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Social Reform

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II. Rural Planning and Social Legislations: The Protestant Church and Social Welfare in Rural Canada The first two articles clearly demonstrated a conflict of interest based on the reformers assumptions that the rural society would benefit from progressivism. Nancy Christie and Michael Gauvreau’s article presents this argument by highlighting the role of the Protestant clergymen in ushering a social reform movement based on their issues with rural leadership. The motives behind the social reform initially began with the concern of the Protestant clergymen in increasing rural church attendance, but eventually shifted towards a movement for community reconstruction and social planning towards progressivism. According to the reformers, “the solution …show more content…

In doing so, the reformers hoped to meet the material needs of an increasingly urban and industrial society. The reformist movement ultimately propagandized the reconstruction of the rural society through their movements in agriculture and social welfare. Another instrumental way the reformers promoted progressivism was through the educational sector. This is illustrated through the educational movements in summer camps in Ontario as well as rural education in Nova …show more content…

Spike considers the work of a photographer, Frank Adams, and argues the school portraits in the early twentieth century offer an alternative perspective on narratives of progressive educational reform. Spike claims that during this period, many reformers sought to sway the rural societies opinion about what rural education should be. However, she asserts that through Adam’s photography of rural schools, it becomes evident that the, “rural communities…are visibly at odds with the imagery and ideology of Progressive education reform in the period.” Ultimately, through each of these articles it is clear that the reformists’ initiatives were constructed based on their desires to transform the rural society towards modern and progressive thinking. However, these initiatives at times were contrary to the wishes of the rural society. As Spike reveals, the widespread discontent between the reformers and the rural society reveal a different perspective on the history of rural

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