The Komagata Maru

What do you know about the

Komagata Maru?
1914 steamer carrying
340 Indian immigrants
from Hong Kong to
Vancouver
Refused entry to
Canada after being
detained outside the
rule of law for nearly
two months in
Vancouver
Continuous
Passage Act,
1908
What was the purpose
of this act?

Why couldnt Canada

charge a head tax for
Indian immigrants
like they did for
Chinese?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sj5FUgxuYcY
The Komagata Maru
In 2008, Conservative PM Harper offered an apology for the
incident at a Sikh festival

Sikh organizations rejected

the apology and requested a
formal apology in the House
of Commons

In 2016, Liberal PM Trudeau

formally apologized in the
House of Commons
What is the difference between
a Primary and a Secondary
source?
What is bias? How can it be
detected?
Analyzing Historical Sources:
Questions to Consider
1. Who wrote this document? When? Where?
2. What type of document is it?
3. Who is the intended audience?
4. What are the main points?
5. Why was this document written?
6. What does this document reveal about the society
and period in question?
Political Cartoons
When was the cartoon drawn? Who are/were the people/figures being depicted
in the cartoon?

What was/is happening at the time? What is the story being told?

What are the important words and symbols Describe, in detail, the point or the purpose of
displayed in the cartoon? the cartoon. What is it intending?

What do they mean?

Date: 1992

Creator: Adrian
Raeside

Source: Book
There Goes the
Neighbourhood
by Raeside
Political Cartoons
When was the cartoon drawn? Who are/were the people/figures being depicted
1992 in the cartoon?
Indian immigrants on the Komagata Maru

What was/is happening at the time? What is the story being told?
Changes to Canadas immigration policies; Anti-Asian sentiment; discrimination & racism;
increasing discrimination in society Canadas immigration policies

What are the important words and symbols Describe, in detail, the point or the purpose of
displayed in the cartoon? the cartoon. What is it intending?
*offensive language warning* To draw attention to Canadas past
No Japs, No Chinks, No Indians discriminatory immigration policies

What do they mean?

Immigrants of Asian ethnicity are unwelcome in
Canada (Japanese, Chinese, Indian)
Task:

Inpartners, work to analyze the provided political

cartoons.

Usethe handout provided to record your

observations.
Date: 1907
Date: 1914
Date: 1914
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIZUpTxdYZw
 Ticket out the Door
Should todays government be responsible for the
injustices of our past?