It was half past three on July 5, 1888—well, shortly after half past three, some members of Quebec’s lower house being perennially slow to take their seats. Speaker Marchand turned to the honorable member for the riding of Bellechasse, on his left. Faucher de Saint-Maurice had the floor. So did, vicariously, the Franco-American community. Faucher […]
Continue readingAuthor: PL
Quebec’s Emigration Debates (1867-1880): New Resource
Not a week goes by that we do not find new and interesting articles, videos, and conversations about Franco-American history and culture. Lately, at Moderne Francos, Melody Desjardins draws attention to traditions old and new that might help spark a cultural renaissance. Over at My French-Canadian Family, Tim Beaulieu has the story of actor Christopher […]
Continue readingA Political History of Franco-Americans: The Book
As many of you know, my first academic book, John F. Kennedy and the Politics of Faith, is now available from the University Press of Kansas. I am touched by the expressions of interest and support I’ve received in the last few weeks. As readers might suspect, the book is drawing attention due to its […]
Continue readingA French-Canadian Christmas Carol
Honoré Beaugrand was a prominent supporter of the Liberal cause in Canada. He left his mark on the Quebec press as the founder and proprietor of La Patrie. He faced down rioting anti-vaxxers as mayor of Montreal in 1885. At last, in Franco-American circles, Beaugrand is best known as the author of Jeanne la Fileuse, […]
Continue readingCrossing a Closed Border in 1808, Part II
The story of the commercial embargo on Lake Champlain continues with E. A. Kendall. See Part I here. “I was in pursuit of no palace for my lodging; but, even I was destined to adventure. On the Province Point, on the north side of the boundary, I was taught to expect to find a store, […]
Continue readingCrossing a Closed Border in 1808, Part I
The Canada–U.S. boundary is often represented as the longest undefended border in the world, symbolizing centuries of peace and amity between the two nations—or whatever Canada was prior to the twentieth century. As is often the case in history, this easy trope conceals a more complex and arguably more interesting tale—of which the current ban […]
Continue readingThose Other Franco-Americans: St. Albans, Part II
See Part I here. Six years after the invasion of St. Albans by Confederate agents, a different spectacle played out in the town center, though this one, too, was the doing of people who had descended from Canada: At 11 o’clock in the forenoon the Convention formed in procession, under escort of the St. John […]
Continue readingThose Other Franco-Americans: St. Albans, Part I
One particular claim to fame dominates the history of St. Albans, Vermont: the Confederate raid on local banks that was staged from Canadian soil in 1864. Other events that truly made the city remain little known to outsiders, as is the history of the region as a whole. The Confederate raid at least has the […]
Continue readingBlog Update and Franco News
Regular readers may recall from the blog schedule that I posted earlier this fall that today’s post was supposed to address the challenge of teaching Canada-U.S. relations. My take on the subject appeared earlier than planned. The kind folks at ActiveHistory.ca—special thanks to Professor Daniel Ross of UQAM—shared my article on the subject on Tuesday. […]
Continue reading“This province is your country”: Understanding the Acadian Deportation
In all the said places and colonies to be yielded and restored by the most Christian King [Louis XIV], in pursuance of this treaty, the subjects of the said King may have liberty to remove themselves, within a year, to any other place. . . But those who are willing to remain there, and to […]
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