Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Given the dominance of the U.S. in North America, I was wondering how much U.S. history is covered in Canadian schools? I know there are areas of overlap, during the colonial era or when many Underground Railroad routes ended in Canada, for example. Is U.S. history really dominate in Canadian history books, or do they maintain a strong Canadian perspective?
Unless they is an overlap, like the underground railroad or the war of 1812, no you don't learn American History in schools. At the university level they are American History classes, Just like there is European History and African History.
Everything I learned about American History was through TV.
Oh we did learn about Black American History during black history month, but I kinda put a stop to that at my high school, lol.
Natasha, are you sure you didn't just sleep through that part of class? I'm sure there has to be SOME coverage of American history at a basic level... like how it was colonized, the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, etc. Growing up in the U.S. we briefly covered in high school how Canada was initially settled by French fur traders and how it became a self-governing country, how the French revolution occurred, how the U.K. placed limits on the power of the king, etc. Definitely not an exhaustive course on any of these topics but we at least covered them. I would be surprised if Canadian high schools provided NO background on American history. How would that work? How do you say "The loyalists came from Massachusetts and settled this part of Upper Canada" without discussing who the loyalists were, where they came from originally (colonists), why there was a revolutionary war in the first place, etc. Canadian history is seriously intertwined with U.S. history.
The mandatory history taught in Canadian schools is (of course) Canadian.
American history is often offered as an optional history course in Canadian high school (and at university of course). As are other types of history like European, etc.
But the main historical focus is on Canada.
"American influence" on Canadians' historical knowledge, which is a significant phenomenon, is chiefly attributable to popular culture, especially TV and movies.
During my high school days, we had one compulsory course of Canadian history, which was considered boring, droll, and much less interesting than American history. Grades 10, 11, and 12 also offered optional American History classes which were considered more interesting (due to the folklore, etc). Students felt that they "suffered" through Canadian history because it was a mandatory course. Very few students signed up for the optional Canadian history courses in Grades 11 and Grade 12. I am really happy that this has changed...so many kids graduated from high school knowing zilch about Canadian history.
Natasha, are you sure you didn't just sleep through that part of class? I'm sure there has to be SOME coverage of American history at a basic level... like how it was colonized, the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, etc. Growing up in the U.S. we briefly covered in high school how Canada was initially settled by French fur traders and how it became a self-governing country, how the French revolution occurred, how the U.K. placed limits on the power of the king, etc. Definitely not an exhaustive course on any of these topics but we at least covered them. I would be surprised if Canadian high schools provided NO background on American history. How would that work? How do you say "The loyalists came from Massachusetts and settled this part of Upper Canada" without discussing who the loyalists were, where they came from originally (colonists), why there was a revolutionary war in the first place, etc. Canadian history is seriously intertwined with U.S. history.
No, I didn't sleep though class, I actually got the highest mark in my grade 10 history class.
Like I said, if there was a overlap ( like the Loyalist) then yes, but learning stuff about the civil war, the Revolutionary war, the Boston tea party, the founding fathers etc is not cover.
During my high school days, we had one compulsory course of Canadian history, which was considered boring, droll, and much less interesting than American history. Grades 10, 11, and 12 also offered optional American History classes which were considered more interesting (due to the folklore, etc). Students felt that they "suffered" through Canadian history because it was a mandatory course. Very few students signed up for the optional Canadian history courses in Grades 11 and Grade 12. I am really happy that this has changed...so many kids graduated from high school knowing zilch about Canadian history.
As with other curriculum, History courses offered are determined by the individual provinces. I went to school in New Brunswick and we had Canadian history - no American history except bits that overlapped (war of 1812, Plains of Abraham). I found Canadian history wonderful - loved learning about the natives and Louis Riel, Hudson Bay and the north, Quebec/Ontario. We also did a good chunk of world history - the Greeks and Romans and some British.
During my high school days, we had one compulsory course of Canadian history, which was considered boring, droll, and much less interesting than American history. Grades 10, 11, and 12 also offered optional American History classes which were considered more interesting (due to the folklore, etc). Students felt that they "suffered" through Canadian history because it was a mandatory course. Very few students signed up for the optional Canadian history courses in Grades 11 and Grade 12. I am really happy that this has changed...so many kids graduated from high school knowing zilch about Canadian history.
Very true. In spite of the (modest) focus on Canadian history in schools, the average level of knowledge of national history among Canadians sucks.
Your average American knows a lot more about the history of the U.S. (thanks to both schools and popular culture) than the average Canadian knows about the history of Canada.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
