Why Did The British People Be Allowed To Fight In Canada Essay

Words: 442
Pages: 2

During the time of World War One, British Canadians, French Canadians, and Canadian First Nations didn’t think of themselves as “Canadians,” instead thinking of themselves as part of their respective group. When Britain went to war, however, all three groups felt the need to join- or abstain- for different reasons.

British Canadians, many of whom had just arrived from England, went without hesitation to sign up to fight. After being placed in british battalions, however, they realized that they wanted to fight as Canadians. At this point, some resistance occurred. I think that the British Canadians were justified in their resistance. They were fighting for and from Canada, and they wanted it to be known that they weren’t simply another British soldier.

When World War One began, French Canadians felt like the fight should be kept within the imperialistic forces. French Canadians felt betrayed by France after Britain took over French North America, but they were also run by a mainly-Anglophone government, which didn’t sit well with the French Canadians. Many Francophones felt like they had no place in the war, but some still joined. However, they wanted to fight under a British-Francophone battalion. Some were formed, but as the war progressed less French Canadians
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Many First Nations, however, fought in World War One. The men who volunteered believed that the British would recognize that they were loyal to their country, and hoped that this would lead to some level of independence. I think that it was justified for First Nations to fight with this motivation, considering they were given little rights and freedoms and were seen as secondary peoples. Sadly, this only caused more troubles for First Nation men, since to even claim veteran status they had to give up their status as a First