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Siham Srour

Ms. Jarvis

CHC2D

02 April 2019

Were the 1920s really roaring?

To what extent were the 1920s a progressive or declining decade in Canada? The 1920s,

remarkably known as the Roaring Twenties, were a time of drastic social and political changes. With

World War I coming to end, Canada was ready to progress and move forward from all the conflict. After

the terrifying event, the return to normality was quite the process for not only the direct participants of

the conflict, but also for those who had maintained affairs on the homefront. Unfortunately, Canada was

not safe from many unfortunate issues which plagued other countries. However, the 1920s were filled

with many prosperous, influential and significant changes. Distinctly, these two differing opinions are a

topic of massive debate among historians. Which brings us back to the question: to what extent were the

1920s a progressive or declining decade in Canada? In order to respond to this question and reach a

consensus, this essay will analyze the two following topics; the beneficial progression observed in

Canada during the 1920s, and the drastic issues observed in Canada during the 1920s.

In our present-day country, the 1920s are seen as a period of decline due to issues, such as racial

status. During that time, minority groups, including Chinese men, Black men and First Nation peoples

were seen to be less prioritized. Chinese men were seen to have been mistreated during the 1920s. For

instance, the government passed legislation in the year 1923 which specifically prohibited Chinese
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immigrants from coming or living in Canada. Before the 1900s, “Thousands of Chinese men came to

Canada to help build the Canadian Pacific Railway” (CSI, 39). Although they have served and helped

Canada in multiple ways, the government still passed these deviant legislations. While working in

extremely poor conditions and receiving very low income, Chinese men still put all their time and effort

into improving Canada as a nation. Continuing to show decline during this period of time, the men of

colour in the 1920s were also seen to be treated unjustly and poorly. This was evidenced by Black men

not being able to have high skilled jobs nor being able to marry an individual of opposite sex. Black men

would get discriminated and pressurized against, and were seen to have been the most harshly affected

by the Canadian government. During the 19th century, Black Canadian men distinctly located in Ontario

and Nova Scotia, faced a pervasive pattern of discrimination in employment, housing and access to

public services. These men went through quite a struggle when being served in public locations, such as

hotels, restaurants, theaters, etc. Occasionally they were forced into segregated schools where black

Canadians were most concentrated. Most non-Native Canadians and the federal government believed

that the life of First Nation peoples would improve if their cultures were deprived away from them;

which resulted in the administration of residential schools. It then became mandatory for all First Nation

children between the ages of seven and fifteen to attend residential schools in the year 1920. Students

were punished when spoken their language out of class, along with many students being physically and

sexually abused; “These objectives were based on the assumption Aboriginal cultures and spiritual
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beliefs were inferior and unequal” (Hanson, 2009). First Nation peoples have been, and continued to be,

mistreated all throughout Canadian history. All in all, the 1920s were not an adequate time for minority

groups as they were harshly discriminated against. This decade is seen to have done little to no change at

all to try to make things better for those of supposed less superiority. Given these points, it is evident

why some individuals in Canada believe that the “Roaring Twenties” were not as roaring as some people

pictured it out to be.

Despite the fact that the 1920s are commonly known for it’s troubling events, this time of age has

also been looked at as a time of significant thriving and an overall successful decade. This period of time

can be declared as influential, mainly as Canada’s economy boomed and social changes were put into

progress. A few major changes at that moment included economic issues, technology and women’s

suffrage. Due to the process of improving conditions within Canada post World War I, economic issues

were known to initiate progress and cause change. To illustrate, Britain and Europe were once again

capable of buying Canadian produce. This is partly because loans from the United States were helping

them rebuild their economies that had been destroyed as a cause of the war, while the stock market

began and continued to gradually rise. Continuing to show progress during the 1920s, Canada had been

granted with the great expansion of the wheat economy. Helping to fuel Canada’s economy, agricultural

production and exports in the 1920s were rapidly expanding. Within Canada, wheat is one of the most
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important cultivated crop. Many Canadians use this crop for the making of flour for baking pastries and

goods, and feed for livestock. According to the Canada Year Book, “In 1941 some 3.3 million people,

then 27% of Canada’s population, lived on a farm. In 1996 this had dropped to only 267,000 people, or

2% of the working population… Once a mainstay of Canada’s economic health and security, [in 1996]

farming represented just 2% of the country’s GDP” (Canadian Year Book).​ ​The 1920s were also a

decade of great and sustained economic prosperity accompanied by advancements in technology and a

more progressive and lively culture. This decade marked the flourishing of the modern mass production

and consumption economy, resulting in better living standards for urban city dwellers. Additionally,

inventions and discoveries thrived during the 1920s. Furthermore, in terms of inventions that had

already been made, they had become more accessible. For instance, telephones, automobiles and radios

had become more accessible for an abundant amount of Canadians and were modified for easier usage

by the year 1929. Technology has truly allowed Canada to progress as a nation, especially in Canadian

productivity. It has also impacted Canada massively by exceeding the lives of many Canadian citizens.

Due to Guglielmo Marconi Marconi’s amazing invention of the radio, many Canadians in rural areas are

able to get current day news, and have the chance to listen to music and entertainment. Furthermore,

women’s rights improved and evolved during this period of time. Although the Dominion Elections Act

of 1900 has stated that “no woman, idiot, lunatic, or criminal shall vote”, this voting requirement soon

changed for the better. After the chaos known as the Women’s Suffrage Movement, economic roles for
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women increased in society. Women also had greater and more job and educational opportunities.

Receiving the opportunity to get the right to vote gained women more rights and privileges. In

conclusion, the 1920s are evidently progressful and has shown Canadians what the country is capable of

doing, especially after the war.

When coming back to the question, “To what extent were the 1920s a progressive or declining

decade in Canada?”, one can grieve say the 1920s were definitely not so roaring, especially for specific

nations and groups in Canada, such as the Chinese men, Black men and First Nations. These nations and

men were treated horribly and were less prioritized than other nations within Canada. Though women

were finally given the right to vote, they were still struggling to earn decent wages, or get decent jobs.

Generally, all nations and people should have the incentive to work hard and achieve success, but one

will never get there if others don't all contribute to the rebuilding of Canada from the ground up.

Work Cited

- “Women's Suffrage in Canada.” The Canadian Encyclopedia, www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/

article/suffrage.

- “The Residential School System.” ​Indigenousfoundations,​ indigenousfoundations.arts.ubc.ca/the_

residential_school_system/.
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- Statistics Canada, Canada Year Book 1999 (Ottawa: Minister Responsible for Statistics Canada, 1999),

337.

- Freeman-Shaw & Haskings-Winner. (2008) ​Canadian Sources: Investigated 1914 to the Present.

Toronto.