Key Terms and Concepts from Canadian History

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts from the chapter on Canadian history.

Class Structure

A system for ordering society based on social or economic status.

Backwoods

Remote, uncleared, forested land.

Crown Reserve

Land set aside for the government.

Clergy Reserve

Land set aside to finance Protestant churches.

Working Bee

An occasion when neighbors work together to accomplish a significant task.

Emancipation

Freedom from slavery.

Reserve

An area of land set aside for the use of a specific group of Aboriginal people.

Beothuk

The First Nations of Newfoundland.

Metis

An Aboriginal person descended from a First Nations mother and a father of European descent.

Pemmican

A preserved food made of dried meat and berries.

Michif

The language spoken by the Metis.

American Fugitive Slave Act

A series of laws that persecuted escaped slaves by having bounties put on them.

Underground Railway

A secret network of safe houses that allowed African Americans to escape to Canada.

Debtor’s Prison

Prison where individuals were sent for failing to pay their debts.

Black Plague/Death

A pandemic that wiped out a large portion of humanity due to a virus spread by lice carried by rats.

Ursuline Nuns

Roman Catholic nuns who operated hospitals and schools for girls in New France.

Richard Pierpoint

A former Black Loyalist who founded an all-Black regiment for the War of 1812.

Lord Selkirk

A Scottish lord who sponsored landless peasants from Scotland to go to present-day Manitoba.

Shandithit

The last surviving Beothuk woman in the 19th century Newfoundland.

Scurvy

A lack of Vitamin C leading to bleeding gums and other serious health issues.

Smallpox

A virus that attacks the circulatory system and can cause death.

Scarlet Fever

A bacterial infection caused by strep throat that can lead to severe complications.

Tuberculosis

A bacteria affecting the lungs that can be fatal.

Cholera

An intestinal tract disease spread through poor hygiene, leading to severe illness.

Measles (Ruebelo)

A contagious virus causing red spots on the skin and possible death due to complications.

Rickets

The softening or weakening of bones in children due to a lack of vitamin D.

Polio

A virus causing permanent nerve damage like paralysis.

Diphtheria

An illness causing damage to the heart, breathing, and nerves due to unsanitary conditions.

Milk Poisoning

A condition caused by consuming milk from cows that ate white snakeroot.

Loyalists

Individuals who remained loyal to England during the American Revolutionary War.

Anishinaabe

A group consisting of Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi people.

Metis Society

A community formed by Scottish and French settlers marrying First Nations women.

Fort Garry

A location in present-day Winnipeg where Metis worked transporting goods.

Northwest Company

A rival fur trading company formed during the Age of the Fur Trade.