The Roaring 20s

The Famous Five

- 1916, Emily Murphy is appointed Alberta Police Magistrate (judge).
- Male lawyers challenge this position.
- As a woman, they asserted, Murphy was not a “person” under British Law. Murphy joins with Louis McKinney to fight this law

Federal Government fails to appoint even one female senator during the 1920’s. Angered by this, Henrietta Muir Edwards, Irene Parlby and Nelly McClung join Emily Murphy and Louis McKinney to form the Famous Five.Together they push the“Person’s Case” all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada.

Edmonton Grads

The Edmonton Grads was a women’s championship basketball team coached by Percy Page.
- During their 25 years as a team, the Grads won an astounding 95 per cent of their matches.
- The Grads were national and world champions, often defeating their opponents by lopsided scores.
- The team won the Underwood International Trophy (USA–Canada) for 17 years straight (1923 to 1940), and was undefeated in 24 matches held in conjunction with the Olympic Summer Games in 1924, 1928 and 1936.

The Group of Seven

In the 1920s and 1930s, a group of Canadian artists, who were called the Group of Seven, began to deal with the Canadian experience and reflect Canada’s newfound identity in their art because they painted Canadian landscapes in a unique way.

Along with the new trends and social statements happened in the 20s, the flapper girls invented their own slang, some of which still makes an appearance in our vocabulary today.Some of it is indicative of these women's growing liberation.

"handcuff" was a slang term for engagement ring

"hush money" was allowance from a father

"dropping the pilot" meant getting a divorce

Bank’s Closed meant no kissing

Cars revolutionized Canadian society during the 1920s. Before cars, the only methods of transportation were by horse, public transit, and railroads.

Cars gave Canadians the chance to determine where and when they went and also where they lived.

Automotive Industry

The automotive industry includes the production of cars and car parts. Since the early 20th century, it has been one of Canada’s most significant manufacturing industries, as well as a key driver of Canada’s manufactured imports and exports, employment and overall industrial production.

Though dominated by foreign firms (largely American), Canada boasts a strong domestic parts manufacturing sector that emerged in the last part of the 20th century. Concentrated in Southern Ontario, Canada’s auto sector evolved as a consequence of industrial policies such as protectionism and free trade. (See also Industry.)

- In the early 1920s, sports helped improve this nation after WW1 by bringing the people together and having them communicate and bond through the great depression to come.
- These activities are what gave the unemployed men a hobby and a new life.

Hockey
-In the 1920's, hockey instantly became a popular sport in Canada.
- It was considered Canada's national game, since the popularity for the sport was rapidly increasing.
-During the 1920's NHL became an instant success with many Canadian spectators who enjoyed watching hockey.

The 1920's was a big turning point for entertainment. Before the war, the average family spent 60% of its income on necessities, but by the 1920s, only 50% of their money was required for necessities. People felt freer with their money as the decade progressed. Entertainment became much more popular.

Radio

Radio offered Canadians entertainment(music, comedy, drama, education, preaching, news or poetry and story reading), and connected rural areas to the cites.

Film

- Many films in the 1920s were being made in Alberta.
- Alberta was often referred to as "the film capital of Canada" or "Canada's Hollywood".
- Some popular Canadian film made at the time were Evangeline, Back to God's Country, The Great Shadow, Big Timber, and Blue Water.

Dancing

- Dance clubs became enormously popular in the 1920s
- Dance music came to dominate all forms of music late in the decade.
- Genres of music were transformed into dance melodies to calm the public craze for dancing

The New Women: In the 1920s, the new generation of young women are tired of men's dominance in society and of the old social norms that stifled them, took on new behaviors previously deemed not suitable for women.

They drove cars, drank alcohol, and attended jazz clubs by night where they danced, smoked cigarettes and dated men casually. They began to work outside the home and advocated voting as well as other women's rights.

Although Women had won the right to vote during the war, few women were elected to the house of commons or to the provincial governments.

The Person's Case

The Person's Case was a constitutional ruling that established the right of women to be appointed to the Senate. The case was initiated by the Famous Five, a group of prominent women activists.

In 1928, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that women were not “persons” according to the British North America Act and therefore were ineligible for appointment to the Senate.

However, the women appealed to the Privy Council of England, which in 1929 reversed the Court’s decision. The Persons Case opened the Senate to women, enabling them to work for change in both the House of Commons and the Upper House. Moreover, the legal recognition of women as “persons” meant that women could no longer be denied rights based on a narrow interpretation of the law.

Automobile

Automobile has a price that an average person could afford in the 1920s.

Automobile gave Canadians the chance to determine where and when they went and also where they lived.

It also gave people an new form of entertainment-automobile racing

Aircraft

- The costs were much higher than what the average Canadian family could afford.

- Many Canadians also did not trust the safety of planes, especially after a widely publicized devastating plane crash.

Train

In the 1920s, the Canadian Northern, Intercolonial, Grand Trunk Railway, and Grand Trunk Pacific were brought together to form the Canadian National Railways (CNR).

Ocean Liner

- The period between the 1920 and 1930 is widely held as the golden age of ocean liners.

-It was the only way to get between North America and Europe

Winnipeg General Strike

- One of the most influential strikes in Canadian history, it was the most complete strike in North America became the platform for future labour reforms.
- Relationship between Canadian workers & employers becoming explosive
- Winnipeg Trades & Labour union wanted better wages, working conditions, and recognition of their collective bargaining rights - There is no immediate gain for the workers, but in the following years, many strikers were elected to the provincial and federal governments.

Immigration increased creating a backlash of intolerance and a challenge to national identity

- 1919, 20% population were immigrants
- During post-war recession, jobs were scarce, immigrants were backlashed as they being perceived as taking jobs
- Immigration Act 1919: Those who had “peculiar” customs, language and habits were undesirable – seen as difficult to assimilate

Women earned the right to vote and hold office although they had to go to Britain to ask permission to do so

Canada's native peoples forced into a program of assimilation

- far from children’s communities
- students forbidden from speaking their native language
- severely punished for defiance
- hair cut, uniforms (no individuality)
- Christian, white value, curriculum
- Taught menial skills, maximum grade 5 level

- In the 1920's there was a huge advancement in the music industries.
- Once the radio went big in the 20's many small music companies came in. - The Aboriginal's, British and the French all contributed many unique styles of music to the heritage of Canada.

Jazz!!!

- The 1920s were called " The Jazz Age"
- Jazz was played in public dance halls, clubs, tea rooms with dances called the shimmy, turkey trot, chicken scatch, monkey glide, bunny hug and cake walk. These dances were inspired black slaves.

- In the 1920s, Canada became more socially independent in the 1930s but also heavily influenced by the US culture.

- American music, movies, fashions, dances and magazines dominated Canadian culture and the lives of young people.

- During the 1930s, radio was popular with 75% homes having one by the end of the 1930s, and Canadians preferred US programs more.

-The Canadian government tried to regulate broadcasting and film but largely failed.

-Other organizations such as the Roman Catholic Church in Québec tried moral suasion and political pressure to prevent Canadians from partaking of the most frivolous aspects of American culture.