Instruction Page

Lesson 1 –

1)      Write down 200 words on everything you know on the Language Question. 
2)   Watch the following video on the interactive whiteboard : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zo0WbS-mVWs

3)      After joining into groups open the following link: http://www.timetoast.com/timelines/915989/

4)      Click on the following from the timeline: ‘Malta becomes a protectorate of Britain’ 
5)      Open the timeline again and press on the following: ‘Royal Commission of Inquiry 7 Jun 1836’ and open the link available.

6)      Copy and paste the questions and the table on the word document available and answer the questions on the word document.

7)      Open the next event from the timeline: ‘Commission of Inquiry 1836 a year later’ and answer the questions on the word document.

8)      Class discussion on the 2 sources.

9)      Open ‘The Royal Commission of 1878’ from the timeline and press on ‘Part 1’. Answer the questions on the word document.

10)      Upon finishing the previous exercise open ‘Part 2’ from ‘The Royal Commission of 1878’ and answer the questions on the word document.

11)   Class discussion on the two sources. 

Lesson 2 –

1)      From Desktop open the file named ‘causation exercise’.

2)      Upon opening the file you will see a number of blue rectangles surrounding another rectangle with a question in it. Follow teacher’s instructions to work out the exercise correctly.

3)      Class discussion on exercise

4)      Open the timeline from the following link: http://www.timetoast.com/timelines/915989/

5)      Open ‘Reform Party is set up’ 1879 and press on Source Question number 1. Answer the questions on the word document available.

6)      Open ‘Partito Anti-Riformista set up’ 1880 and press on Source Question number 2. Answer the questions on the word document available.

7)      Class discussion on the two parties and the sources.

8)      Return back to the timeline. Open ‘1887 Constitution and the Rise of Strickland’

9)      Answer the questions on the word document available.

10)   Class discussion on the sources

11)   Write down 200 words on ‘Everything you know about the Language Question’

Royal Commission 1836 Source no. 2

Source B 

"Steam communication has decreased the distance between England and Malta so materially that it becomes daily more important that this colony should be English not Italian..."  

British Government to Maltese Governor (1837) 

Write down the date of the source and compare it with the date of Source A.

Write down the origin of this source. 

What has changed?

Important links

Timeline:
http://www.timetoast.com/timelines/915989

1887 Constitution and the Rise of Strickland

The 1887 Constitution 

The Constitution granted Malta a Council of Government consisting of 20 members, 14 of whom were to be elected members. In exceptional situations any decision taken by the elected members could be bypassed.  Unfortunately this Constitution had only a short span of life. Difficulties arose due to the heated "language question", and on the 3rd June 1903 this Constitution was revoked and substituted by another one, similar to that of 1849.

What effect would having a majority of elected members in the Council of Government have in Malta?


Can you mention 1 important drawback for the Maltese in this Constitution. 


What would this mean for the Maltese politicians in important votes? 

Sir Gerald Strickland

What impression does this painting of Sir Gerald Strickland give you? Focus especially on his facial expression and his posture.















"We should be as English as possible in speech and thought as well as in fact". He once also said: "I will do everything I can to make the Maltese as English as possible". 

What reactions do you think will the Anti-Riformisti have had to such declarations?



Sir Gerald Strickland would lead a number of reforms aimed at reducing the importance of Italian especially in the Lyceum and the University. In 1898 Strickland was in charge of two important reforms. One of them was the so called 'libera-scelta' which offered Maltese parents a choice between Italian and English. This together with the abolishing of Italian from the courts in 1899 would lead to a response from the members of the Legal Profession:

" The Maltese are not a race conquered by England, they appealed to England for protection...but they did not give up their freedom...the Maltese extremely regret that they should be forced to change the language of education which they have adopted for many centuries..."

The British would not be moved and Fortunato Mizzi, the leader of the Anti-Riformisti would not give up either. A stalemate would exist until 1903 when the British would suspend the Constitution after more education votes were blocked by the Council.


What were the reasons for the conflict between the Anti-Riformisti and the British Government? 

The Political Parties Source 2

The following is an extract from Maltese Historian Herbert Ganado (7 April 1906 - 8 April 1979) talking about the Partito Anti-Riformista's views. 

Source 2 

"The Maltese, at least those of the educated class, wanted to preserve Italian because it had been fpr hundreds of years the cultural language of their forebears (fathers and grandfathers). They also wanted to enjoy and remember this culture in order to show the British, who looked down their noses at us and who at that time treated us like 'natives', that Malta was part of Europe and had had a European civilisation long before they had come to turn us into a simple colony ruled by London and the Malta militia" 

Is this a Primary or Secondary source? 


Why does Herbert Ganado mention that the British treated the Maltese like 'natives'? 


What are the reasons for which Herbert Ganado says that Italian is important for the Maltese? 


Having already analysed Source 1, do you think the working class cared about maintaining the Italian culture in Malta? Why?



 

The Political Parties Source 1

With the initiation of this clash a division grew up between the Reformists and the Anti-Riformisti with the Reformists in favour of Anglicization whilst the Anti-Riformisti were in favour of Italian. Below you can find some comments passed by Vincenzo Bugeja who was in the Council of Government in 1883. 

Source 1 

"Being a loyal subject of the British Crown, to which as a true Maltese I desire that my country should for ever be subjected, I believe that it is imperative (very important) that my fellow countrymen should learn English, were it only to appreciate the great nation with which we have been most fortunately connected, to learn English ideas, to remain steadfast (strong) in our allegiance"

Which party do you think Vincenzo Bugeja is part of? 


Is this a Primary or Secondary source? 


Why do you think was it favourable for working class people to learn English? 

Royal Commission of 1878 notes

Patrick Keenan, who investigated the Education System in 1878 

He discovered a number of worrying things: 

•  Teachers were badly paid and not properly trained to teach English, since they had received most of their education in Italian.
• Schools were not adequate to host students in them, with some lacking playgrounds, whilst also being very stuffy 
• Textbooks were also not adequate for the level of the students. 
• The level of students was very low and Keenan also commented about how loud students were. 
• Most students would repeat the same year until they left to find work at the age of 11.

He suggested a number of points to improve the situation in Malta 

•  The English language started to be enforced much more in State schools. This meant that Italian was made less important. Thus the process of Anglicization had now become very strong.
• His opinion of the way forward was strongly 'English, and English only'. 
• Maltese students would be introduced to English via Maltese whilst Italian would be removed and become only an optional subject before or after school hours.