Page 140 of 179
The Pattern of Literacy in Quebec, 1745-1899
| Type of resource | |
|---|---|
| Author/collaborator |
|
| Title |
The Pattern of Literacy in Quebec, 1745-1899
|
| Abstract |
An examination of the historiography and primary sources to determine the state of literacy among Francophones and Anglophones in pre- and post-Conquest Quebec. Nationalist historians (Gosselin, Groulx) argue that New France, thanks to the influence of the Catholic clergy, had a good school system and a high rate of literacy that was ruined by the restrictions put in place by the British following the Conquest. Opponents of this nationalist view (Ouellet, Jolois, Chabot) argue that the Catholic Church was a negative influence on elementary education from 1750 to 1850. The author looks at such primary sources as parish records, petitions, censuses, and a special statistical enquiry conducted at the time of Lord Durham's mission to Canada and concludes that before the mid-nineteenth century, French-Canadian literacy was extremely low, especially in rural areas. The literacy rate of English-speaking Protestant settlers and their children who arrived in the first half of the nineteenth century was quite high. He found that there was no discernable decline in literacy among French Canadians following the Conquest.
|
| Publication |
Histoire sociale/Social History
|
| Volume |
Vol. 11
|
| Issue |
no. 22
|
| Pages |
293-335
|
| Date |
November 1978
|
| Language |
en
|
| URL | |
| Citation |
Greer, Allan. “The Pattern of Literacy in Quebec, 1745-1899.” Histoire sociale/Social History Vol. 11, no. 22 (November 1978): 293–335. http://hssh.journals.yorku.ca/index.php/hssh/article/view/38918.
|
| Find in a library | |
| Permalink |
Page 140 of 179
