Blood and Daring
How Canada Fought the American Civil War and Forged a Nation
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- USD 12.99
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- USD 12.99
Descripción editorial
Blood and Daring will change our views not just of Canada's relationship with the United States, but of the Civil War, Confederation and Canada itself.
In Blood and Daring, lauded historian John Boyko makes a compelling argument that Confederation occurred when and as it did largely because of the pressures of the Civil War. Many readers will be shocked by Canada's deep connection to the war--Canadians fought in every major battle, supplied arms to the South, and many key Confederate meetings took place on Canadian soil. Boyko gives Americans a new understanding of the North American context of the war, and also shows how the political climate of the time created a more unified Canada, one that was able to successfully oppose American expansion.
Filled with engaging stories and astonishing facts from previously unaccessed primary sources, Boyko's fascinating new interpretation of the war will appeal to all readers of history. Blood and Daring will change our views not just of Canada's relationship with the United States, but of Confederation itself.
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The American Civil War not only pitted Northerner against Southerner, but also threatened to drag Canada, and by extension, Britain, into its conflagration. Boyko (Bennett: The Rebel Who Challenged and Changed a Nation) weaves together disparate yet connected plot lines, fueled by a succession of multi-faceted characters in a thrilling, near-theatrical look at the years leading up to Confederation. Boyko presents his facts through the prism of six historical players, beginning with former slave John Anderson and ending with Sir John A. Macdonald, Canada's first prime minister. The other protagonists are likewise cleverly selected to round out the account: turncoat statesman Jacob Thompson, aggressive expansionist William Seward, farm girl-turned-war nurse Sarah Emma Edmonds and editor-politician George Brown. Quotes gleaned from letters, newspapers and speeches give readers a boots-on-the-ground understanding of the events of the 1860s. The authoritative narration is clear, precise, and entirely enjoyable for non-scholars. The book presents a startlingly unfamiliar and ominously dangerous period in Canadian-American relations; the world's longest undefended border was in danger of bursting into flames, unless a unified country could emerge from the tangle of British colonies. It's the birth of Canada in all its glory and muck. Distribution: Random House. Helen Heller Agency
