Teacher’sGrades
Guide
7-12
Teacher Resource Guide developed by
Cynthia Phillips, OCT
ISBN 9781459708708
Books are available from your favourite bookseller, wholesaler and UTP Distribution (t: 1 800 565-9523)
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Table of Contents
I
Introduction
4
II
CHAPTER SUMMARIES
5
III
CANADIAN HISTORY CONNECTIONS
IV
•
Canada’s Resource-based Economy
•
Daily Life in the Colonies and at Work in Early Canada
•
Settlement, Development, and Trade
•
Governance of a Growing Community
STUDENT INTERACTION AND ASSESSMENT
TRG | James Douglas
10
16
IINTRODUCTION
James Douglas’s story is one of high adventure in pre-Confederation Canada. It weaves through the heart of
Canadian and Pacific Northwest history when British Columbia was a wild land, Vancouver didn’t exist, and
Victoria was a muddy village.
Part black and illegitimate, Douglas was born in British Guiana (now Guyana) in 1803 to a Scottish plantation
owner and a mixed-race woman. After schooling in Scotland, the fifteen-year-old Douglas sailed to Canada in
1819 to join the fur trade. With roads non-existent, he travelled thousands of miles each year, using the rivers
and lakes as his highways. He paddled canoes, drove dogsleds, and snowshoed to his destinations.
Douglas became a hard-nosed fur trader, married a part-Cree wife, and nearly provoked a war between
Britain and the United States over the San Juan Islands on the West Coast. When he was in his prime, he
established Victoria and secrured the western region of British North America from the Russian Empire and the
expansionist Americans. Eventually, Douglas became the controversial governor of the Colonies of Vancouver
Island and British Columbia and oversaw the frenzied Fraser and Cariboo gold rushes.
“...a first rate biography and thematic history. Strongly recommended for middle school and up.”
− CM Magazine
“Julie Ferguson has made the life of James Douglas and the fur trade exceedingly readable. I was surprised
to find myself treating this book as something of a page-turner. Douglas’ life was certainly interesting and
complex in and of itself, but Ferguson handles the material in a way that makes it even more captivating.”
− Resource Links
James Douglas was named one of Resource Links “Best Books of 2010” in the Non-fiction category for grades 7-12.
About the Author
Julie H. Ferguson is the author of Sing a New Song: Portraits of Canada’s Crusading Bishops (2006),
Through a Canadian Periscope: The Story of the Canadian Submarine Service (1995), and eleven other
books, including five for writers and teacher.
Not only is Julie a successful author, she is also an accomplished speaker and trainer. Since 1997, many
of western Canada’s school districts have invited her, time and again, to present at their professional
development events to lead lively writing workshops for their gifted, regular, and special education
students. Julie delights in inspiring participants in boys-only English classes and aboriginal students to
improve their writing. Currently, she lives in Port Moody, British Columbia, near Vancouver. Visit her at
www.beaconlit.com.
4 | I. Introduction
TRG | James Douglas
IICHAPTER SUMMARIES
1.
The author reflects on the integral contributions of James Douglas to the settlement and development
of British Colombia from early to mid-19th century. He is, in her view, a man of remarkable
achievement and worthy of commendation.
2.
James Douglas is revered in both British Colombia, and in Guyana, the country of his birth. James,
his brother, and his sister are born, out of wedlock, to Martha Ann Ritchie, in British Guiana, in 1803,
1801 and 1812 respectively. The children’s father is a Scottish businessman who does not live with the
children and their mother. When James is 9, his father brings both boys to Scotland to be educated at
a “reputable” school there. James never sees his mother again.
3.
During the course of the ship’s voyage to Scotland, James and Alexander’s father reveals that he has
another family—a “legitimate” one. The boys are to live with another family while they attend school.
While on board the ship, James quells his boredom by becoming absorbed in his school and Bible
lessons, as well learning from the ship’s crew. James appears to be adjusting to his new life more
quickly than Alexander.
4.
Although James is not readily accepted by his new classmates, largely on account of his ethnicity,
he excels at his lessons. He is particularly skilled at learning French. When he graduates from
school in 1819, James’s father has arranged for him to embark on a career in the fur trade in Canada.
