In a recent discussion of the Progressive Era, one of my students noted that scientists are ideally dedicated to the pursuit of a whole, unvarnished, and uncompromised truth, whereas activists are interested only in the truths that serve their cause. That may well be a fair portrayal of the social scientists and reformers of the […]
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Stories of a Sick Country? Emigration from Canada, 1849-1857, Part II
This is the second part of an essay on nineteenth-century emigration reports. Please find the first half here. In retrospect, the great demographic hemorrhage that weakened Canada in the 1840s might come as little surprise. There was a clear disparity between available labor, at a time of tremendous population growth in the St. Lawrence River […]
Continue readingStories of a Sick Country? Emigration from Canada, 1849-1857, Part I
In the United States and much of Europe, immigration and nativism have provided ample fodder for the front page in recent years. So it has often been. When it comes to geographic mobility, politicians and policymakers worry far more about those who cross into their country than about those who leave. In Canada’s case, such […]
Continue readingFranco-Americans and the U.S. History Survey
In the last twenty years, the emergence of transnational and borderlands history has profited many areas of historical research. Scholars have increasingly challenged portrayals of borders as immutable markers of national identity. The new approaches have helped us to better recognize the fluidity of identities across borders and, often, in spite of borders. But, as […]
Continue readingResources: Scholarly Journal Articles on Franco-American History
Last week, on this blog, I listed ten major surveys and monographs on Franco-American history in hopes of providing a basis for preliminary research. Equally important are studies published in scholarly journals. I have selected the following ten partly because of their effect on the overall scholarly conversation, but also because they address topics sometimes […]
Continue readingResources: Monographs and Surveys of Franco-American History
With the publication of a series of “Image of America” tomes and David Vemette’s landmark work on Franco-American history, scholars and history enthusiasts alike have reason to be excited about the state of the field.[1] In hopes of helping researchers who are starting on the subject, I am offering here a beginner’s guide to secondary […]
Continue readingBlog Update
After six months of regular weekly posts—some twenty-five posts in fact—this blog is shifting gears. Following Mason Wade, its stated mission was and remains to chronicle French Canadians’ larger North American experience, beyond their history in the St. Lawrence River valley, beyond Quebec. As consistent readers know, I am especially interested in the French-Canadian diaspora […]
Continue readingFinding a Larger Canvas: Franco-Americans’ Enduring Significance
An earlier version of this essay appeared in Le Forum, vol. 39, no. 3 (fall 2017), 3-5. See the full original version here. How knowledgeable are you of Franco-American history? What about your fellow Americans, or your fellow Canadians—how conversant are they? Unfortunately, many Americans of French descent know little about their heritage; it is […]
Continue readingFinding Francos in Diocesan Archives: Balancing Opportunity and Empathy
Unless you are particularly generous with your time and opinion, if you have ever posted a Yelp review, it is likely that you were commenting on a bad experience. For most of us, it is much easier to complain about misfortune, and act on it, than to express appreciation or bestow praise. Through years of […]
Continue readingInternet Resources on Franco-American History
Although Franco-Americans are a comparatively little-known cultural minority, from the perspective of U.S. ethnic and immigration history, resources on their past and present abound on the web. The list of links below—granted, not an exhaustive one—is intended as a starting point for those undertaking research on Franco-Americans, or those who may not have the time […]
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