• La « Révolution canadienne », la république américaine, et … l’esclavage?

    Maxime Dagenais Nous connaissons tous l’histoire des Rébellions de 1837-38 : l’histoire des Patriotes du Bas-Canada et des « reformers » du Haut-Canada, leurs victoires et leurs défaites, les expulsions, les exécutions. Nous connaissons les enjeux sociaux, politiques, et économiques dans un contexte canadien, et de leurs conséquences sur le Canada. En gros, les Rébellions sont généralement considérées,… Continue Reading

  • Trafalgar Days in Nova Scotia

    Keith Mercer The Royal Canadian Navy recently named October 21 “Niobe Day,” in honour of HMCS Niobe, one of Canada’s first two warships. It was bought from the British in 1910, shortly after the Naval Service of Canada was established that spring, and served in the First World War before being seriously damaged in the… Continue Reading

  • Betting on the Continental Army’s Canadian Campaign

    Jacqueline Reynoso In mid-January 1776, the paths of two military officers crossed in Hartford, Connecticut. While passing through the city, General Charles Lee encountered the imprisoned British Major, Christopher French. There, during an evening meal, they exchanged competing assessments about the ongoing military struggles of the period. At some point during the evening, they put… Continue Reading

  • Unrest, Violence, and the Search for Social Order in British North America and Canada, 1749-1876

    Elizabeth Mancke From the mid-eighteenth century to the early Confederation era, British North Americans and then Canadians confronted a wide range of phenomena that could engender disorder: imperial wars, rebellions, the arrival of immigrants, epidemics, political unrest, and relations with First Nations. All, directly or indirectly, presented challenges to maintaining social and political order. In… Continue Reading

  • ‘Déjà Vu All Over Again’? The Upper Canadian Election of 1836 and the Canadian Federal Election of 2015

    Denis McKim Disappointing economic growth, especially in comparison to the United States; controversy surrounding immigration from a strife-plagued land; and a communications strategy designed to benefit conservative forces while discrediting their progressive rivals. Sound familiar?[1] Needless to say, all of these issues have featured in the (seemingly interminable) federal campaign of 2015. Yet they were also… Continue Reading

  • Sources for Loyalist Studies

    Christopher Minty Writing in Liberty’s Exiles, Maya Jasanoff argued that the Loyalist Claims Commission was a useful—perhaps the most useful—source available for scholars working on loyalists. They are indeed useful, offering thousands of biographical snippets of a wide range of individuals. Most scholars have used the claims, in some capacity.[1] But, alongside the claims, there… Continue Reading

  • Evaluating our Assumptions: Rethinking Literacies in Canadian History

    Thomas Peace Sarah Ainse (Oneida), Kahgegagahbowh (Mississauga), Pahtahsega (Mississauga), Shahwahnegezhik (Ojibwe), Kezhegowinninne (Ojibwe), Kahkewaquonaby (Mississauga), Sawatanen (Wendat), Ferrier Vincent (Wendat), Francois Annance (Abenaki), Pierre Paul Ozhunkarine (Abenaki), Nicolas Vincent (Wendat), Thayendanega (Mohawk), Kanonraron (Mohawk), Sahonwagy (Mohawk), Shawundais (Mississauga), Eleazar Williams (Mohawk), Henry Pahtahquahong Chase (Mississauga), and William Apess (Pequot). These are just a handful of… Continue Reading

  • Crossing Borders: Restructuring North American Narratives

    Patrick Lacroix It is encouraging to see that Atlantic history, alongside environmental history, has emerged as a leading line of enquiry. The Atlantic perspective has already done wonders for our collective understanding of the slave trade and the Age of Revolution. Here I hope to recommend a continental perspective as a profitable avenue for assessing Early Canadian and Early… Continue Reading