Unfortunately, James’s brother does not excel in school and continues to have difficulty in adjusting to
his new life in Scotland.
5.
James and Alexander Douglas are sent to Canada to work as indentured apprentices with the North
West Company (NWC)—a fur-trading career. Once in Canada, James encounters his new colleagues—
the voyageurs of Québec—and is both impressed and alarmed by the ruggedness that enables them to
adapt to the strenuous physical demands of the fur-trading life. For weeks, Douglas and the crew travel
by canoe, beginning at Montréal, and stopping at Fort William, on the western shores of Lake Superior.
James finds the travel to be exhausting and deprived of comforts. However, he takes pride in his role
with the NWC, and continues to acquire skills. James is to work as a clerk at Fort William, which is the
NWC headquarters. He learns that several years earlier HBC retaliated for the Seven Oaks Massacre
at Red River by capturing Fort William from the NWC. He also learns, with some trepidation, that the
NWC is experiencing financial difficulty. James experiences temptation to quit his work with the NWC
as he endures the scorching hot summers and freezing cold winters of his new Canadian homeland.
However, he resolves to work through his discomfort and complete his contract with the NWC.
6.
Enamoured by his supervisor’s map of Canadian areas and features, James Douglas secretly copies it
into his notebook. He takes this with him to his new clerical position in Île-à-la-Crosse, Saskatchewan.
After a journey even more gruelling than his first canoe voyage, Douglas arrives at his destination. He
succumbs to the tense rivalry between NWC and the rival HBC, leading ire-provoking forays and even
engaging in a duel. This earns him admonishment from his superiors. More constructively, James
learns how to trade with the Cree and Chipewyan people in his new, expanded role with NWC. There
is alarm and dismay, as the news reaches their fort, that NWC and HBC are to amalgamate in order
to save both financially precarious companies from ruin. Although many NWC employees lose their
jobs in the process, James Douglas retains his own, impressing his new boss with his attentiveness to
detail. James continues to take on greater responsibility, and is transferred to the Athabasca region of
Alberta.
TRG | James Douglas
II. Chapter Summaries
|5
7.
James Douglas is posted to New Caledonia, west of the Rocky Mountains. The journey offers both
tremendous challenges as well as stunning natural beauty. After the winter, Douglas is chosen by
William Connolly to accompany him to Colombia District, an invitation met with much joy by Douglas.
Later, he is put in charge of procuring food, which is difficult, in light of two years of failed salmon runs.
Douglas, however, rises to the occasion and succeeds in feeding the settlements.
8.
Douglas courts and marries William Connolly’s daughter, Amelia. Soon after the wedding, Douglas
is called to diffuse a tense situation involving a murder. His decision to execute the Native suspect
on the chief’s property is perceived as a serious violation, and, combined with Douglas’s extreme
reluctance to make amends for the action, results in intense resentment toward Douglas on the part
of the Native people, including even an attempt to kill Douglas. James Douglas’s outraged supervisor,
the HBC governor, makes plans for Douglas’ transfer to another post..
9.
James and his wife have a baby daughter, Amelia. Though James leaves for Fort Vancouver in January
1830, his wife and daughter must wait five months to make the journey, because the baby is ill. The
well-placed Fort Vancouver is a delight to James, as it has a milder climate and an abundance of food,
and is teeming with business.
10.
Amelia arrives in Fort Vancouver, sharing the terrible news that baby Amelia has died. The elder
Amelia is distraught also over the departure of the rest of her family for Montréal, in search of a less
rugged life. She experiences tremendous difficulty and loneliness as she transitions to life at Fort
Vancouver, but is aided by John McLoughlin’s wife, Marguerite. In time, Amelia gives birth to two sons,
but the boys die in infancy, and at age three respectively. Amelia then gives birth to twin girls, Maria
and Cecilia. Throughout all this, James Douglas is often away for business meetings in York Factory, at
Hudson’s Bay, missing much of the daily events of his family’s domestic life. While in York Factory, he is
promoted—slated to quadruple his previous salary—however, his joy is mixed with loss as he returns
home to discover that baby Maria has died, leaving only Cecilia.
11.
