Customer Reviews (8)

Let them learn history--but only the important stuff
While I agree with Professor Granatstein in his assessment of the secondary school and university systems' appalling lack of regard for the subject of history, his opinions as to what is missing in the schools is subject of much debate.
There is a great struggle occurring in the historical profession at the moment between a traditional, political focus to the study of the past and a post-modern, socio-cultural approach to the discipline.Judging by his diatribe, it is not difficult to determine on which side the author sits.This book is merely an attempt to validate and promote his old-school historiographical methods.
He believes memorizing the names of dead prime ministers and reciting verbatim factoids of Canadiana will bring about national pride.He harps on about how few Canadians can pass a Canadian citizenship test.But what's to guarantee that teaching them about Canadian politics will ensure their success next time?
The truth is Granatstein's approach is outdated.In a multi-cultural, mutli-lingual, tolerant society, demanding the government and the education system stop teaching social and regional history and start teaching national history promotes the political foundations of this country--federation, citizenship, imperialism--but ignores the cultural foundations of this country--immmigration, integration, globalization.
While this is a well-written book (as he always has been a good writer), where's Granatstein's research? As a professor, he is the first to question the source, and yet he provides the reader with no notes.Furthermore, the personal nature of some of his rants makes one wonder whether much of his anger is directed at younger, left-leaning colleagues as opposed to the "system" itself.
But most distressing is the author's particular issues with the small community of Canadian women's historians.He cruelly admonishes their professional pursuits with the infamous analogy of knees in Belleville. One wonders whether or not Granatstein even realizes that it's no longer 1972.No doubt the sequel will go after native historians, claiming they merely study tepee skins in Red River.
Ultimately, Granatstein does not want to know who killed Canadian history.The only thing he's interested in is who killed his idea of Canadian history.

Granatstein is right on;but it is not only our history!
In reality it is not the history of our land that is boring;but the people who have led our institutions and the agendas of those who have been installed in them.
It's natural to compare ourselves to the Americans and their history,but that is pointless because as soon as they were able they drove out the European control by Revolution and set about to create One Nation with their own principles.
That was not the case here.We continued to be colonies and preferred to be led by the mother country mentality of England and France through Peace,Order and Good Government.Therefore, since these two countries were never in agreement,why would one expect that creating a country based on the principles of both of them end up with a Nation which would be united throughout.
Hence,having gotten off on this approach ,we have always confronted our devevopment issues with a strong determination that above all else compromise would rule.
There was a glimmer of light after the two World Wars that we might get on with creating One Nation that was for all of us,but those deep seated divisions only became enlarged.
Take something as basic as our flag;rather than unison ,every province now has their own,where most did'nt even have one and Quebec has given it little notice,other than a great lack of disinterest,to put it mildly.
So, rather than working towards unity we compromised with the misguided concept of Bilnguialism and Biculturalism.All that has done is to emphasize the past differences and drive us further apart.If that wasn't bad enough,we dreamed up the idea that since the Americans believed in the melting pot to create One Nation;we cound'nt do that,we went the Multicultural route and encouraged retention of the very ideas that these new arrivals were leaving behind.
Now we wonder "Who Killed Canadian History?"
There,s little doubt that the leftist ideologies that permeate our government and government agencies has carried us down this road. The idea that "we know what's good for you" and don't bother yourself,we'll take care of you is firmly entrenched.What ever happened to the idea that it is my responsibility, particularly since I'm paying for it.I am entitled to have a say.
The book very well outlines the problem.He shows that Political Correctness ,an oxymoron,by the way;is rampant,but doesn't dwell on how it became so established.
As a matter of fact he even suggests that the solutions should come from the same educational establishments that created the the problem. I don't think so !The only way out is to take that establishment totally apart,get rid of the vast majority holding these destructive agendas and rebuild the whole system from the bottom up. Education should be universal using a merit,performance based,voucher system where the people who pay for the education have some say on how their resources are to be spent.This will not be offered by the establishment;but must be wrestled away from them to get education out of its quaigmire.

Learn why you never learned...
A friend of mine is a History Major at the local univeristy, and she had the distinct pleasure of having taken a class with Prof. Granatstein before he retired.She passed this book to everyone she knew, and I was lucky to get my turn with it early.

Canada has a rich and diverse culture, and its history is often scoffed (indeed, I can remember my family, all of us immigrants from England, saying, "Canada doesn't *have* any history.")This notion is wrong, and yet, it perpetuates.

