The Golden Age of Sail was a steady period of economic success for the Maritimes. Although short lived, it spanned from 1846 to 1867 and made British North America a major player in the international shipbuilding industry. This time of prosperity and nation building also marked a tradition of craftsmanship – the coming together of wind, wood and sail – especially in Saint John, New Brunswick. The establishment of a vessel registry kept track of the number of ships built in the city, and the numbers steadily rose, which fostered the Provinces growth far beyond expectation. This paper will focus on Saint Johns development within its larger colonial context and serves as a key proponent of shipbuilding in the Maritimes during the nineteenth century. Through its early beginnings, the Golden Age itself and the industries subsequent decline, the ebbs and flows experienced by the region will be illustrated to assess the true value of the Golden Age of Sail in Saint John.
With the global demand for New Brunswick timber on the rise, shipbuilding became essential for the Province. From 1803 to 1816 the Napoleonic Wars, between Napoleon’s French Empire and coalitions led by Great Britain, broke Britain’s lumber supply relationship from the Baltic Sea and made way to a new relationship with New Brunswick (Houston and Smyth 95). Since New Brunswick “possessed hundreds of kilometers of coastline suitable for launching ships, timber merchants built shipyards and increased their output to meet this demand” (MCCORD-MUSEUM). Saint John began producing ocean-going rigs to utilize their close proximity to timber, which created jobs given the manpower that was necessary to fulfill labor demands. Timber had a duel purpose as a shipped commodity and sh...
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...” ((Spicer THE AGE OF SAIL 88). The demand for ships was just beginning when Troop became to build his fleet, as two were later acquired in the 1840s and a subsequent eight in the 1850s (Spicer THE AGE OF SAIL 90). These ships varied in size, caring anywhere from 300 tons to 1200 tons depending on their make. The Troops development helped to create and support the Golden Age of Shipbuilding as “the demand for ships [was] said to be greater than [had] ever been known to [the] builders” (Spicer THE AGE OF SAIL 91) of the time. The fleet was developing at a time where they could capitalize at the expense of others. One of the reasons for the high growth rates was the decline in the American fleet in the 1860s and 1870s and resulting in opportunities for Canadian vessels in American export trades (Sager and Fisher 27) as a result of the Crimean and American Civil wars.
Richard White. (n.d.). Making Cars In Canada: A Brief History of the Canadian Automobile Industry: 1900-1980. Retrieved from
Upper Canada was in the tumultuous process of settlement during the nineteenth century. From 1800-1860, wheat and flour exports went from a negligible amount to peak at 13 billion bushels in 1860.1 It is important to understand the rapid nature of settlement to contextualize life in rural Upper Canada. From 1805-1840, the population increased by over eight hundred percent.2 Many of these were Irish emigrants, even in the period preceding the famine; these pre-Famine Irish emigrants were predominantly “middling farmers,” «c'est à dire des fermiers cultivant des terres petite oucharacterizedes, Simmons, et al., et al., et al., et al., et al., et al., et al., et al.... ... middle of paper ... ...
During the 1840’s and 1850’s America experienced its golden age in shipping and sailing.1 At the front of this era was Donald McKay whose innovative ship designs lead to the numerous sea speed records, some of which stand today. For most of the early 19th century American ship building consisted of merchant and cargo ships. It took a long time for these ships to sail across seas. With the increased speed came decreased time to wait for pay. Another need for increased speed was the California gold rush of 1849. People wanted to make the trip as quickly as possible in order to stake their claims. Donald McKay’s clipper ships enabled people to do that.
The 1920’s were a period of growth for the world economy as many people experienced great deals of increase with respect wealth as well as technological advancements and electricity, which became crucial living standard in countries such as Canada. A boom in the Canadian economy during this time was a result of middle and lower class families increasing their consumption of mass-produced consumer based items. During this time P.E.I maintained a relatively lower growth percentage then other Canadian Provinces as they experienced less of the economic boom. Those living in P.E.I, or the Islanders, were relatively more prone to hardship as most people located in the province at the time lived strenuous and labour filled lives.
St. Andrews is a small coastal town in New Brunswick, situated at the end of a peninsula jutting out into the magnificent Bay of Fundy. The Town is conveniently located 30 km from St. Stephen and the Maine border, 100 km from Saint John and 120 km from Fredericton. The Town was founded in 1783, by Loyalists escaping persecution south of the border, on government land grants provided by Governor Parr. St. Andrews grew and flourished for much of the next century and was an important harbour with a healthy shipbuilding industry. At the turn of the last century the Town still prospered. Ship building was a dying industry, but with the building of the Algonquin Hotel in 1889, the Town became an important summer resort town for the “rich”, especially after the CPR took it over at the turn of the century.