The arrival of Anglican clergy at Fort Vancouver was much anticipated, but turns out to be a
disappointment—the newly arrived representatives of the church treat the residents of the fort with
disdain. James and Amelia Douglas are particularly affected when their marriage is declared invalid,
and all their children illegitimate, because the ceremony was not performed by a member of the clergy
(none had been available in the remote outposts at the time). The two decide to remarry, largely out
of a desire to protect their children’s rights. As James Douglas’s leadership role expands, he is tasked
with dismissing and minimizing the slanderous damage caused by the contemptuous clergyman
assigned to their community. Meanwhile, another child, Ellen, is born to Douglas and Amelia, but dies
within the first few months of her life.
12.
Pressured by competition from the rapidly expanding American settlement in Oregon, Douglas and
his boss, John McLoughlin, agree to strengthen HBC’s activities in the area by operating an agricultural
subsidiary in Puget Sound. The enterprise yields immediate and significant success, procuring for HBC
the rights to the entire Alaskan panhandle and doubling Douglas’s salary. Douglas once again spends
many months each year travelling up and down the West Coast, stopping in at home only briefly to
see Cecilia and new baby Jane. His business dealings take him as far south as Mexican California, and
as far North as Alaska. When he is home with his family, he invests time and care in their education.
13.
Once again, proximity to the Americans puts pressure on HBC activities at Fort Vancouver. HBC
governor George Simpson declares that the headquarters will be relocated to Vancouver Island, and
advises Douglas that he and his family will have to move there in the near future. Vancouver Island
is yet uninhabited by HBC workers, or anyone of European descent, for that matter. James Douglas
stakes out a location for the new HBC headquarters, a site that is to become the city of Victoria.
6 | II. Chapter Summaries
TRG | James Douglas
14.
Predictions about expanded American pressure and presence at Fort Vancouver turn out to be correct.
Douglas battles difficult business conditions as well as turmoil within HBC administration. Meanwhile,
two more girls, Marguerite and Rebecca, are born into the family, of which unfortunately only Rebecca
survives, influenza having claimed the life of her sister. Personal difficulties affect the leadership
capacity of Douglas’s boss, John McLoughlin, who eventually quits Fort Vancouver, and moves to
Oregon. Now in a chief leadership role, James Douglas heads the contingent of HBC employees
and families who set out to establish the community on Vancouver Island in 1849, abandoning Fort
Vancouver to the Americans.
15.
The relocation to Fort Victoria is disheartening for the Douglas family, and filled with discomforts
and difficulties. The new Fort is tiny and remote, with Amelia, for the time being, as its only woman.
Baby Rebecca dies of typhus. Many HBC employees desert the company in favour of the California
Gold Rush. Furthermore, although Douglas retains a high position within HBC, a new governor of the
colony had been appointed by the British government, injuring both Douglas’s pride as well as his
income. True to his predictions, the sorely-underprepared governor Blanshard soon resigns, leaving
Douglas not only in charge of HBC, but as acting governor too. Douglas “obtains” land on Vancouver
Island from the Native people living there, in transactions that he labels “purchases”. The Native people
are left with only a tiny fraction of their traditional territories. Douglas expends much energy both on
leadership demands and on land deals, becoming quite prosperous.
16.
Douglas, acting both as chief officer for HBC and also as governor of the Colony of Vancouver Island,
encounters numerous conflicts of interest between the needs of the colonists and the prosperity of
HBC. Many angry residents perceive they are being marginalized and financially exploited by Douglas
and the HBC. Douglas’s public perception is not aided by the growing coldness and grave demeanour
that he applies to his administrative persona. A son, James Junior, is born to James and Amelia, and
he survives, though he is sickly. Meanwhile, their eldest daughter, Cecilia, is engaged to marry the
young doctor John Helmcken—a turn of events that Amelia accepts only with great reluctance, rueing
the inevitability of becoming separated from her beloved daughter. Throughout all this, Douglas is
constantly making efforts to bolster the colony’s strength by actively recruiting new settlers.
17.