Why?

Well, the question of who killed Canadian History is what Granatstein tackles in this book.It is a quick read, but one you'll re-read, and is a pithy and witty account of how fragmented our educational system is on the concept of teaching Canadian History.There are relevant facts scattered throughout this book, and statistics that made me, for one, ashamed of the Canadian educational system.Granatstein speaks of changes that need to be made on both the educational system front and in post-educational institutions, and has put together a book that sincerely, and objectively, points out why Canadian History is so lost.

Who Killed Canadian History?We, the Canadians, did.It's time to turn that around.

The Canadian Historiographical debate continues!
Professor Granatstien has presented readers with a very interesting book with "Who Killed Canadian History?". It has generated a great deal of debate within history cirlces - both good and bad.

The bookitself is a quick read, coming in at a very short 149 pages. the mainthrust of Grantstien's argument is that the pursuit of social history inCanada (which encompasses many fields such as Native and feministhistories) has swung too far. The result is that few people emerging out ofthe public chool system know much about thier national history. In fact,Grantstien claims that we are losing our history. The book is a polemic inthis regard. Grantstien casts a wide net of blame in what he percieves tobe the decline of historical knowledge in Canada.

Of course, this allbegs the question as to whose "history" Dr. Grantstien isreferring to? By no means is Canadian history dead. Critics of Granatstienand others like him such as Michael Bliss, believe that the history thesepeople are advocating is that of a bygone era. Before the revolution in"social" history of the laet 1960s and early 1970s history tendedto be based on the actions of the proverbial dead, white, male, politician(see Donald Creighton). The history that Grantstien advocates is usuallycast in this light. The implication being that this history will once againmarginalize the stories of women, natives, minorities, etc...

Ipersonally do not believe that is what the debate is about. Grantstien isunfairly cast as some unsensitive brute who wants to turn the clock back towhen the writing of history was much easier. When in reality he is simplepercieving the historiographical trend as similar to a pendulum. If indeedsocial history was marginalized in the past, than "traditional"history (that which focuses on politics, the individual, etc...) has beenmarginalized in the current context. What he seeks is a happy middleground, one in which both "social" and "traditional"history recieve the same amount of attention.

If you are interested inthis book, then you should also look up some of the reactions it hasgenerated among other historians. The Canadian Historical Review is wherethe debate seems to be most intense. An article by A.B. McKillop sumarizesthe argument that "social" historians have against Granatstien,while an article by Bryan Palmer in the Dec. 1999 issue presents a veryinteresting third point of view that is quite different from both that ofGrantstien and McKillop (I personally think the Palmer article is thebetter, even if he harbours some resentment over the marginalization ofMarxist theory from the "cutting edge" of the discipline). If youwish to read something by supporters of the Grantstien thesis you cancheck-out an article by Robin Fisher in the 100th issue of BC Studies in1994. Michael Bliss has also put out some material on this issue as well.

The State of Canadian History Today!
A very impressive book!Prof Granatstein has done a marvelous job presenting the changes the presentation of Canadian History has undergone in the past 30 years.I was particularly impressed with his treatment of various "schools of thought" which have come to dominate - iepost-structuralist, feminist, social/marxist, etc... He recognizes thatthese schools have made valuable contributions to the study of Canada'sHistory, but points to some of their major shortcomings - chiefly theirinability to provide a cohesive narrative for our last 300 years.Whilethese interpretations can be extremely enlightening, they lose their effectwhen the reader has no foundation or "story" to compare themagainst - a foundation that used to be provided in the elementary and highschool years. The only regret I had after reading the book was that it wasso short - it would have been nice to see Granatstein develop and back-uphis thesis in greater depth.But it's still a must read for all Canadians! ... Read more

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The third edition of A History of the Canadian Peoples is a skillful condensation of the acclaimed two-volume history by J. M. Bumsted. In a single volume, it covers the whole of Canadian history from pre-contact times to the present, integrating social, cultural, political, and economic history into a coherent overarching narrative.

