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The Dust Bowl drastically changed the lives and land of many farmers. The way that they made their living was off of their farmland and crops. But the Dust Bowl completely destroyed the fields. This was a decline for the farmers. They and their families were forced to adapt the way that they lived in a short period of time in order to survive.
In the present day, some survivors still keep their tea cups upside down because of the dust that settled over everything all those years ago. -
The dust clouds would destroy land and even forced some families to abandon their farms. In the families that did not leave their farms, the husbands would have to go to search for work elsewhere, while the wives stayed home with the children. Swarms of millions upon millions of grasshoppers also came after the dust clouds. These insects ate everything from dried crops to broom handles.
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The Dust Bowl began in 1929 in the Canadian prairies, and continued on throughout the 1930’s. This was a treacherous time for many farmers. The soil of the farmland was very fine and dry. This made it easy for wind to pick it up. Soil from hundreds of farms would get picked up and moved across the land in one big, opaque cloud of dirt and dust.
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In 1922, although many people across the country supported it, the government was against Emily Murphy being in the Canadian Senate as the first female judge. This was because, in the British North America Act from 1867, a “person” was referred to as a man, and only qualified persons could become a part of the Senate. This motivated Murphy to create the Famous Five.
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The Famous Five was an activist group made of 5 women: Emily Murphy, Nellie McClung, Irene Parlby, Louise McKinney and Henrietta Muir Edwards. The group was a large part of the Women’s Rights Movement. Their petition to change the meaning of the word “person” was denied by the Supreme Court. So they decided to take their petition to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London, England. On October 18th, 1929, the council decided that women were to be included in the term “person”.
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The Person’s Case caused an important change in the Women’s Rights Movement. At that time, women were not even allowed to open a bank account without a man. So, that a woman was now eligible to be in the Senate was incredible. The Person’s Case was progress for women. The Person’s Case also paved the way for the continuation of women gaining more rights in Canada. They had already fought for and gained their right to vote, and the case gave them further opportunity to expand the movement.
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The Great Depression was particularly difficult for Italian-Canadians after 1935. This is because of Mussolini’s harsh actions in Ethiopia and other belligerent behaviors. Many Italian-Canadians sympathized with Mussolini, while others didn’t. Canadians were against fascism and directed their hostility towards all Italian-Canadians. Italy and Germany were allied in WWII, and Italian-Canadians were punished for this. They were deemed “enemy aliens”.
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The men lost their jobs, Italian shops were maliciously destroyed and, although many of them were not fascists, men and their families were sent to internment camps. There, they were treated with cold hostility.
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Italian-Canadians went from living their normal lives to being greatly discriminated against. Though many of them were not fascists, they were still being treated poorly. After Mussolini’s actions, Canadians were quick to turn on the Italian-Canadians and treat them with hostility. The changes indicated decline because they were no longer being accepted in the country that they had called home.
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The CWAC gave women the opportunity to be a greater help in the war effort. Women being allowed to be a part of the army was a change because, usually, women would remain at home with the children, or work as nurses if they were to be a part of the war effort. The CWAC was a progressive change for women because it allowed them to learn new skills and work in fields in which only men had worked before.
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Then, on March 13th, 1942, the Canadian Women's Army Corps (CWAC) officially became a part of the Canadian Army. The women started off by doing the more traditional “womanly” jobs such as office work. But then, some moved to the male-dominated jobs like mechanics, or drivers. Although it was disbanded after 5 years in 1946, with 21,624 women joining, the CWAC opened women up to many types of trades and skills and allowed them to take part in the war effort.
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The creation of the Canadian Women’s Army Corps was announced on August 13th, 1941. The country was running out of manpower in both war duties and manufacturing. As a solution to this problem, the government enlisted women to perform the support and secretarial jobs that were done by soldiers. This allowed more men to be freed for combat. Although not yet considered a part of the Army, women trained their skills for jobs like messengers, typists, cooks, and more.
