Heritage Minutes

The acclaimed Heritage Minutes are one-minute movies that portray exciting and important stories from Canada’s past. The Minutes have been a familiar part of Canada’s cultural landscape for more than ten years. So familiar, in fact, they have been imitated and parodied by comedians. Whether the Heritage Minutes make you laugh or cry, one thing is certain — Canadian history is more interesting by the minute.

History

Black History Month: The Underground Railroad

January 31, 2012, By Heritage Minutes

Between 1840 and 1860, more than 30,000 American slaves came secretly to Canada to find freedom.

“When my feet first touched the Canadian shore, I threw myself on the ground, rolled in the sand, seized handfuls of it and kissed them.” These were the words of Josiah Henson recalling his first moments as a free man. Henson had escaped to Canada along the “underground railroad,” a network of secret paths, hiding places and safe houses that stretched from southern states to the borders of Canada. Like countless other immigrants, Henson came to Canada as a refugee escaping brutality and oppression.

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History

Black History Month: Jackie Robinson

January 30, 2012, By Heritage Minutes

The 1997 baseball season belonged to the memory of Jackie Roosevelt Robinson, the African American who broke Major League Baseball’s colour barrier fifty years earlier. In commemoration of Robinson’s courage, integrity, and determined excellence as a player and as a model for young people, every major league player wore a Jackie Robinson insignia, and Robinson’s uniform number, 42, was retired by every team in the National and American Leagues.

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History

Historic Canadian Women: Agnes Macphail

September 30, 2011, By Heritage Minutes

Agnes Macphail began her career as a country schoolteacher. Interested in agricultural problems, she became a member and active spokesperson for the United Farmers of Ontario. Her move into politics stemmed from her desire to represent the farmers of her region. In 1919 women gained the right to run for Parliament, and Macphail was elected in 1921, the first federal election in which women had the vote.

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History

Historic Canadian Women: Jennie Trout

September 30, 2011, By Heritage Minutes

The names of women are conspicuously absent from the lists of famous Canadian medical pioneers. During the 19th Century, while male physicians and surgeons were exploring new treatments and innovative medical procedures, Canadian women were struggling for the mere right to practice medicine. For them, acceptance into a medical school was a major achievement. The two women most responsible for breaking down the barriers and advancing medical training for women in Canada were Emily Stowe and Jennie Kidd Trout.

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Education, History

Back to School: The Rural Teacher

September 1, 2011, By Heritage Minutes

No group of educators ever worked harder than the young women and men who taught in one-room schools in isolated communities all over Canada. Whether boarding in the crowded homes of local families or living alone in primitive teacherages, they were under the constant scrutiny of the entire community. They usually taught seven or eight grades in uncomfortable, ill-equipped schools. With few books and almost no supplies, the pioneer teachers had to rely on their ingenuity and perseverance to survive the school year. The life of the rural teacher has become a part of Canadian folklore.
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