What Victoria Day Can Teach Us
Victoria Day, which will be observed on May 19 this year, is more than a public holiday in Canada.
For most people, the event will recall Queen Victoria, the daughter of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, the fourth son of King George III. During her reign, the longest by any British monarch, the continent experienced relative peace, with the United Kingdom undergoing cultural, industrial, military, political, and scientific change. It was also during this period that the British Empire expanded, making her the most powerful nation during the nineteenth century. Some historians would call it imperial history, but there was no doubt about Victoria's influence.
Some of Canada's momentous events took place during this time, starting with the Rebellions of 1837, culminating with the Act of Union 1840. Non-Canadians, or anyone not passionate about history, wouldn't know this piece of information, which is the idea behind Victoria Day. But the queen casts a large shadow. Another thing was the Victorian era was associated with refined sensibilities, which was depicted with humor, if not ridicule. This what defined Victorian literature, its major writers included Charles Dickens, Thomas Hardy, and Rudyard Kipling. But Victoria Day has nothing to do with any of it. As a matter of fact, the event is a celebration of virtues, which the world benefited from.
"The Victorian era, especially its latter half, was a kind of engine-room for most of the main issues of modernity: imperialism, participatory politics, mass education, women's rights, and global economic interdependence," said Dr. Brad Faught, associate professor of history at Tyndale University College and author of "The New A-Z of Empire: A Concise Handbook of British Imperial History". "No Victorian age, no modern world. As such, Victoria Day should be seen to mark much more than simply the birthday of a long-dead queen."
More than an observance on the founding of Canada, Victoria Day looks back at the many (Victorian) ideas that define our world. Here they are:
Democracy. A series of proposals were made to reform voting in the British parliament. They were the Reform Act 1832 (designed to "take effectual Measures for correcting divers Abuses that have long prevailed in the Choice of Members to serve in the Commons House of Parliament"), Reform Act 1867 (a piece of British legislation that enfranchised part of the urban male working class in England and Wales for the first time), and Representation of the People Act 1884 (extended the same voting qualifications as existed in the towns to the countryside).
Feminism. The roots of the modern women's movement are to be found in the establishment of women's colleges at Oxford and Cambridge in the last third of the 19th century.
Free trade. Manchester's growth into a significant industrial center was the reason behind the so-called "Manchester school", which promotes free trade and laissez-faire. It's not hard to figure out where globalization came from.
Humanitarianism. Dickens's novels were about the poor, the factory workers in particular, a powerful advocate for them. Don't be surprised if internationalism emerged from that.
Progress. The Great Exhibition of 1851 was one proof that Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, her husband, liked the idea of progress and were committed to demonstrate it.
Science. Darwinism, an entire range of evolutionary philosophies about biology and society, came into usage during the nineteenth century.
