Nov 22, 2020
Thinking Citizen Blog — Canada (II): What Should Every Thinking Citizen Know?
Thinking Citizen Blog — Monday is Foreign Policy Day
Today’ s Topic — Canada (II): What Should Every Thinking Citizen Know?
Last time, some basic geography and demography. Today, a little history. We think of our relations with Canada as peaceful. This was not always so. Also, today a few notes on of Quebec separatism. Experts — please chime in. Correct, elaborate, elucidate.
FOUR WARS BETWEEN THE BRITISH AND FRENCH EMPIRES
1. King Williams War: 1688–1697
2. Queen Anne’s War: 1702–1713
3. King George’s War: 1744–1748 — Louisburg Square in Boston commemorates the successful siege of the Fortress of Louisbourg in Nova Scotia. When the peace treaty stipulated the return of Louisburg to France (in exchange for Madrasoin India), New Englanders were very unhappy.
4. French and Indian War: 1753–1763 — Britain conquers Quebec. Spain gets Louisiana. Map above is as of 1750.
NB: At the outbreak of the French and Indian War, French settlers numbered a mere 65,000 versus two million British colonials. Not surprisingly, the French relied more heavily on Native American allies.
TWO US INVASIONS OF CANADA — 1775, 1812
1. Invasion of Quebec (1775): two American expeditionary forces converged on Quebec in December 1775. One led by Richard Montgomery from Fort Ticonderoga. The other by Benedict Arnold from Cambridge, Massachusetts. The siege of Quebec City failed and Montgomery died. His death is depicted in the painting above John Trumbull (1785).
2. War fo 1812: repeated American invasions were repulsed. Historians consider the result a stalemate. But, according to a 2009 poll of Canadians, 37% said it was a Canadian victory, 9% a US victory, 15% a draw, and 39% no comment. For most Americans the war is seen as “a second war of independence.” And, of course, the “Star Spangled Banner” was inspired by the defense of Fort McHenry in 1814.
QUEBEC SEPARATISM: Rene Levesque, Two Referenda (1980,1995)
1. Rene Levesque (1922–1987) founded the Parti Quebecois in the mid-1960s and was Premier of Quebec from 1976–1985.
2. 1980 Referendum on Quebec independence: 60% opposed (2.2 MM versus 1.5 MM). Turnout: 85%.
3. 1995 Referendum: 50.58% against (2.36 MM versus 2.31MM). Turnout: 94%.
NB:The Front de la Liberation du Quebec (FLQ) espoused violence in the quest for independence and detonated 950 bombs between 1963 and 1970 -targets included the Montreal Stock Exchange and the affluent anglophone community of Westmount. The climax of this phase was the kidnapping and murder of the Deputy Premier of Quebec, Pierre Laporte (1921–1970).
The little-known US-Canada border war
Here is a link to the last three years of posts organized by theme:
PDF with headlines — Google Drive
YOUR TURN
Please share the coolest or most important thing you learned in the last week, month, or year related to foreign policy. Or, even better, the coolest or most important thing you learned in our life related to foreign policy.
This is your chance to make someone else’s day. And to consolidate in your memory something important you might otherwise forget. Or to think more deeply than otherwise about something dear to your heart. Continuity is the key to depth of thought. The prospect of imminent publication, like hanging and final exams, concentrates the mind. A useful life long habit.
