Workers of War and Empire from New France to British America, 1688–1783 / Richard H. Tomczak.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Tomczak, Richard H., Author.

Series:

McGill-Queen's Studies in Early Canada / Avant le Canada ; 10

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource : 8 photos

Place of Publication:

Montreal ; Kingston ; London ; Chicago : McGill-Queen's University Press, [2025]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

During the eighteenth century, the French and British empires mobilized thousands of workers in what is now Canada through a system of mandatory labour known as corvée. Rooted in the feudal obligations of peasants to their landlords, corvée was introduced by the French, and later exploited by the British, becoming part of their arsenal during the American revolutionary wars.Richard Tomczak chronicles the transformation of the corvée system over a century. Under the French regime, corvée was mostly directed towards local public works projects, such as building roads and bridges. After the conquest of Quebec, the system assumed greater scope. The British realized their need for labour in an underpopulated region and co-opted corvée for their imperial ends, requiring the male inhabitants of New France to work in state enterprises such as iron mining and logging, and conscripting Canadians to support their military expeditions during the American Revolution. This surging demand for labour in the service of the state precipitated widespread protests in New France, forcing the governor to ratify a new provincial code regulating the use of corvée. Tomczak also sheds light on the rhythms of French Canadians’ working lives, their understanding of corvée obligations, and the ways they expressed resistance when the system became burdensome.Exploring a lesser-known aspect of the labour arrangements that propped up the colonial state, Workers of War and Empire from New France to British America, 1688–1783 puts French Canadian workers front and centre in the history of early Canada.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Figures

Abbreviations

Acknowledgments

Introduction

PART 1 The French Atlantic, 1688–1759

CHAPTER 1 Fortifications, Roads, and Bridges, 1688–1731

CHAPTER 2 French Colonialism and Expansion, 1732–59

PART 2 Colonialism and Conquest, 1759–76

CHAPTER 3 British Conquest and Common Law Corvée, 1759–68

CHAPTER 4 The Quebec Act and the Politics of Popular Protest, 1768–76

PART 3 Workers of the Revolution, 1776–83

CHAPTER 5 The Northern Campaign and the Battle of Saratoga, 1776–77

CHAPTER 6 The Upper Country and Mounting Challenges to Corvée, 1778–83

Epilogue

Notes

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 20. Mar 2025)

ISBN:

9780228023630

OCLC:

1439101996