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The Japanese-Canadians were held at Hastings Park before being moved. They were filed and then kept in quarters put up in the livestock buildings before they were boarded onto the trains.
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Anti-Asian racism was deep rooted in the beliefs of the country. The Bombing of Pearl Harbour pushed Canada to the edge. The anti-Asian racism did change because it grew stronger after the government feared a Japanese attack. This increase in racism was a decline for the Japanese-Candians. There was no reason for the Japanese to be suspected of any crimes. However, anti-Asian racism continued because had always been a part of the opinions of the citizens of Canada.
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After the Bombing of Pearl Harbour, the Canadian government feared for a Japanese attack on the west coast of the country. This fear, and the anti-Asian racism that was pervasive, caused Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King to act by forcing about 22, 000 Japanese-Canadians to be moved to the inner part of British Columbia. The belongings of these people were sold by the government in order to pay for the relocation.
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World War II called for farmers to produce more food in order for it to be sent overseas to the soldiers who were fighting. However the increased demand in food production was met with a scarcity of workers. Many young people left their jobs working on farms, for the military or another job in a different industry that had better wages. This caused farmers to have to search for farm help elsewhere.
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An example of this is “The Farm Commando Brigade of the Ontario Farm Service Force”. This called on both men and women to volunteer to help on the farms. The brigade, along with the help of farmer’s children, prisoners of war, home defense soldiers, and students, made sure that there was food being successfully supplied to the soldiers.
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The demand for an increase in food production was both a continuity and change for farmers. The farmers continued to produce food. That did not stop. However, the amount of food that they were producing changed by increasing. This was in order to be able to support the armed forces overseas. The change was progress for farmers, because with the increase in production, the farmers were receiving higher pay.
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Colpitts, George, et al. “Dusting off the History of Drought on the Canadian Prairies in the 1930s.” Active History, 28 Nov. 2016, activehistory.ca/2016/11/dusting-off-the-history-of-drought-on-the-canadian-prairies-in-the-1930s/. -
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“The Dust Bowl Prairie Farmers Suffer Nature's Wrath and Economic Crisis during the 1930s.” CBCnews, CBC/Radio Canada, www.cbc.ca/history/EPISCONTENTSE1EP13CH1PA2LE.html.
“Evidence.” Women in Canadian Politics, womenincanadianpolitics.weebly.com/evidence.html. -
Marshall, Tabitha, and David A. Cruickshank. “Persons Case.” The Canadian Encyclopedia, 7 Feb. 2006, www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/persons-case.
Museum, Canadian War. “The War Economy and Controls: Agriculture.” WarMuseum.ca - Democracy at War - Agriculture - Canada and the War, www.warmuseum.ca/cwm/exhibitions/newspapers/canadawar/agriculture_e.html. -
“An Overview of Italian Canadian History.” Multicultural History Society of Ontario, www.mhso.ca/ggp/Ethnic_groups/Italian/Ital_overview.html.
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“Second World War Education Guide.” Second World War Education Guide | The Canadian Encyclopedia, www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/studyguide/second-world-war-education-guide.
Strong-Boag, Veronica. “Women's Suffrage in Canada.” The Canadian Encyclopedia, 21 June 2016, www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/womens-suffrage.
Sturino, Franc. “Italian Canadians.” The Canadian Encyclopedia, 22 May 2019, www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/italian-canadians. -
“Vancouver Feature: Japanese-Canadians Held at Hastings Park.” Vancouver Feature: Japanese-Canadians Held at Hastings Park | The Canadian Encyclopedia, 23 May 2019, thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/vancouver-feature-japanese-canadians-held-at-hastings-park.
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Zarum, Dave. “Interned in Canada: an Interview with Pat Adachi.” The Canadian Encyclopedia, 14 Mar. 2019, www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/interned-in-canada-an-interview-with-pat-adachi.
