AIM

To create clear, concise historical narratives that detail the diversity of early Ontario history and the Canadian experience.

Why study history? Because it is fun and without history, we are all infants!

"In darkness dwells a people which knows not its annals."

Because variety is the spice of learning, the teaching of history should encompass many modes and methods. Students of history should read widely and critically in order to be exposed to different historical perspectives, to develop critical judgments based on examining causes and their consequences and to recognize the difference between fact and opinion and between evidence and assertion.

These narratives are based on extensive research and include examples of the conflict and courage, the tension and tragedy, the hope and despair of men and women whose stories inhabit these pages. The characters that populate our past run the gamut from rogue to romantics. The subject of history is highlighted throughout with definitions and quotations, selected because of their significance or relevance to the narratives.

I have not weighed the narratives down with an array of footnotes in the web version of the narratives, however, there is a full bibliography under Resources

"It is well to cite authorities, but that does not mean to annotate every statement or give the source of every chance quotation. Nothing damns a book so much as excessive and indiscriminate annotation and citation of authorities." Herodotus, Father of History.

Direct quotations introduced by In Their Own Words are used whenever considered significant. Other quotations are shown in bold and italics.

A good deal of ground was ploughed in researching the narratives and information was extracted from many secondary sources, but the arrangement of the material is new. According to Thomas Jefferson, who culled his conclusions in the Declaration of Independence from many sources, "The arrangement constitutes true originality."

"The only fixed rule of history is that there are no rules.
This very rulelessness is what makes the study of history so full of surprise and fascination."

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What is History?
Why Learn History?
History & Historians

Aim
Curriculum Connections
Curriculum Data
Historical Thinking