Pre-Confederate History is not usually what people think of when they hear about feminism, but during this course I have learned that although there were no suffragettes, women still fought for their rights to be involved in society.
In the third reading log I learned about women in the fur trade. Women staying in the house sewing and cooking was not as common as women working the fields and animals alongside their husbands. These women did everything men did, they owned land and businesses. It was necessary for women to help in every aspect of family and business life.
In my research for my Research Paper I learnt that women were seen as the key to religion and morality. The Church and Government in Victoria wanted to change how men were behaving in the colony; their solution was to bring over women to tame the unruly men. Even though these women were orphans and from lower class families; they were still seen as powerful.
In the fifth reading log I learnt about the story of Chloe Cooley. She was a black slave who’s story caused change in Canada’s laws regarding slavery. This change in laws saved many peoples lives and was the start of the underground railway in Canada. It was all caused by the story of a black slave woman. Her story had so much power it changed laws.
In the sixth reading log I learnt about Indigenous women working in Barkerville. Many worked as prostitutes and although the profession isn’t seen as respectable, some were very successful in the industry. These women were working and making money without the help of a man taking care of their business.