Douglas is called, once again, to make a difficult judgement in the case of a murder in which two
Native youths are suspected, which results in an even greater strain on the relationship between
the Douglas administration and the Cowichan people. Daughter Cecilia marries John Helmcken in
December 1852, and the couple reside near the home of their parents. In his administrative role,
Douglas uses a deceptive strategy to institute a tax on alcohol, both for the purpose of raising funds,
and also to discourage drunkenness. In doing so, he meets his goals, but also alienates the council
member who owns the local saloon.
18.
Douglas’s popularity continues to diminish more and more as he is perceived as an imperious autocrat
who is out of touch with the needs and interests of his constituents. His actions of obtaining more
prime land for HBC, and of assigning family members to coveted jobs fuel the ire of the residents as
well as some council members, who begin to formally oppose Douglas and express this position to
authorities in Britain. The clergyman, part of the official opposition, sets out to personally deliver a
missive of the colony’s dissent to the British government; however, he drowns when shipwrecked en
route. Douglas’s position, for the moment, is secure.
19.
Three more children are born into the Douglas family: two to John and Cecelia, of whom only
daughter Amy survives. Baby Martha is born to Amelia and James. The colony is becoming militarily
vulnerable, not only to the Native communities who have had many differences with the colony, but
also with the Russians who are increasingly present along the West Coast. Although relationships
with the Russian people are largely settled at the administrative level back in England and Russia,
TRG | James Douglas
II. Chapter Summaries
|7
James watches as nearby American colonies become involved in armed conflict with Native groups.
He resists doing the same with the Native communities in his own midst, capitalizing instead on the
conflicts among the various First Nations groups in order to deflect feelings of enmity away from
his own people. Douglas is forced by the British authorities to establish a Legislative Assembly for
the governance of Vancouver Island, and to have its members elected by the people. However, he
manages to confine the eligible candidates to “men owning £300 worth of property” and the eligible
voters to “men owning more than 20 acres of land”, essentially reducing political participation on both
ends to a tiny fraction of the island’s population.
20.
Life in the colony is permanently transformed as gold is discovered in the Fraser River area. Douglas
takes steps to declare that all gold found in this region belongs to Britain, and is faced with the
administrative challenge of dealing with the inevitable deluge of hopeful gold diggers once word of
the mineral deposits spreads. At the same time, Black families arrive in Victoria from the United States
because they were denied citizenship there on account of their race. Douglas is motivated to welcome
them to the colony, in large part due to his own ethnic heritage. Douglas establishes a number of laws
and fees in response to the gold rush, few of them legal, but all of them contributing to control over
the chaotic situation, and to the interests of the British Crown.
21.
Queen Victoria renames New Caledonia British Colombia, and Douglas is appointed governor of the
mainland colony. There is one condition, however: that he sever all administrative connection with
HBC. The infrastructure, legislative and policing needs of the colony increase as the population swells
and tent-dwelling miners soon outnumber permanent residents. The cost of land skyrockets. Douglas
administers all of this with mixed outcomes: he continues to be both effective yet dictatorial.
22.
Douglas must deal with hostilities involving various groups of miners, yielding a harrowing experience
and a large administrative price tag. An awkward family situation develops: 18-year-old Jane Douglas
marries the 40-year old Alexander Dallas. Unbeknownst to Douglas, Dallas is named to replace him
as chief factor. Douglas, in spite of the condition attached to his governorship of British Colombia,
refuses to surrender his position with HBC, and his new son-in-law does not have the heart to reveal to
his father-in-law that he himself is the replacement. Finally, HBC forced the switchover. Douglas now
devotes all of his energies to the governance of the two colonies. He becomes increasingly unpopular
as he essentially ignores the Legislative Assembly in his decision-making; against their wishes, he
allocates a significant amount of money toward a bridge-building project, and tries to provoke an
armed conflict with the Americans living on the San Juan Islands. Although he is prevented from
actually invading the island, he continues to direct menacing displays of his military power toward
the residents of the San Juan Islands. Furthermore, Douglas chooses antagonism over cooperation
when dealing with the authorities and businessmen with whom he must work. Among other
debacles, this tendency results in a lawsuit launched against Douglas by his own son-in-law, acting in
his role as governor of HBC. Dallas is eager to escape the presence of his father-in-law, and seizes the
opportunity presented by a promotion to move himself and Jane to England, never to return to the
colony. Douglas makes attempts to restore his public trust and admiration by (unsuccessfully) trying
to shut down the critical press, and by adopting the dress and entourage of a military commander.
