Writing Outside the Lines

Writing Outside the Lines

         

I was reading an article in the “Roundup” magazine from Western Writers of America about “writing outside the lines.” I wasn’t into it very far when I realized, that is exactly what I do. In my stories I often include back ground that is not in keeping with accepted and promoted history. The reason for that is that I’ve found things that sometimes don’t support the usual teaching. The following are a very few facts I’ve found over several years of research that disagree with what is often accepted.

1.     “Nothing of significance happened in Canada”

Several dozen significant events took place in Canada. Several wars where fought on her soil; between France and England (several times), between England and the USA, between several aboriginal nations and Norwegian, French and British forces.

Events in Canada had an impact on and continue to have an impact on world events. Examples include several European wars (100 Years’ War, War of the Roses, 1812, US Civil War, Indian Wars, both WWI and WWII).

For a time “Britain rules the waves” but would not have done so without white pine from Eastern Canada.

This is a list that could go on for a very long time

2.     “The settlement of Canada was done without any major contention by loyal subjects.”

This is probably the most unfounded of all the misleading statements about our past. Simply look at the dissention surrounding any election, study or proposal one might care to name. In addition there are the rebellions in the early 1800s in Montreal, Quebec and Toronto. Then take a look at the disgusting (as well as unfounded, unsupportable and criminal) attacks on citizens during the general strike of 1919 in Winnipeg and the Regina Riot of 1935. The several rebellious actions both for and against Confederation in the 1860s (Maritimes), 1870s (BC) and the 1970s.

3.     “Men don’t carry firearms in Canada.”

This is actually a line from a “Canada moment” and spoken by a character portraying NWMP Inspector Sam Steele in the Yukon. Even though he and his force did confiscate many firearms when they deemed it necessary he would never have made such a statement. In addition it takes only a very short study to realize that most of the miners they were dealing with did carry firearms except within urban areas. This was also the case in almost all of Western Canada.

This is a country populated by momma moose with newborn calves, Grizzly and black bear as well as wolves and cougar that, during some famine years will attack anything. Anyone travelling alone across this land in the 1800s and right into the mid-1900s without personal protection of some sort is only going to survive through some extraordinary luck.

Even today it is not a good idea. True, we now have bear spray available but it doesn’t do much when one is trying to call for help and flare guns can start fires we don’t want to see.

4.     “These attacks on citizens by outlaws didn’t really happen.”

Tell that to the descendants of those who survived the Cypress Hills Massacre of 1873. Or those who were killed a few at a time, both red and white of which very little if anything was ever said. In some cases it was white on white or red on red as the result of some party fueled by an alcohol fueled feud (often based on wood alcohol). Sometimes it was due to someone without a work ethic taking from someone who had a work ethic … much as is the case today.

We have theft today but there are people around who report and complain and we even have “eyes in the sky”. I suspect when there was no one around for miles there was a great deal more savage treatment (at least as a percentage of population), including theft and murder than there is today.

         

It has always bothered me (and I’ve written about it several times) that history is often presented in the most boring, uninteresting ways possible. As a result there is a large group, probably the majority, who have no interest in what or who built the spot/city/country where they live.

          And that’s the biggest reason why they don’t know who they are; they don’t know how they got here or there or wherever they are.

          Yes, history must remain true to the facts or the actually events. Yes, writing history requires research. If the writer hasn’t recounted the facts accurately then it isn’t history.

          However, if no one reads it (and thus repeats the inaccuracies) who cares?

          Besides, while being so diligent in researching and relating the “facts” it is often the case that the important information, such as the people involved and what they were like, is completely ignored.

          The important consideration is that people make history. The British Colonial Ministry, the British Ministry of Taxation, or the various Colonial Governments (including those in the 13 colonies) recorded those things they thought made them look good or increased their funding but they had little to do with “making” history. The reactions of the citizens to those governments or ministries are what constituted the most important aspects of history.

Here are a few other things from history that aren’t exactly as they are usually presented.

John A. MacDonald, Canada’s first Prime Minister is credited with the ideas that resulted in Canadian Confederation, Canadian Pacific Railroad and so called “protective” tariffs restricting trade with both the US and Europe.

None of these where is idea. He was convinced by his political rival, George Brown that an amalgamation of political parties was the only way to maintain a governing council of the Province of Canada (still a British Colony at the time). Further argument convinced him of pursuing the idea of self-government and Canadian Confederation. He became the driving force behind the efforts that resulted in the British North American Act but it wasn’t his original idea.

CPR and “protective” tariffs were also not his idea. It was easy to get him on board with transcontinental construction of a railroad since the distance and terrain involved made it obvious that communication and transportation would be necessary to maintain a nation so large. With the same problems in mind it was easy to see that Canadian businesses would have difficulty competing on a level field with US companies who already had transportation and communication structures and a customer base that could offer business stability. Both ideas, the railroad and the tariffs, were ideas from Canadian commercial enterprises but where easy to sell to any senior minister under several layers of pressure including a lack of funding.

As with most ideas from government there was nothing wrong with conception. However there was no research (as usual), poor installation, (again) no re-evaluation, and no re-instigation.

The point of all this, the information about John A. and the various disparaging and even supportive statements about Canadian history is to demonstrate common perceptions are often wrong. Sometimes it’s because we don’t have all the information in the first place. Other times it’s because the “accepted” idea needs a great deal of support to survive because it was in error in the first place.

Something else we do is judge these characters from history – both the celebrities (John A. PM) and the unknown (John Q. Citizen) by the standards of today. The needs, thoughts and actions of 1840 have no relationship to what was then needed, thought or done in 1870. The standards of morality accepted at the time and primarily mined from the Bible had not changed in those thirty years but how to achieve those goals had changed.

The same is true comparing then to now, except, of course that fewer people now are checking morality standards by studying anything including the Bible.

Here are a few things that I’ve discovered by research and attempt to support by “writing outside the lines.”

“No consideration was given to individuals in post-industrial England.”

B---S--t!

“The USA was settled with the gun.”

Also B---S--t! (It wasn’t just the plow, either.)

“The settlement of Canada was without rancour or violence”

Also B---S--t!

“The celebrities of yesterday (Benjamin Disraeli, George Washington, John MacDonald) where true heroes and great icons.”

B---S--t! They were just people like your neighbor.

And people are entertaining.

You don’t agree? Tell me so. Leave a comment.