There were a number of different head taxes passed in British Columbia. Some of them were eventually ruled illegal, but not before they had interesting effects on the economic behavior of the people affected.

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Topic: Head taxes & Chinese in Victoria

Focus on one head tax. There were a number of different head taxes passed in British Columbia. Some of them were eventually ruled illegal, but not before they had interesting effects on the economic behavior of the people affected. For example, a head tax imposed by the City of Victoria in 1878 led to a general strike by Chinese workers in Victoria. (See ‘The Head Tax of 1878,’ starting on page 260 of ‘Stories from Canada’s Economic History’: https://onlineacademiccommunity.uvic.ca/willmore/wp-content/uploads/sites/5845/2021/01/SCEH2ED.pdf ) Meanwhile, the first federal head tax was imposed in 1885. This was important because it was applied at a federal level.

Once you’ve chosen on one head tax to focus on, try to focus on the impact on one specific group: a person, a family, a business, an association (e.g. how did the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association react?), etc.

 

 

Question1: Shrink your topic[1]. Narrow it down to the smallest story that you can still tell completely.

 

Smaller Topic: suggestion: the first federal head tax was imposed in 1885

 

 

 

Time:

 

 

 

Place

 

Question2: Start telling your story. Very briefly, tell me the basics of what happened[2]. What was the original situation? What happened? What changed as a result of what happened? Provide sources for any claims you make. Each section (beginning, middle & end) should be no more than half a page long.

 

Beginning:

 

[Write your answer here]

 

Middle:

 

[Write your answer here]

 

End:

 

[Write your answer here]

 

Sources you used, cited in APA format:

 

[Write your answer here]

 

What is the main economic point of your story? (economics studies the allocation of scarce resources.)

 

 

Question3: In this question, you need to find a primary source related to your (narrowed down) topic. This source should be from the time period in question (or written later by someone who participated in the event you’re writing about), and should be an original source of information. So, for example, a letter written by a government official in 1913 about the situation on the Blood Reserve would be a primary source on that topic. A peer-reviewed article published in 2018 that talks about that letter would NOT be primary source. For the purpose of this assignment, newspaper and journal articles written at the time of the event you are talking about are primary sources.

 

The following list of resources can help you find a primary source:

  1. Find a primary source that is relevant to your topic, and cite it in APA format
  2. Briefly explain why this source is relevant to your topic
  3. Briefly explain what you learned from this source, and how it affected your understanding of the economics of the situation you are studying.