Franco-Americans

Internet 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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Franco-American Religious Controversies: The Corporation Sole

When the Irish men arrived they saw themselves displaced by the French who were occupying their usual pews. This situation did not endure for long, as the French worshippers, offering only minimal resistance, were forcibly dragged out into the aisles. – Philip T. Silvia, Jr., “The Spindle City: Labor, Politics, and Religion in Fall River, […]

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Franco-American Religious Controversies: Cahensly and the Lay Catholic Congress

The importance of Catholic societies, the necessity of union and concert of action to accomplish aught, are manifest. These societies should be organized on a religious, and not on a race or national basis. We must always remember that the Catholic Church knows no north or south, no east or west, no race, no color. […]

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Franco-American Religious Controversies: The Flint Affair

[T]heir singular tenacity as a race and their extreme devotion to their religion, and their transplantation to the manufacturing centres and the rural districts in New-England means that Quebec is transferred bodily to Manchester and Fall River and Lowell. – “The French Canadians in New England,” New York Times (June 6, 1892), 4. By no […]

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Prosper Bender’s American Dream

I am not without hopes, however, that later some one may assume this task, and cause the social and literary activities of those days, and the participants therein, to live over again. – Prosper Bender, Quebec Daily Telegraph, June 29, 1907 As the son of a prominent attorney in Quebec City, young Prosper Bender could […]

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History and the Intangibles of Canada–U.S. Relations

Today marks the 176th anniversary of the Webster-Ashburton Treaty, a defining yet often overlooked moment in Canada–U.S. relations. In 1842, after years of border disturbances and legal controversies, British and American statesmen renewed their commitment to peaceful intercourse. They understood the necessity of restraining passions on both sides of the border, as it was in […]

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An American General in Quebec (Part II)

See Part I here. Part II: Canada or Mexico? The cordiality of British officers in Canada and Grant’s gestures of good will were not enough to quell larger suspicions. The Journal de Québec noted that three Union generals had preceded Grant in Quebec City—Rosecrans, Thomas, and Dix. The newspaper surmised that these officers were coming […]

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An American General in Quebec

Part I: Welcoming the Victor The American conqueror stopped to look up and down the St. Lawrence, then went on to survey the area surrounding Quebec City. The figure was neither a colonial officer accompanying James Wolfe in 1759, nor one of Richard Montgomery’s men at the dawn of the American Revolution. The conqueror was […]

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Henry David Thoreau and French Canada at Mid-Century

As previously noted on this blog, the concept of américanité is as relevant to Canadians who never left their native land as it is to Franco-Americans and other expatriates. The influence of American institutions, values, and economic development has been constant north of the boundary line now for more than two centuries. Present-day scholars recognize […]

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