Features:


·Provides broad coverage of the political, economic, and social history of the peoples of Canada


·Sidebars offer fascinating perspectives on the experiences of early explorers, settlers, ordinary citizens, and politicians, as well as more in-depth portraits of leading figures


·Adds a new chapter on Canada after 9/11 ... Read more

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Part of a two-volume survey of the history of Canada's peoples, from the early settlers to the 1990s, and the crises that threaten Canada's survival. ... Read more

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'New offers an unconventionally structured overview of Canadian literature, from Native American mythologies to contemporary texts' - "Publishers Weekly". "A History of Canadian Literature" looks at the work of writers and the social and cultural contexts that helped shape their preoccupations and direct their choice of literary form. W.H. New explains how - from early records of oral tales to the writing strategies of the early twenty-first century - writer, reader, literature, and society are interrelated.New discusses both Aboriginal and European mythologies, looking at pre-Contact narratives and also at the way Contact experience altered hierarchies of literary value. He then considers representations of the 'real', whether in documentary, fantasy, or satire; historical romance and the social construction of Nature and State; and, ironic subversions of power, the politics of cultural form, and the relevance of the media to a representation of community standard and individual voice. New suggests some ways in which writers of the later twentieth century codified such issues as history, gender, ethnicity, and literary technique itself.In this second edition, he adds a lengthy chapter that considers how writers at the turn of the twenty-first century have reimagined their society and their roles within it, and an expanded chronology and bibliography.Some of these writers have spoken from and about various social margins (dealing with issues of race, status, ethnicity, and sexuality), some have sought emotional understanding through strategies of history and memory, some have addressed environmental concerns, and some have reconstructed the world by writing across genres and across different media. All genres are represented, with examples chosen primarily, but not exclusively, from anglophone and francophone texts. A chronology, plates, and a series of tables supplement the commentary. ... Read more

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The first of three volumes of the Official History of the Royal Canadian Air Force, this book provides the definitive story of Canadian airmen in World War I and, moreover, a revisionist account of the war in the air.

Organized topically, this volume begins with an overview of military aviation in Canada prior to 1914, as successful aircraft experiments like Baldwin's and McCurdy's Silver Dart are set against Defence Minister Sam Hughes' rejection of any government air policy. Financial timidity and political uncertainty subsequently decreed that the 20,000 Canadians who trained for, or fought in, history's first air war would have no air force of their own but would fly in the British flying services.

The sections which follow show that Canadians excelled in every aspect of the air war. Indeed, although the First World War never saw an exclusively Canadian squadron in action and no Canadian rose to a command above Group level, Professor Wise has been able to write a full account of the war in the air from the Canadian perspective. Recruitment and training, the maritime air war, the strategic bombing of Germany and the defence of Great Britain, as well as action on the Western Front, in Italy, and in Macedonia, are all covered in depth. Each section reveals the complexity of air operations, as tactics, strategy, and aircraft evolved with astonishing speed. The exploits of remarkable fighter aces such as Billy Bishop, Raymond Collishaw, D.R. MaccLaren, and W.G. Barker, and of bomber leaders like R.H. Mulock, are set in the context of the air war and the many thousands of Canadians who served with them.

In his conclusion Wise traces the development of Canadian government air policy to the year 1920, during which time the first Canadian air force was born and quickly died. In analysing this major step in Canada's entry into the air age he lays the foundation for postwar civil expansion and the formation of the RCAF.

Illustrated with specially prepared colour and sketch maps and over 200 photographs, many of them published here for the first time, this book should prove invaluable to the military historian and of wide appeal to the aviation enthusiast and general reader alike.

The other volumes in the Official History of the Royal Canadian Air Force are The Creation of a National Air Force by W.A.B. Douglas (out of print) and The Crucible of War, 1939-1945 by Brereton Greenhous, et al. (available). ... Read more

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From Aboriginal writing to Margaret Atwood, this is a complete English-language history of Canadian writing in English and French from its beginnings. The multi-authored volume pays special attention to works from the 1960s and after, to multicultural and Indigenous writing, popular literature, and the interaction of anglophone and francophone cultures throughout Canadian history. Established genres such as fiction, drama and poetry are discussed alongside forms of writing which have traditionally received less attention, such as the essay, nature-writing, life-writing, journalism, and comics, and also writing in which the conventional separation between genres has broken down, such as the poetic novel. Written by an international team of distinguished scholars, the volume includes a separate, substantial section discussing major genres in French, as well as a detailed chronology of historical and literary/cultural events, and an extensive bibliography covering criticism in English and French. ... Read more

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This account of the French era in Canada is the most original treatment of the subject in over a century. The analysis and ideas in the first edition helped create a whole new school of thought about Canadian history. Over 50,000 copies have been used in classrooms in Canada and the United States in the decade since its publication. In this revised edition, the author updates the bibliography and adds new ideas advanced in the 1970s that will make more valuable still this acclaimed general history of New France. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

An Indispensable History Of New France
"The Canadian Frontier" is an excellent exposition of the story of the interface between Canadian and native civilizations from 1534-1760.As the Canadian frontier included much of the Midwest, this book is a good choice for both American and Canadian readers with an interest in the history of New France.