However, far from bolstering his image, these actions make him appear as a buffoon.
23.
A new capital, New Westminster, is established, by royal decree. Douglas acts to strengthen this
British-claimed land by adding infrastructure, for example, roads, and churches to connect and build
up the communities. He is stunned when the Anglican Church refuses his funding and insists on
operating without ties or indebtedness to the state. A second gold rush erupts, and Douglas responds
by investing in it a costly road-building project.
24.
Douglas oversees the colossal building project of the Cariboo Wagon Road, which winds precariously
8 | II. Chapter Summaries
TRG | James Douglas
through the Coastal Mountains of southwestern BC. He charges toll in order to compensate for the
cost. At last, Douglas feels successful in his governorship. But he also is beginning to feel weary.
25.
James Douglas’s retirement is set for September 1864. He is knighted, and bid farewell from his
position as governor of Victoria with lavish festivities, all animosities disregarded in order to preserve
the jovial mood. The mainland colonists, represented at New Westminster, are considerably less
laudatory. The now-retired Douglas embarks on a year of lavish international travel, including a visit
to his native Scotland, a visit to his daughter Jane, and a comprehensive tour of Europe. He cuts his
travels short when he learns of the death of both his daughter, Cecilia, as well as of Cecilia’s newborn
son.
26.
James Senior and Junior arrive in Victoria five months after the death of Cecilia. After a period of
bereavement, the younger James is sent back to boarding school; however, he continues to be sickly
and to fail in his academic pursuits. James Senior responds with frustrated outrage and intense
criticism of his son. He finally accepts his son’s limitations and brings him back home to Victoria. The
Douglas’s youngest daughter, Martha, takes on many of the hopes previously pinned on James Junior,
and is sent to finishing school in England. James travels to visit Martha, as well as Jane and Alexander
Dallas in England. His is acutely aware of his own declining health. During these years Douglas
witnesses much change on the political front: Vancouver Island is amalgamated with British Colombia,
with Victoria eventually named as the capital city. In 1871, British Colombia becomes part of Canadian
Confederation. James Douglas dies on August 2 1877, and is honoured with a lavish funeral.
27.
(Afterword) Lady Amelia is survived by only four of her eleven children, including a daughter, Agnes.
In her final years, the family members all live in close proximity. Although the family name disappears
from the island with the departure of James Junior’s widow and sons, the legacy left by James Douglas
and his family is marked by the permanent transformation he produced in British Colombia.
TRG | James Douglas
II. Chapter Summaries
|9
III Canadian History Connections
Research Project
This project encompasses a wide range of topics, connecting the themes and issues explored in James
Douglas with curriculum expectations in the areas of Identity, Society & Culture, Governance, and Economy
& Technology. Due to the large amount of material, it may be more appropriate to divide the topics among
student groups using the “jigsaw” technique.
The jigsaw technique consists of dividing the class into four groups. Each group is assigned a research topic,
which becomes their area of specialty. Each student is then responsible for sharing their learning with the
remainder of the class, such that each student emerges from the exercise having experienced each of the
topics.
Student groups
A1
B1
C1
D1
A2
B2
C2
D2
A3
B3
C3
D3
A4
B4
C4
D4
A5
B5
C5
D5
A6
B6
C6
D6
Students will collaborate with their Letter-Groups to research a particular topic. Once research is complete,
students will gather into their Number-Groups. Each Number-Group has one representative ready to present
on each of the four topics. Students must provide information hand-outs summarizing their findings to each
of the other students in their Number-Group. Listeners are responsible for learning the material presented by
each topic’s “expert”.
The curricular expectations and the content of the book James Douglas are addressed as follows:
Student
Group
A
B
C
D
Topic
Canada’s Resource-based Economy:
Fur, Fish, Forests… and Gold
Daily Life in the Colonies and at Work
in Early Canada: Gender, Ethnicity &
Culture
Settlement, Development, and Trade:
Aboriginal Perspectives
Governance of a Growing Community
10 | III. Canadian History Connections
Chapters of
James Douglas
5-9, 20
Curriculum
Expectations
D2, D3
10-14
B1, B3
15-19
B2
21-26
C1, C2
TRG | James Douglas
Group A: Canada’s Resource-based Economy: fur, fish, forests… and gold
Use the text James Douglas, in addition to at least three other resources, to prepare a report that addresses the
following questions:
1. Between the years 1815-1914, where was fur-trading taking place? Describe the growth of this
industry across various regions of Canada.
