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Unfortunately, there is no shortcut or single webpage I could direct you to. You’re going to have to do some general research and then focus in on more specific areas of interest. Those more specific questions are more likely to get you answers here, but I would start with Wikipedia and its bibliography, the Canadian Encyclopedia, and even the Canadian government website, which has lots of general information.
The CBC docudrama, The Story of Us, which I mentioned on the previous page, is also a great way to get a visual representation of Canada’s history in a fairly short and condensed form. It’s also well-made and features a plethora of Canadian voices for commentary.
I'm in New Jersey and very curious about Canada. What's the best way to educate myself? Is there a book or documentary that would help? I want in dept information like politics, government, police, culture, food, policy, race relations, etc.
check in after asking the question
close your eyes and imagine you're lying on the ground, looking up, it's snowing, your face is cold where each snowflake lands, the sun is a yellow circle and it's your turn on the toboggan. That's Canada in the Winter.
I have and you've tried to help. I still know nothing about Canada. I can't even memorize all the Prime Ministers between Macdonald, Mackenzie, Macdonald and Wilfred Laurier.
I have and you've tried to help. I still know nothing about Canada. I can't even memorize all the Prime Ministers between Macdonald, Mackenzie, Macdonald and Wilfred Laurier.
Did you know that most Canadians don't know the first thing about USA presidents? They care whether the current president respects the sister: Canada, or not. Some presidents do, some don't. Canadians can't chronologically name Canadian Prime Ministers. It's not a thing that children learn in Canadian schools. It's not that important.
Even your average low-knowledge Canadian would know Washington, Lincoln, Kennedy, and some more recent ones like Bush, Obama and of course Trump.
And some of us who have studied American history would know more of the obscure ones: Pierce, Buchanan, Hayes, and Harrison, for example.
But it's not important to list them in order; what is important, from history's perspective, is what they did. Franklin Pierce (President from 1853-1857) was ineffectual; when presented with problems in the Kansas Territory, he did little to prevent Kansas from descending into a state of anarchy. His successor, James Buchanan, basically did the same. End result of both of their approaches: a practice run for the Civil War that took place in the Kansas Territory between 1856 and 1860. See "Bleeding Kansas." Rutherford B. Hayes (President 1877-1881) ended Reconstruction, leading to Jim Crow laws for the next ninety or so years (including the landmark decision, Plessy v. Ferguson, 163 U.S. 537 (1896)); and William Henry Harrison died thirty days after his inauguration, accomplishing nothing, but allowing John Tyler to set the precedent of the VP becoming President upon the death of the President in office--see LBJ succeeding JFK.
That's what history is about: the study of cause and effect. It's not listing Canadian Prime Ministers or US Presidents in order--that's not history; that's just a Jeopardy answer ("He was the sixteenth president of the United States" "Who is Abraham Lincoln").
JBG, while I applaud your interest in Canadian history, I'd suggest that you not worry about listing Prime Ministers in order; rather, you should study the effects of their policies. How did Mackenzie King usher Canada through WWII? Why did Diefenbaker cancel the Avro Arrow project, and what were that decision's aftereffects on Canadian (and American) aerospace science and innovation? Compare and contrast R.B. Bennett's response to the Great Depression to that of Herbert Hoover's. That sort of thing matters from a historical perspective. But knowing leaders in order does not.
Last edited by ChevySpoons; 01-03-2021 at 11:01 PM..
Did you know that most Canadians don't know the first thing about USA presidents? They care whether the current president respects the sister: Canada, or not. Some presidents do, some don't. Canadians can't chronologically name Canadian Prime Ministers. It's not a thing that children learn in Canadian schools. It's not that important.
We 'Mericans had to learn the Presidents as part of history, and it was made easier by the fact that when I was a kid (talking about the 1960s) our school lunch milk cartons each had three presidents on them. It was always three consecutive presidents with a picture and a blurb about each one and the dates of their presidency. It really helped.
But, just as with most history, some people have no interest. There was once a Jeopardy! final answer asking for two of the four Presidents with four-letter names (Taft, Polk, Ford, and Bush--this was before Bush 43) and my then-husband laughed and said, "I never knew we had a president named Polk, and I was stationed at Fort Polk in Louisiana when I was in the Army."
We didn't learn anything about Canadian history in school, though, which now I think is odd. Maybe something about beaver trapping. Canada was sort of presented as some frozen outpost of Great Britain from which wanders down the occasional actor, anchorman, or game show host.
A: He waited a couple of days to request a declaration of war. Canada punched far above its weight in fighting. Saying, admitting "one Jew is too many" is a blemish.
Why did Diefenbaker cancel the Avro Arrow project, and what were that decision's aftereffects on Canadian (and American) aerospace science and innovation?
A: I think the refusal of the U.S. to consider purchases was the death knell, and frankly a dumb decision. I am quite querulous as to why the completed planes and/or parts were demolished. Sounds like stupidity all around.
Compare and contrast R.B. Bennett's response to the Great Depression to that of Herbert Hoover's. A: Both, from what I gather, did little to ease the Depression, which is probably why Bennett plunged from a near-record majority to a resounding defeat in, I think, the 1935 elections.
Answers, to my limited knowledge, in quote box.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Acajack
I think Jbgusa is being facetious as he often is, and knows more about our PMs than simply rattling them off in order.
I am never facetious.
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lol
