Staking claims to a continent : John A. Macdonald, Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, and the making of North America / James Laxer.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Laxer, James, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Davis, Jefferson, 1808-1889.

Davis, Jefferson.

Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865.

Lincoln, Abraham.

Macdonald, John A. (John Alexander), 1815-1891.

Macdonald, John A.

United States--History--1849-1877.

United States.

History.

Canada--History--1841-1867.

Canada.

Canada--History--1867-1914.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

ix, 361 pages : maps ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Canada : USA : House of Anansi Press, Inc., 2016.

Summary:

"Three political leaders presided over the reshaping of the North American continent during the fiery 1860s. Jefferson Davis and Abraham Lincoln were both born in Kentucky, Davis in June 1808 and Lincoln the following February. John A. Macdonald was born in Glasgow, Scotland, in January 1815. All were Protestants; none came from a wealthy family. In an earlier era, such men would not have risen to political heights. They personified an age of social and economic transformation, thrust to the top by the very forces that tore the continent apart. Davis tried to create a country by ripping the South out of the United States and establishing the Confederate States of America. Lincoln's crusade to save the Union honed the industrial-military power that would one day dominate the world. Macdonald led the drive to shepherd the diverse British North American provinces into a federal state that would secure the northern half of the continent and keep Canada out of American hands. In a high stakes game, these three national projects competed to create viable nation states. And the success or failure of the projects would have consequences--not only for the long-term future of the continent but for the entire global order."-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Chapter 1 Manifest Destiny 11

Chapter 2 Irrepressible Conflict 29

Chapter 3 A House Divided 47

Chapter 4 Political Deadlock in Canada 73

Chapter 5 John A. Macdonald Takes the Stage 85

Chapter 6 Leaders of Canada's Two Solitudes: George-Etienne Cartier and George Brown 95

Chapter 7 The Election of Abraham Lincoln 105

Chapter 8 The Confederate States of America: Jefferson Davis's Project 119

Chapter 9 A Very Political War 131

Chapter 10 Lincoln's Project: Total War 151

Chapter 11 The War Threatens Canada 167

Chapter 12 George Brown Changes Course 185

Chapter 13 Confederation: The House Macdonald Built 199

Chapter 14 Debating Confederation 213

Chapter 15 Surrender and Assassination 227

Chapter 16 Keeping the Americans at Bay: The Realpolitik of Confederation 241

Chapter 17 Red River Rebellion 257.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 337-345) and index.

Other Format:

Laxer, James, 1941-, author. Staking claims to a continent.

ISBN:

9781770894303

1770894306

OCLC:

926248583