Rick Thorpe's office

I was wearing my bluesuit.

Chinese Head Tax

The Chinese Head Tax took place between 1885 and 1923 varying from fifty to five hundred dollars. Before the Exclusion Act was established in 1923, an estimated 82, 000 Chinese had paid the tax. Prime Minister Stephen Harper refers to the redress payment as a token, in the sense that it cannot make up for the suffering from the tax. This payment of twenty thousand dollars will be presented to about four hundred survivors and widows. Prime Minister Harper refers to the tax as "a moral blemish on our country's soul."

Martin Luther King

Martin Luther King lead protests and marches for African Americans to gain the right to vote, desegregation, labour rights, and other rights. Every act of civil disobedience portrayed by Martin Luther King was non-violent. Martin Luther King was born on January 15, 1929 and became one of the main leaders of the American civil rights movement. He was a Baptist minister and a strong political activist. In 1955, after Rosa Parks didn't give up her seat to a white man on a bus, Martin led the Montgomery Bus Boycott. The boycott lasted 382 days and in the middle of it all King's house was bombed. In 1963, Martin Luther King took part in organizing the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. In 1964, King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, becoming the youngest man to receive the prestigious endowment. On April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King was assassinated in Memphis Tennessee. Nine years after King's unfortunate annihilation, Jimmy Carter rewarded him with the Presidential Metal of Freedom. Martin Luther King Day was established in 1986 as a United States holiday and in 2004 he was awarded a Congressional Gold Medal.

Dalai Lama

Tenzin Gyatso is the current and fourteenth Dalai Lama. He is the most famous Buddhist monk and is the leader of the exiled Tibetan government. In 1950, at age fifteen, he was designated as Tibet's Head of State. Gyatso was also elected as the vice chairman of China's National People's Congress in 1954 and in 1959, following the subsidence of the Tibetan Resistance Movement, Tenzin Gyatso fled to India where he pursued the creation of the Central Tibetan Administration in an attempt to conserve Tibetan culture and education. He also began to compose his policy concerning a peaceful solution to the Tibetan disaster. Gyatso is the first Dalai Lama to travel to the west, and helps to expand Buddhism while promoting perceptions of universal responsibility, secular ethnics, and religious harmony.Tenzin Gyatso was commemorated with the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989, Honorary Canadian Citizenship in 2006, and the United States Congressional Gold Medal in 2007.

Tommy Douglas

Tommy Douglas was born October 20, 1904, and became a prominent Canadian social democratic politician. Tommy was the seventh Premier of Saskatchewan from 1944 to 1961 and led the first socialist government in North America. He was never elected to be Prime Minister of Canada but is considered to be the most influential politician. He introduced universal public Medicare to Canada and in a 2004 poll held by CBC, he was honored with the title "Greatest Canadian of them all."

Fieldtrip

The Victoria field trip was a blast. From talking to our M.L.A; Rick Thorpe, to playing poker back in the hotel room, every moment was action packed. I'd have to say that Thursday was the funnest, Thursday night to be exact, and even more exact, Thursday night when I made a bed out of the chairs in my room and fell asleep listening to my new C.Ds. While I was in Victoria I learnt a few things about my government. One thing was that there is a designated speaker during question period and debates, who acts like a referee in a game of hockey; he makes sure everyone follows the rules. I really liked the trip and I would like to thank Mr. Stathers, Mrs. Grahams, Barry, and the class, for making it so enjoyable.

Gandhi

Gandhi was a political and spiritual leader in India and had a great effect in the India Independence Movement. Gandhi changed his name to Mahatma, which means the "Great Soul." He developed the concept of non-violent civil disobedience and never changed his strong beliefs towards civil rights and freedom. Gandhi guided Indians on the famous 400 kilometre Dandi Salt March in 1930, protesting the salt tax, and organized poor farmers and labourers to protest the huge taxation and prevailing discrimination. Gandhi lead tons of campaigns for poverty, brotherhood amongst differing religions and ethnicities, the liberation of women, and ending discrimination. Mahatma Gandhi was arrested alot for his many acts of non-violent civil disobedience. Like Martin Luther King, Gandhi stood up for what he believed in. He was never reluctant in voicing his opinion or pressuring for change. Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King share corresponding similarities. Gandhi and King both organized marches and campaigns, putting significant pressure on government. Also, both of these people were imprisoned on charges of civil disobedience. Gandhi was assassinated on January 30, 1948.

Nelson Mandela

After spending twenty seven years in prison, he became the eleventh president of South Africa. In 40 years, Nelson Mandela won over 100 awards. Mandela became notorious for his struggle against the apartheid, with actions that sent him to prison. He became a cultural icon and an advocate for freedom and equality. His release from prison helped lead the transition to a multi-racial democracy in South Africa. Mandela was a lawyer and operated a law firm which provided free or low-cost legal council to many African Americans, enabling them to gain legal representation. Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi, Mandela believed in non-violent civil disobedience and was also an anti-apartheid activist. Mandela organized and took part in campaigns, mass protests, boycotts, and marches in order to pressure change. After he was released from prison in 1990, he ran for president and won. In 1993, he won the Nobel Peace Prize and award was presented to Mandela as well as F.W deklerk, the man who got Mandela out of jail.

Persons Case

Not until 1929 the definition of a "person" included the females. Emily Murphy and Nellie McClung, both advocates of social reform, challenged section 24 of the British North America Act which stated that women were not considered "persons." Emily Murphy assembled a group of respected women including Nellie McClung, Henrietta Muir Edwards, Irene Parlby, and Louise McKinney. The answer that these valiant women were looking for was whether there was a possibility that women could become Senators. Since only "persons" could contend to be a Senator, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that women were not qualified to run for Senate. Unsatisfied, the women went to London, England where they stood in front of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council asking, "Are women persons?" The committee ruled in favour of the Famous Five and on October 18th, 1929, women became people. This ruling entitled women alot of rights including the right to vote and the freedom to serve in the Senate. These women opened many doors for Canadian women as well as women all over the world.

Civics Class

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