Prof. Eccles makes the point that the Canadian frontier is conceptionally different from the American frontier.The American frontier was a geographical concept, the line where settlement gave way to wilderness.The Canadian frontier, by contrast, was a series of settled islands in a sea of wilderness at which civilization "did business" with native cultures.

One test of a good historical book is whether it changes the reader's view of history.This one passes that test.I had always viewed the competition between the French, British and Indians in North America as being based on basic nationalistic and tribal rivalries.Prof. Eccles explains the rivalry in terms of an economic competition over the fur trade.The roles of the Indians was to supply the furs.The locations of the trade shifted over time between the eastern settlements, western trading posts and in Indian villages at which traders visited.Traders competed in goods offered, while tribes competed, at times by war, to control access to traders and their goods.Middleman profits were often at stake.

The economy of New France is contrasted with that of the British colonies.The economy of the British colonies was largely based on farming while the economy of New France was, primarily, extractive, based on the fur trade and, to a lesser extent, fishing.Farming in New France was, initially, merely to supply the settlers.As population increased and the fur trade declined, New France evolved from a trading to an agricultural colony.

The trading pattern of New France determined land use practices as well as relations with the Indian tribes.I had always thought of low populations of New France as a reflection of the unwillingness of the French to migrate to North America.From this book I learned that low population density was indispensable to a fur trade based economy.

Like the Spanish to the West, and unlike the English to the south, evangelization was a major part of the interaction on the Canadian Frontier.Much of the exploration and development was instituted or accompanied by missionaries.

Over time, the Canadian Frontier was changed by tribal wars which determined the access of each tribe to western traders and their wares.Although Indians are often portrayed as victims of white aggression, the truth is that they acquired a dependency on European goods which contributed to their own downfall.

The military aspects of the North American wars are interesting in that they relate the relative contributions of the Regular forces, the militia and the Indians.Another of my conceptions which was changed by this book was that the outcome of the French and Indian war was dictated by the colonial population imbalance.Prof. Eccles makes the case that the fighting qualities of the French militia made them dominant over the English militias and that it was only the skills of the British regulars against the bungling of the French regulars which won the war for Britain.

Ultimately, the world in which the Canadian Frontier arose and prospered changed and the Frontier disappeared.The French and Indian War restricted the numbers of voyagers to a handful.The vision of the French habitants changed from that of an open continent in which to trade for furs, to a river valley in which to farm and sell their produce.The leadership of the fur trade changed from French entrepreneurs to British businessmen.The British, who fought to wrest the Ohio Valley from the French, tried to close it to their own colonists.Ultimately, the colonials who fought to take the Ohio Valley from the French took it from the British with French aid.The Indians who had tried to play one power against the other, found that, in contributing to the downfall of the French regime, they had traded a benevolent, cooperative colonial power for one which would take their land and destroy their culture.

Professor Eccles has told the early history of much of our continent with insight and a skilled writing style.The supporting notes and bibliography guide the reader to sources for further research and reading."The Canadian Frontier" is a must for anyone with an interest in the history of New France.
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The Canadian Frontier
W. J. Eccles did a phenomenal job in covering the history of New France. I was expecting a dry history. I didn't get one. What I got was a story of men and a few women.

This book is a facinating account of thesettlement of Canada under the French. For a history book, it was hard toput down. Eccles brought the problems of starting and maintaining a colonyto life. He presents historical figures like Frontenac and La Salle as realpeople who made real mistakes without excuses or whitewashing.

I wouldrecommend this book to anyone doing any type of research into New France. ... Read more

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From Dorset sculpture to traveling circuses to the Barenaked Ladies, award-winning historian Jonathan Vance reveals a storyteller's ear for narrative.

In a country of unparalleled diversity, "culture" has many different shades of importance and meaning. A stranded Innu woman found by eighteenth-century explorers in the wind-swept Arctic took the time to decorate her clothing with rich designs. The explorers were taken aback; but Vance informs us that the Inuit word meaning "to make poetry" is the same as the word for "breathe"; and both derive from the word for "the soul." Unsurprisingly, Aboriginal culture began to change with the arrival of more Europeans (who brought their own ideas about culture) in one of the many complicated and intertwined tales that Vance weaves together to explore Canada's cultural history.

