HIST 102A Final Essays AC Fall 2022 1

HIST 102A: Canada After Confederation

Final Essays Instructions
Alexander College, Fall 2022
Dr. Iain O’Shea

Name: __________
Student Number: _________
EXAM CHECKLIST (2 items)
o ONE Passage Analysis Essay (50%)
o ONE Open-Ended Essay Answer (50%)

TIME and DEADLINE

5 Days total time (Dec 8-12)
DUE: 11:59PM 12 Dec 2022
FINAL GRADE PERCENTAGE: 20%
 NOTE: PAPERS SUBMITTED AFTER THE EXPIRATION OF THE “GRACE
PERIOD” AT 02:00AM on 13 Dec 2022 WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED OR MARKED.

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS
 Formatting of Essays:
o Expected use of standard CMS essay format and citations system
o Handwritten Essays must have the images compiled and published as a pdf with
all images properly oriented and a total file size of NO MORE than 15mb.
o Typed Essays must be submitted as a .doc, .docx or .pdf file. NO OTHER FILES
will be graded.
 Use this file:
 Scope of Assignment
o No page limit. Guideline is 3-5 pages for a standard essay for EACH part of the
assignment.
o Three hours of writing time are the standard that will be applied to the essays.
This does not counting reading and preparation time.
 Content, research, source materials
o The essays are open-book and you are encouraged to use all course materials.
Priority in grading will be to papers that include in-class discussions and
concepts.
 HIST 102A Final Essays AC Fall 2022 2

o Grading will prioritize the selection, compilation and explanation of historical

evidence, rather than factual descriptions. Explain the ‘why’ and ‘so what’
questions.
o DO NOT do any outside research. This will not be considered for marks because
it is not based on the assigned course materials.
o NON-COURSE MATERIAL is not acceptable on these assignments and may
result in a zero grade if the paper does not demonstrate knowledge of the course
materials or concepts.
 Note: do not conceal poor choice of sources because a lower grade for bad
sources is better than an Academic Alert for plagiarism.
o CITATIONS ARE REQUIRED when using the words (quotes or paraphrasing) or
the ideas (explanations for how or why things happened) from another author.
This includes course textbooks and reading materials. CMS style is strongly
preferred.
 Importance of original, individual work
o This assignment is to be completed by each student on their own. Evidence of
collaboration may lead to a zero grade and may include an Academic Alert for
unethical tutoring, contract cheating or collaboration.
o Originality is very important. Evidence of the use of editing, paraphrasing or
translation software or AI is grounds for zero and an Academic Alert. You may
be required to explain your work in an in-person interview and the inability to
communicate at the level presented in the essays will be considered evidence of
academic dishonesty.
o In grading priority will be given to genuine, original engagement with historical
problems and issues rather than to polished writing. Writing style should
emphasize clarity of evidence and argument.
 Choices in the assignment
o You may choose which passage to analyze, and which open ended question to
answer. Do not complete more than one essay because only the first attempt will
be considered for marks.
o You are permitted to interpret the question based on your understanding of the
course material, but be explicit about your approach to the question.
 Academic Integrity Verification
o Please note that you may be required to explain your work in an on-camera Zoom
interview to verify the originality and integrity of the work. This may be done for
any reason or no reason, and failure to comply with the request will result in a
zero grade on the assignment and potentially an Academic Alert. If there is
unresolved doubt about the paper it will not receive grades.
 HIST 102A Final Essays AC Fall 2022 3

Part I: Passage Analysis (10 Points)

1. Choose ONE of the following passages.
2. Write a standard essay in CMS format. The recommended length is 3-5 pages.
3. Consider the historical context (social, economic, political, cultural) in which the
document was produced and assemble related information from the course materials.
Then formulate an argument about how the specific passage selected from the document
relates to an important course theme. Establish at least three examples from the passage
that provide insights into this course them and use these as the basis of analytical body
paragraphs that explain the connection between the evidence in the passage and the
historical literature.

OPTION ONE: Andrew Roddan, Vancouver’s Hoboes, 1931. Cannot be combined with Essay
Question 4.
“Look at the picture and you will see that this jungle is composed of crude shelters made
out of old tins, boards, boxes, disused motorcars, anything and everything, gathered from the
dump heap nearby and formed into a rough shelter into which crawl, not animals, but homeless
men, without saying their prayers, feeling as the Psalmist felt when he said: ‘No man careth for
my soul.’ Their bellies slack and gnawing with hunger, they lie down and go to sleep, while the
other half sleep in hotels and comfortable homes. In the jungles they look up at the stars, and the
rats are the only animals to be found there….
I shall not forget the impressions that were registered on my mind on my first visit to the
jungles right in my own parish in the city of Vancouver. There was a mental and moral revolt
that made my heart feel sick that it could be possible in this young country of Canada to have a
situation like this. I felt like crying out to high Heaven against this condition, and I will continue
to do so until church and state recognize their mutual responsibility towards these thousands of
homeless men.”

