The North America Experience

MOVIE PITCH

Introduction• Living in Ireland with his family.• He has a wife and two sons.• He sees an advertisement about life in Canada.• Struggles to have enough food because of the potato

famine.

Advertisement about emigrating to Canada

Rising Action• Decides to move to Canada on a Coffin Ship.• After a few weeks of being in Canada he gets a job in the

fur trade.• A few years later he goes to America to get a job.• Works in America along side black slaves. • Rents some land from a absentee landlord to farm on.

Coffin Ship Fur Trade

Climax• He doesn’t pay his rent on his land so his landlord burns his

house down.• He helps black slaves get to Canada.• He and the slaves almost get caught at one of the

checkpoints.

Falling Action• He and the slaves get safely to Canada.• He settles in the northern part of America where he joins

his family.• He rents some farmland to live and farm on.

Conclusion• He and his family live on the land until his children grow

up.• Patrick eventually dies of old age and he is commemorated

for his actions.

Checklist Item Incorporation• Religion – Patrick and his family are protestant.• Clearing Land – Patrick rents land and has to clear it to be

able to farm.• Barter – Patrick trades his crops for other goods. • Land Speculator – Difficult to find land because of land

speculators.• Absentee Landlords – Patrick’s landlords are both absentee.• Loyalty to Britain – Patrick sees that North Americans are

loyal to Britain.• Mixed Classes – Patrick sees the mixed classes in the south.• Guides

• Democracy vs. Hierarchy – Britain is more of a hierarchy and America is a democracy.

• Metis – Patrick meets the Metis people while working in the fur trade.

• Voyageurs – Deals with them in the fur trade.• Portages – Patrick Portages while traveling in the fur trade. • Pemmican – Patrick eats pemmican while in the fur trade.• Marriage – Patrick is married before he goes to America.• Domestic – Patrick expects his wife to deal with housework.

• Guides – Works with guides in the fur trade.• Survival – He has to survive in the fur trade.• Interpreters – Talks to interpreters while in the fur trade.• Discrimination – Patrick is discriminated against by the Americans.• Social Darwinism – Americans believe that the Irish and black

people are less evolved.• Potato Famine – Patrick and his family leave Ireland because of the

potato famine.• Evictions – He gets evicted from his land in the south.

• Coffin Ship Experience – Gets to Canada on a Coffin Ship.• Slavery:• Auctions – While working along side slaves he witnesses auctions.• Whipping – Some of the slaves that he works with get whipped.• Passes – One of the slaves he works with gets a pass to get good for

the master.

• Underground Railroad:• Fugitive Slave Act – Patrick witnesses a fugitive slave being captured

in the northern part of America. • Safe Houses – On the way to Canada, Patrick and the slaves stay in a

safe house.• Tubman – Patrick and the slaves see a memorial for Tubman.