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Only slight wear.; A bright, solid book, DJ in Mylar ; 0.95 x 9.32 x 5.92
Inches; 272 pages; "Errington argues that in order to appreciate the
evolution of Upper Canadian beliefs, particularly the development of
political ideology, it is necessary to understand the various and changing
perceptions of the United States and of Great Britain held by different
groups of colonial leaders. Colonial ideology inevitably evolved in
response to changing domestic circumstances and to the colonists'
knowledge of altering world affairs. It is clear, however, that from the
arrival of the first loyalists in 1748 to the passage of the
Naturalization Bill in 1828, the attitudes and beliefs of the Upper
Canadian elite reflect the fact that the colony was a British- American
community. Errington reveals that Upper Canada was never as anti-American
as popular lore suggests, even in the midst of the War of 1812. By the mid
1820s, largely due to their conflicting views of Great Britain and the
United States, Upper Canadians were irrevocably divided. The Tory
administration argued that only by decreasing the influence of the United
States, enforcing a conservative British mould on colonial society, and
maintaining strong ties with the Empire could Upper Canada hope to
survive. The forces of reform, on the other hand, asserted that Upper
Canada was not and could not become a re-creation of Great Britain and
that to deny its position in North America could only lead to internal
dissent and eventual amalgamation with the United States. Errington's
description of these early attempts to establish a unique Upper Canadian
identity reveals the historical background of a dilemma which has yet to
be resolved."
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