2. Briefly describe the roles and interactions of the Hudson’s Bay Company, and the North West Company,
in Canada’s Fur Trade.
3. What factors caused the fur-trading industry to incur losses, both in the short term (a difficult year)
and in the long term (as the industry declined over time). What did the Hudson’s Bay Company do to
compensate for such losses?
4. Describe Canada’s two gold rushes of the 19th century. Consider the impact that the gold rushes had
on the economy of British Colombia, and on life in its colonies. How is this similar to the impact of the
Fur Trade? How is it different?
5. Describe the relationship between the well-being of the Native and European communities, and
the salmon populations along British Colombia’s West Coast. What did James Douglas do, when the
yearly salmon runs failed in his community? How are we responding in our own time, to the declining
salmon populations of British Colombia?
6. Although logging is not addressed as directly in James Douglas, it is evident that the communities
described relied heavily on wood from Canada’s forests. Describe three aspects of colonial life and
activity that relied on forestry resources.
Discuss your group’s perspectives on the following discussion topics. Be prepared to share your ideas and to
compare your opinions with those of your classmates:
1. James Douglas created several illegal laws and tariffs in response to the first gold rush. Why did he do
this? Were his actions justified?
2. With respect to managing Canada’s natural resources, how are our own priorities different from those
of James Douglas and his contemporaries? How effective are we at managing our fish? Our forests?
The environmental impact of our mining activities? Our practices with respect to trapping and
hunting animals?
Group B: Daily Life in the Colonies and at Work in Early Canada: Gender, Ethnicity
& Culture
Use the text James Douglas, in addition to at least three other resources, to prepare a report that addresses the
following questions:
1. Compare the roles, opportunities, and daily activities of men and women in James Douglas’s family,
and in the other families living in Canada’s colonies.
TRG | James Douglas
III. Canadian History Connections
| 11
2. As the colonies grew from tiny outposts into thriving hubs of activity, with infrastructure such as
schools, churches, roads, and shops, the social roles changed too. Describe the impact that this
growth had on:
•
•
•
The difference between men’s roles and opportunities, and those of women
The “gap” between wealthy residents and poor residents.
The social acceptance of Métis residents in the colonies
3. In what ways does Britain influence or control:
•
•
•
•
The structure of the government in the colonies
The identity of political leaders in West Coast colonies
The religious activities of the residents
The development of roads, schools, colonies and cities
Describe some benefits (to European colonists) as well as difficulties associated with the relationship between
Great Britain and its colonies on the West Coast.
4. Describe the history and the experiences of the Black community that settled in James Douglas’s
colony at the time of the first gold rush.
5. How does the construction of the transcontinental railroad affect the residents and businessmen of
Canada’s westernmost colonies? Describe the role of Chinese-Canadians in the construction of this
railroad.
Discuss your group’s perspectives on the following discussion topics. Be prepared to share your ideas and to
compare your opinions with those of your classmates:
1. Of all the hardships endured by Lady Amelia Douglas, (language-based/ethnic discrimination, social
isolation in remote communities, death of many infants, unavailability of business roles for women,
long years of living life and raising children alone in James’s absence, etc) which, do you feel, would
have been the hardest to accept? How did Lady Amelia Douglas’s lifelong challenges shape her as a
person?
2. Debate the following idea: In order to get an accurate picture of Canada’s past, and the reasons for
social, economic, and policy change, it is more important to study the daily lives and challenges of the
common people than it is to track the decisions and actions of “important leaders”.
Group C: Settlement, Development, and Trade: Aboriginal Perspectives
Use the text James Douglas, in addition to at least three other resources, to prepare a report that addresses the
following questions:
1. Why did the Aboriginal peoples of Canada choose to conduct business trades with the European
settlers and fur traders? Is it true that the European traders always had “the upper hand” in such
transactions? Explain, using a specific example.
