Day 4 - 176 -- History of Nation Building

Today I found myself pondering the history of this country. So many ways one could go with a short post. Many interesting events led to the country we know today -- and not all were positive events. Glossing over the negatives feels like revisionist history. We do need to understand the good and the bad and all the in between in order to understand how we came to be who we are today. I love history. I bring it into all my courses and many conversations. My research at present has a strong historical focus. I love it all. For today, I chose three parts of the national history -- and it pretty much came down to drawing out of a hat since there are many that would fit.

In the mid-1700s, French settlers known as Acadians refused to pledge allegiance to the King of England and some kept supply lines open to French forts in the region. The land known as Acadia is where present day Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island are. The order to deport those who wouldn't sign was given and Acadians were rounded up and shipped out to the 13 colonies, France and Britain. Families were split apart, some never knowing where each other were sent. At present, Acadians in the Maritime provinces often come from families who hid in the woods and partnered with local aboriginal groups to learn how to live -- hiding from the British souldiers who worked to find Acadians for about 9 years. New Brunswick is now the only province in Canada that is officially bilingual. Large areas of NS and PEI are known as Acadian settlements today while many groups in the USA such as the Louisiana cajuns claim roots to those moved during Le Grand Derangement. A dark story in our history.

The country was opened by fishers, trapper, loggers and farmers. Many people who traveled inland to work in the various primary production industries were Europeans. Some made the country their home. Settlers arrived looking for a better life, moving from oppression, famine and disease. Often, immigrants were misled and found only forest where the promised cleared farmland was supposed to be.  Unlike today, moving elsewhere or back where they came from wasn't easy, so they stayed and worked to make a life for their family and the generations that followed.

When working in the 1800s to build one nation that spread from the Atlantic to the Pacific, the dream of a railroad linking the country came to be. This opened the country for communication and economies. The third group that moved to this country to assist with the building came from Asia, mostly China. These workers were not treated well, often seen as disposable. Men came to work to get money to bring their wife and families over. A great number died while doing the dangerous work of clearing lands, blasting through mountains and building tressles. Their work stands today as the main lines across the country are still in place, linking the nation and getting products to ports for export and bringing imports from ports.

So -- given the three ideas that were chosen from the many that came to mind today, there will be three songs to match each one. First, one comes from a Canadian stage play based on Longfellow's epic poem Evangeline. This story follows the lives of Evangeline and Gabriel who were separated during the deportations.It is an amazing and gritty production. The second is a folk song that addresses the lifestyle of some of the early inland workers. I heard this often as a child as it was a short film that appeared on television during program breaks. Love the music royalty who sang this one. The third is a song about the rail line that brought the west coast into confederation. The song was commissioned for the centennial celebration of confederation in 1967. I've loved this song from the first time I heard it. The tempo changes and mimics a steam engine. My family worked in the railway for three generations -- my grandfather's cousin, my father, and my brother -- so this one means a lot to me. Each song is sung by wonderful Canadian artists. Enjoy!

I Only Hear Your Voice -- Ryan Silverman & Danielle Wade  (by Ted Dykstra)

Log Driver's Waltz -- Kate and Anna McGarrigle & the Mountain City Four (from a National Film Board vignette)

Canadian Railroad Trilogy -- Gordon Lightfoot
NOTE: the photos of those building the railroad show no Chinese men -- not a surprise given the times. On the bright side, their contribution has been recognized after a century.