presentism
Or the "presentist fallacy"; the belief that the events of the past are directly responsible for conditions in the present. Presentism often ignores intervening events. It also tends to thank the past for positives (such as current freedoms) while it seldom holds the past accountable for liabilities (such as a lacklustre economy, continuing struggles over equality, etc.).
Of all the historic fallacies and bad practices, the one that looms largest in a subject area like modern history is that of presentism.
homestead
A grant of free land of typically 160 acres available to males over 21 years of age, with the obligation that they "improve" no less than 40 acres and build a permanent dwelling on the land within three years; made available under the Dominion Lands Act of 1872; modelled on similar legislation in the United States.
By the late 19th century the homestead emerges as a model of colonization based on the emergent ideal of the nuclear family.
liberalism
A political philosophical position that, in the late 18th and 19th centuries, enjoyed widespread acceptance; prioritizes the rights of the individual (that is, the individual adult male), private property, equality (again, among adult — typically white — males), and the values of a democratic system.
This kind of liberalism is difficult to escape when one looks at Canada from 1867-1914.
nuclear family
Describes a household comprised of one or two adults and their children. Households that include adult siblings are called "consangineal" and those that include an older generation (that is, grandparents) is called "extended".
By the late 19th century the homestead emerges as a model of colonization based on the emergent ideal of the nuclear family.
other
Usually represented as "the other" or "an other", refers to the idea of groups or individuals different from one's own or one's self. The effect of recognizing an other is to sharpen one's sense of self in terms of what one is not. Historically, some groups have been "otherized" or constructed in argument and in systems as not belonging to the mainstream. This is part of the process of isolating and possibly persecuting certain groups and individuals.
In classifying working people as an other, middle-class Canada held up a mirror to itself as a distinct social element with its own collective identity.
paternalism
A system in which a source of authority exerts control over the behaviour, conditions, and rights of its subjects; may occur at the state level but also in the workplace (as managers/employers determine how workers should behave and perform) and underlies patriarchal households wherein the eldest productive male constitutes the principal source of authority.
The paternalism of earlier generations does not go away, but it is refashioned to emphasize the authority of the senior adult male in a household.
racializing
To ascribe inherent qualities to an identifiable group and to explain the presence of those qualities as a product of "race" — which is itself a social construct.
What's more, in racializing the Chinese and the First Nations, White Canada racialized itself.
seigneury
Used in New France; based on a feudal system in which land was granted under a royalty system, and the tenant was responsible for farming the land to meet their physical needs (food, heat, and shelter). This system was abolished in 1854.
The village and the commons, the seigneury and the Clergy Reserves are all more corporate ways of seeing the world.
These terms were extracted from Canadian History: Post-Confederation by John Douglas Belshaw, eCampusOntario (originally published by BCcampus, 2016) which is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.