12 | III. Canadian History Connections
TRG | James Douglas
2. Describe the relationship between the Aboriginal peoples of Canada and:
•
•
•
The voyageurs
The Northwest Company
The Hudson’s Bay Company
3. Describe the role played by aboriginal women in the fur trade, providing examples from various
regions and time periods.
4. Describe the role of James Douglas and the HBC in the creation and application of treaty agreements
with the Aboriginal groups living on Vancouver Island. What effects do those treaties continue to have
today?
5. Describe the interaction between the Stô:lo people and the European groups who settled, traded and
mined in the Fraser Valley, including the political gestures made by James Douglas.
Discuss your group’s perspectives on the following discussion topics. Be prepared to share your ideas and to
compare your opinions with those of your classmates:
1. Review pages 115-117 of the text. What is author Julie H. Ferguson’s opinion of the actions taken by
James Douglas to “obtain” the Native People’s land? Compare the author’s views with your own, and
explain how you agree or disagree with her assessment of Douglas.
2. How does the relationship between groups of Aboriginal peoples and the municipal, provincial, and
federal governments of British Colombia and Canada continue to be affected by the policies created
by James Douglas and his contemporaries. Describe an issue or policy currently being debated or
created at any of these levels of government, and discuss whether you feel that the actions being
taken or considered will have a positive effect on the situation.
Group D: Governance of a Growing Community
Use the text James Douglas, in addition to at least three other resources, to prepare a report that addresses the
following questions:
1. Create a timeline demonstrating the changes of leadership and government structure in the Western
Canadian colonies governed by James Douglas.
2. In what ways did James Douglas struggle to respond appropriately to the increasing demand for
democracy in his colony?
3. Describe the factors that contributed to the decision to create a national railway. How did this railway
impact the residents and businessmen of the Western Canadian colonies?
4. How did military and economic threats from the United States and from Russia contribute to the
development of the colonies and cities in Western Canada?
5. Choose another colonial governor, or mayor, from the mid-1800s. How did this governor’s style of
leadership compare with that of James Douglas?
TRG | James Douglas
III. Canadian History Connections
| 13
Discuss your group’s perspectives on the following discussion topics. Be prepared to share your ideas and to
compare your opinions with those of your classmates:
1. How did James Douglas’ leadership role in the Hudson’s Bay Company affect the decisions he makes
as a governor of the colony? Describe the ways in which the two roles might have strengthened
each other, and the ways in which they might have caused harm. Do large businesses continue to
have an influence over political decision-making today? Should municipal, provincial, and federal
governments be concerned with the needs and interests of large businesses? Explain.
2. The text, James Douglas is subtitled, “Father of British Colombia”. Is this epithet appropriate to describe
James Douglas? Why or why not?
Culminating Task: Persuasive Essay
Students will write a persuasive essay in response to one of two prompts:
1. Overall, was James Douglas a good leader, who contributed positively and effectively to the people he
governed in his own time, and in future generations?
2. Historians often debate the significance of “great leaders” in history. One view states that the course
of history is determined by the decisions and actions of highly influential leaders. In this view, James
Douglas had a tremendous impact on the history of British Colombia. Had somebody else been
in charge, and not him, history would have played out very differently. An opposite view states
that history is largely determined by social forces. In this view, the shifting needs of the culture,
the climate, and the interactions between different groups of people had a tremendous impact on
the history of British Colombia. James Douglas was essentially at the mercy of these forces. Had
somebody else been in charge, and not him, history would have played out in nearly the same way.
Choose one of these views and defend it, using examples from James Douglas.
Note: Prompt #2 is more complex and may require pre-teaching of the concepts involved, such as Great Man
Theory, Hegel’s Dialectic, or the Marxist perspective on historiography, for example.
Resources and the Environment:
1. Have students choose one of the four following industries undertaken in Canada between 1815-1914:
•
•
•
•
Fisheries
Mining
Forestry
Fur Trade
2. Ask students to copy and complete the following table with respect to their chosen industry, keeping
in mind that they have to answer the questions below as part of their research:
14 | III. Canadian History Connections
TRG | James Douglas
What do I
KNOW about
the way this
industry was
handled in the
19th century,
after reading
James Douglas
What else do I
WANT TO LEARN
about this
industry in the
19th century
(further
research)
After research:
What did I
LEARN about
this industry in
the 19th century
What do I KNOW
about the way
this industry is
managed in our
own day?