Vance considers other key issues. Where, for example, is the divide between "culture" and mass entertainment? He describes plays created by sailors trapped in an ice-bound ship through the Arctic winter; "occasionally lewd" tavern music; an early version of Macbeth with a Monty Pythonesque twist--in Canada, so-called high and low culture have coexisted uneasily, and intermingled creatively.

Vance reveals that the hot-button cultural issues we all know and love--government funding for the arts, the cultural brain drain, the drive to preserve distinctly Canadian forms of expression, concerns over copyright protection, the economic impact of cultural industries--can be traced back to previous centuries. Taking into account both the past and modern developments, such as the thriving culture of Quebec and the evolution of the CBC, Vance addresses one of the quintessential anxieties of Canadians--where, and what, is our culture? ... Read more

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Covers the history of Canada up to the Confederation.Topics include: aboriginal peoples, evangelical missions, colonization,royal government, mercantilism, imperialism and Colonial Wars, theearly British regime, reform and rebellions, forming a union, colonialsocieties, and Confederation. ... Read more

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From the first Black person who came to Canada about 400 years ago to the most recent wave of African immigrants, Black Canadians have played an important role in our country's history. In this informative overview, kids will discover the inspiring stories and events of a people who fought oppression as they searched for a place to call their own.Featuring fact boxes, mini-profiles, a timeline and more, this book in the acclaimed Kids Book of series offers a glimpse into an often-overlooked part of Canadian history. ... Read more

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Publisher: Toronto : W. BriggsPublication date: 1916Subjects: Frontier and pioneer life -- OntarioOntario -- Social life and customsNotes: This is an OCR reprint. There may be numerous typos or missing text. There are no illustrations or indexes.When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. You can also preview the book there. ... Read more

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This survey covers a broad range of Canadian building, from the dwellings of the native peoples and the first settlers to architectural achievements of the present day. The author brings to light some distinctive characteristics of Canadian architects and architecture: a respect for natural forms and local materials; the tendency to absorb ideas from abroad and then simplify and restrain them; the development of marked regional differences; and a flair for producing innovations in response to social issues. ... Read more

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A comprehensive historical, sociological, and cultural introduction to the sizable Franco-American population in New England. ... Read more

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Ukrainian immigrants to Canada have often been portrayed in history as sturdy pioneer farmers cultivating the virgin land of the Canadian west. The essays in this collection challenge this stereotype by examining the varied experiences of Ukrainian-Canadians in their day-to-day roles as writers, intellectuals, national organizers, working-class wage earners, and inhabitants of cities and towns. Throughout, the contributors remain dedicated to promoting the study of ethnic, hyphenated histories as major currents in mainstream Canadian history.

Topics explored include Ukrainian-Canadian radicalism, the consequences of the Cold War for Ukrainians both at home and abroad, the creation and maintenance of ethnic memories, and community discord embodied by pro-Nazis, Communists, and criminals. Re-Imagining Ukrainian-Canadians uses new sources and non-traditional methods of analysis to answer unstudied and often controversial questions within the field. Collectively, the essays challenge the older, essentialist definition of what it means to be Ukrainian-Canadian.

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A Few Acres of Snow allows readers to experience early Canadian history in the words of those who first explored, created, and documented the nation. Providing coast-to-coast representation and featuring a diverse range of social groups, the editors offer a refreshing look at the major events leading up to and including Confederation. Throughout, they rely on a careful selection of personal, formal, and legal documents to tell the story, including early travel narratives, literary writings by Susanna Moodie and Catherine Parr Trail, government reports on slavery in Canada, official letters on Irish immigration, and newspaper articles and speeches on the creation of the Dominion of Canada in 1867.

In this trim new edition, each document is introduced with biographical information about the creator. Brand new chapters discuss the Loyalists in Nova Scotia, the War of 1812, and the Beothuk. Also new is a guide to critically reading and engaging with historical documents.

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This book illustrates the history of the Canadian National Railways created after World War I with a combination of resources from five financially troubled railroads. Canadian National played a central role in the population growth of the more remote northern areas of Canada, moved passengers between major cities in style, and was instrumental in the movement of goods both to market and to the country's smaller towns. The story is told by engineers, porters, signalmen and others. ... Read more