Ontario, Canda and moving out of the Pioneer stage
Oliver Mowat became this province's first premier in 1872. However, only a century had passed since Ontario was first settled by a group of loyalist refugees. These refugees, fought for the British crown during the American Revolution. After the revolution, British authorities provided help with provisions, tools and granted the loyalists free land in southern Ontario. These were Ontario's pioneers and this was the beginning of the pioneer stage. From this brief statement about Ontario's pioneers a question needs to be asked. To what extent had Ontario passed beyond the pioneer stage by the time Oliver Mowat came to power in 1872? In order to answer this question a number of areas will be taken into account. First, the term pioneer stage needs to be defined in order to make a satisfactory answer. Second, the development of urban centers will be investigated. Third, Ontario's infrastructure development will be looked at. Fourth, the rise of Ontario's political maturity will be analyzed. Finally, the provinces industrial base will be examined. To help answer the question, the term pioneer stage requires a definition. Pioneer stage is a societal term used to describe the first stage of a society. The stage begins with
Industry is a key area that needs to be nurtured and grown to bring about a developed society. This industrial self-sufficiency is required to mature beyond the pioneer stage. At first, Loyalist settlers could not create their own tools or even feed themselves. They needed help from the mother country Britain. As the pioneers flourished they required industries to furnish goods or sell their wares to. In the 1800's "local manufacturing in farm machinery, shoes, clothing, foundries and machine shops were starting to show progress. (White: 1985) The result was less reliance on having to depend on Britain supplying goods to the pioneers. As industry grew, so did the variety of skilled individuals. Mechanics were prevalent in Upper Canada. Mechanics are typically independent tradesmen who owned their own tools. These mechanics of "Upper Canada and several smaller industrial establishments were concentrated in...urban places". (White: 1985) Therefore as Industry grew it helped lead the pioneers out of the pioneer stage. Political life in Ontario was likely far from the minds of the loyalist settlers. They were driven by the need to clear their granted lands and trying to carve out a life. When this activity was finished, pioneers likely wanted a larger say in their lives. Currently, they had to listen to someone a thousand miles across the Atlantic in a British court or some appointed British representative. Therefore it is important to show an interest in a political system that is created by the pioneers. A form of self-government is needed to go beyond the pioneer stage. By the time of Oliver Mowat, politics and self-govern
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Approximate Word count = 1110
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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