Fur trading started between the Europeans along with the Aboriginals when the most valuable beaver pelts was a substituted for metal and clothing goods such as iron knives and axis, copper kettles, blankets and trinkets. The beaver pelts were well desired by the Europeans for the reason that using this fur for headgear provided an elegant way to keep dry. However these pelts were for fashion, as men and women could be instantly noted within the social hierarchy by according to their beaver hats. It was so valuable that the sand on the floor was filtered to save every hair that has fallen off. For the Europeans, captivating advantages of the rich furs from the Indians in the New World was a major factor in generating handsome profits, and there is no other pelt exchanging business enterprise like the Hudson's Bay Company. It is the oldest venture of Canada and it inspired many by its domination in the fur trading industry during its early years. They equipped their own armies, minted its own coins and even issued its own medals. The company had controlled fully one-third of present-day Canadian territory and were thought by many as a kingdom by itself in the fur industry. They had trading posts from the very north Arctic Ocean to Hawaii and as far south as San Francisco. HBC's revenue didn't generate simply from this one way trade in furs to Europe; it also consists of large amounts of European goods to North America. These goods incorporated many other products that local people cannot construct such as gunpowder, bullets, weapons, tobacco, kettles, pots, beads, fishing hooks, needles, scissors, and so much more. The Hudson's Bay Company showed a great measure of success since its formation, but it didn't come without s...
Lawson, Mary. The Other Side of the Bridge. Vintage Canada ed. Toronto: Vintage Canada, 2007. Print.
The Civil War consisted of many legendary battles over the soil of the United and Confederate States of America, which will be retold for generations in history books. Although these land battles were indeed great, the concept of this paper will be the Naval warfare of the Civil War, paying certain attention to the battle between the Monitor and the Merrimac.
Factories churned out flour, beer, metalworks, and other goods.” (Lewis, 6). She also says, “From his backyard, Noble had an amazing view of the narrows, the aptly named the narrowest section of Halifax Harbor.” (Lewis, 6). World War I was in total effect at this point. Lewis says, “World War I casts a shadow over Dartmouth and Halifax.” (Lewis, 7). “Newspapers brought more bad news from the front lines.” (Lewis, 7), the author
Canadian history has shaped Canada's future for centuries now. Without the great explorers of their time, and maybe even our time, provinces and territories, gulfs, bays, rivers and land would be lost and undiscovered for many years. Our great country can thank many brave and brilliant explorers and their crew, for founding our name, and creating such an amazing land. Jacques Cartier, John Cabot and Henry Hudson, all managed to explore much of Canada. Through discovering the islands of Newfoundland, and Prince Edward Island to locating the Hudson Bay, these 3 explores endure Canada's harsh winters, famine, scurvy and much more, to begin the great discover of all of Canada.
The Chinese navy in the early 1400’s was very powerful but unfortunately it grew weaker and weaker over time. The cause of this was that China ran into political problems which prevented future voyages.
Newfoundland and Labrador’s fisheries might start to be dated in a period not too distant from that Age of Discovery years, about five centuries ago, and since this period it had been performed an important role in both economic and socio-cultural structure of Atlantic Canada. Among several species, northern cods performed one of the main sources of food for both populations from Atlantic Canada and Eastern European countries such as Spain, Portugal, France, and principally England (Higgins, Lifestyle of Fishers, 1600-1900, 2008).
Thompson, John Herd, and Mark Paul Richard. "Canadian History in North American Context." In Canadian studies in the new millennium. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2008. 37-64.
Two history texts by Bumstead and Silver will be considered. The manner in which they organize Canadian history into logical and comprehensive periods will be taken into account. Each text establishes a chronological framework and within this, creates historical periods. Each period is intended to represent as logically as possible, the major cultural inclinations, political and social events, and thematic trends occurring within that period. Bumstead and Silver outline several broad periods, then delve into each period with a precise focus. Silver has a social focus within each period, and Bumstead has a thematic focus.
Aboriginal women had occupied an essential position in the fur trade of the North American region from its birth during the 17th and 18th centuries. Even though this is true, the role of women, especially those of the Native American society, has been ignored a great deal in the entire history of fur trade. Contrary to the belief that the whole fur trade activity was only male-dominated, it very much depended upon Native women and their participation and labor in order to ensure survival as well as economic success. This paper will attempt to illuminate how Native women played the role as important producers when it comes to fur trade of the American Plains and, of course, the Canadian region. This paper will also deal with the two important company's namely the North West and Hudson's Bay Company and tell how each functioned during the time of fur trade. The term “fur traders” is the term often used to described anyone who was interested in the traffic of furs. The traditional picture has been that of a male in buckskin shirt and a raccoon cap, dispensing alcohol and trinkets to gullible savages, in turn for the quality furs worth 10 times their value.