Thinking with Historical Context

Canada – A People’s History Movie Activity

The Men on the Battlefield

After viewing the video, choose one of the following individuals and prepare a profile of that person:

·  A French regular soldier from a city in France

·  A Canadian from rural New France serving in the militia

·  A Native warrior fighting for France

·  An Irish-born soldier in the 35th regiment of the British army

·  A Highland Scot serving in the 78th Highland regiment

·  An Acadian fighting for France

·  A French-born nun working in the hospital in Quebec City

In preparing and presenting profiles of these individuals, you should seek to answer such questions as:

·  What was this person's social class background and place of origin?

·  What was his or her involvement in the battle?

·  How did his or her background, experiences, and expectations differ from those of the officers commanding the British and French armies in the battle?

·  To what extent was this person a willing participant in the battle?

·  How might the outcome of the battle have impacted on this person's life?

·  What did this person have to win or lose as a result of this battle's outcome?

·  What can we learn about the lives of ordinary people in history from profiling this individual's experiences in the battle?

Thinking with Historical Context

Canada – A People’s History Movie Activity

The Men on the Battlefield

After viewing the video, choose one of the following individuals and prepare a profile of that person:

·  A French regular soldier from a city in France

·  A Canadian from rural New France serving in the militia

·  A Native warrior fighting for France

·  An Irish-born soldier in the 35th regiment of the British army

·  A Highland Scot serving in the 78th Highland regiment

·  An Acadian fighting for France

·  A French-born nun working in the hospital in Quebec City

In preparing and presenting profiles of these individuals, you should seek to answer such questions as:

·  What was this person's social class background and place of origin?

·  What was his or her involvement in the battle?

·  How did his or her background, experiences, and expectations differ from those of the officers commanding the British and French armies in the battle?

·  To what extent was this person a willing participant in the battle?

·  How might the outcome of the battle have impacted on this person's life?

·  What did this person have to win or lose as a result of this battle's outcome?

·  What can we learn about the lives of ordinary people in history from profiling this individual's experiences in the battle?