OPTION TWO: “Land with Tanks, Heavy Weapons” Hamilton Spectator, 19 Aug 1942
“Land with Tanks, Heavy Weapons; Wage Fierce Fight with Boches in Dynamic Dieppe Area
Attack
Fight Savagely with British, Americans and Free French to overcome German Resistance – Task
Successfully Accomplished under Mammoth Umbrella of 1,000 Planes – Battling Continues...
Canadian army forces, supported by British, American and Fighting French commandos,
stormed the French coast on the broad beaches around Dieppe at dawn to-day, and with tanks
and the greatest aerial umbrella ever spread aloft fought on throughout the day against the
German defenders. Every Canadian fighter squadron in British was in action support of their
countrymen on the ground. There was a constant procession of more than 1,000 Canadian,
 HIST 102A Final Essays AC Fall 2022 4

British and American fighters and bombers from British front-line aerodromes to the battle zone
in France.
Not An Invasion
Despite the unprecedented scope of the attack by the commandos, the B.B.C. repeatedly
announced that the action was not an invasion intended to create a front in western Europe, but
was only a raid. This was supported by the return to Britain this afternoon of some forces who
had accomplished their mission speedily...”

OPTION THREE: Front de Libération du Québec, “A Message to the Nation,” 1963. Cannot be
combined with Essay Question 1.
“...Despite all this, the workers’ eyes are daily becoming more attuned to reality: Quebec is a
colony!
We are a colonized people, politically, socially, and economically. Politically, because we do not
have any hold on the political instruments necessary our survival. Ottawa’s colonial government
has full powers in the following fields: economic policy, foreign trade, defence, bank credit,
immigration, the criminal courts, etc. Moreover, any provincial legislation may be repealed by
Ottawa if it so decides.
The federal government undividedly stands behind the interests of the Anglo-Saxon imperialists
who both constitutionally and in practice play an over-whelming part in ruling the country. The
government therefore serves to maintain and indeed to intensify the inferior position of
Quebeckers. Whenever a conflict arises between Anglo-Saxon and Quebec interests, it is
Quebec’s interests that must yield. In the military field, we had conscription; demographically,
the pressure has always been towards Anglicization; internationally, priority has in all our
diplomatic dealings invariably been given to the English-speaking. Hence, the Ottawa
government has always, without exception, favoured Anglo-Saxon interests to the detriment of
Quebec. At times, even force was used. Quebec blood then flowed for the greater glory and
profit of colonial financiers. Quebec is thus certainly a colony in the political sense.
It is also economically a colony. A single statement will serve to prove it: over 80 per cent of our
economy is controlled by foreign interests. We provide the labour, they bank the profits.”

OPTION FOUR: “Housewives Blast Business Girl,” Chatelaine, June 1950. Cannot be
combined with Essay Question 3.

“Miss Gray is guilty of the most sweeping generalizations. She has taken a few of the most
unattractive human emotions – frustration, envy, suspicion, discontent and laziness, and she has
landed them squarely in the housewife’s lap. She has allowed for no individual talents or virtues,
condemning in one sweep every woman who dares possess husband, hearth and home… Granted
nearly every housewife in her off moments is guilty of one or even all these undesirable traits.
She is, however, playing her role, not merely has a housewife but as an individual, or – as any
man would maintain – a woman. The editorial comment that there is a truth for every one of us is
 HIST 102A Final Essays AC Fall 2022 5

just. The article mirrors the darker side in all of us, whatever may be our chosen profession and
should not be directed specifically at the housewife.

In my opinion, the term housewife is outmoded. The next time the census man comes to the
house and asks, “Occupation?” I am going to reply “Homemaker,” or “Nation Builder,” or “The
most important job in the world,” instead of answering meekly, Housewife.”

Part II: Essay Answer (10 Points)

1. Choose ONE of the following passages.
2. Write a standard essay in CMS format. The recommended length is 3-5 pages.
3. Consider the broad topic of the question and the information that is required. Then
formulate an answer to the specific question that is asked and use that as your thesis
statement. Organize your evidence according to the framework of the question and use
topic sentences to ensure that each paragraphs supports the overall argument.

1. Discuss at least three examples of conflict in the dominion-provincial relationship in

post-Confederation Canada. In your scholarly opinion, which crisis posed the greatest
challenge for the unity of the Canadian people?
2. Discuss at least three key events in the development of Canadian national identity in the
twentieth century. In your scholarly opinion and based on the in-class discussions, which
event was the most important step for establishing the modern Canadian identity?
3. Compare and contrast the achievements of women’s rights in the first half of the
twentieth century with the transformation in social and cultural attitudes towards women
in the second half of the twentieth century. Given that both aspects are important, in your
scholarly opinion which element was the MOST significant in providing meaningful
equality to Canadian women?
4. Compare and contrast the social and economic impact of the Great Depression and the
Second World War. In your scholarly opinion, which set of lessons played a greater more
significant role in shaping the post-war Canadian social security system?