What do I WANT
TO LEARN
about the way
this industry is
managed in our
own day?
(further
research)
After Research:
What did I
LEARN about
the way this
industry is
managed in our
own day
Have students complete the following, with respect to their chosen industry:
1. Label two maps, one indicating where the industry was active at the height of Douglas’s career in the
mid-19th century, and the other showing where the industry is active today.
2. Describe how the communities of Douglas’s Western Canada were impacted by these industries (how
did it force them to grow or change?).
3. Choose a modern-day community that relied heavily on the economic revenues of this resource, and
describe the effect of this industry on daily life.
4. Identify an environmental concern related to their chosen industry. What policies are being
considered to address this concern? Who would be impacted by the potential policies, and what is
their perspective on the appropriate course of action?
5. Complete an opinion paper, describing the student’s own stance on what should be done to address
their chosen environmental issue.
 Have students read examples of advice columns gathered from magazines or websites aimed at young
people prior to attempting this writing assignment.
 You might ask students to write more than one query/response, if you desire a more lengthy written
product
 You might consider having students write fictitious queries, mixing them up, and redistributing, such that
they are “answering” another student’s query.
TRG | James Douglas
III. Canadian History Connections
| 15
IV STUDENT INTERACTION AND ASSESSMENT
How will students be responsible for reading and responding to the text as a
whole?
A non-fiction, historical text such as James Douglas can be a primary source of information and perspective in
its own right. It can also serve as a springboard for research-based learning, by introducing topics that will be
further explored using other resources.
Depending what you identify to be the appropriate balance between these two learning pathways, for your
particular class, you may find one of the following strategies to be helpful in ensuring student responsibility
for the material in James Douglas. Responsibility for, and assessment of research-based learning is covered in
the Group Projects section of this resource guide.
•
Option A
Method: Each student reads the entire text, and prepares a written summary of each chapter.
Assessment: Chapter summaries
Suitability: This option may be ideal if you desire that your class make a high investment of time in the
text itself, and if language-based curriculum expectations, such as summarizing, identifying main ideas,
and reading comprehension, are being considered for assessment in addition to the content-based
material of the history curriculum.
•
Option B
Method: Each student reads the entire text, and submits a sample question for each chapter. Questions
are chosen from student submissions, and either an open- or a closed-book test is administered at the end
of each section, consisting of student-written questions.
Assessment: student-created test(s)
Suitability: This approach reflects a slightly lower time investment in the text itself, while still asking
students to engage with each part of the book as a whole.
•
Option C
Method: Each research group is assigned a section of the book, James Douglas, for which they prepare
chapter summaries. These chapter summaries are photocopied and distributed to the rest of the
class. Every student is asked to read every chapter, and is responsible for contributing to regular class
discussions on the material read. The photocopied summaries can serve as an aid to assist students
in consolidating their thinking about each chapter, however, they are not to substitute for reading the
material first-hand.
Assessment: Chapter summaries, observational evidence gathered during class discussions.
Suitability: Students will emerge from this approach with a detailed understanding of the chapters that
16 | IV. STUDENT INTERACTION AND ASSESSMENT
TRG | James Douglas
they are mandated to summarize and present, and with a general understanding of the remainder of the
material.
•
Option D
Method: James Douglas is not read in a traditional way, by each student in the class. Rather, each research
group is assigned a portion of the book, and is asked to prepare a short dramatic presentation (or series of
dramatic “tableaux” accompanied by narration), summarizing the content of those chapters. The groups
present the chapters in the order that they appear in James Douglas.
Assessment: Dramatic presentation
Suitability: This option reflects a lower investment in the text itself, asking students to be responsible
only for the section of the book that is assigned to their group. The text is used primarily as a thematic
springboard to research-based learning. This option may also be ideal if assessment in the area of
dramatic arts is also being considered.
TRG | James Douglas
IV. STUDENT INTERACTION AND ASSESSMENT
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