’s not a tavern, pool room, and
a bowling alley. Due to these outsanding points that stuck first in my mind I have changed my mind and believe it was both good and bad.