Canadian Identity: un-American

[ironsides]

Canada was born July 1,1867 when a Confederation was created. Was it just a coincidence that a confederation was created right after the U.S. went thru a Civil War, defeating the "Confederate States of America" (a confederation also)? When the Civil War ended April 9, 1865, thousands of disgruntled Confederate/American citizens moved North and South, out of the U.S. This same migration also happened after the American Revolution.. Just another angle to consider, not argue about. These were mainly people of English and Irish heritage. I think we have a lot more in common than most realize.

 

[dumpthemonarchy]

Something everyone is forgetting, is that if Great Briton had won the American Revolution, Canada and America would most likely have been absorbed into one nation and today there would probably be no Canada. Civil war between the North and South would probably still have happened, but not with slavery as a main issue, but over economics. Native Americans would have been treated much worse than they were in the U.S. in todays world. So many things would be different, you probably would not like what would have happened. The British Empire would probably still be with us though.

Interesting point, if GB had won the American War of Independence, for one thing, that war would have had another name, that's for sure. Canada would not have had a chance to be created because there would have been no point. Depending how harsh the peace was, the world would be much different today.

Natives would have been treated much better. Much more like Indians were treated in Canada, accomodated as much as possible, but still pushed aside. Far fewer wars and uprisings.

 

[Cannuck]

Google "Regina Manifesto" ...

Is that that great Italian Restaurant on Albert St?

 

[lone wolf]

An American will tell you....

 

[AnnaG]

No doubt the US would have looked different but I do not believe the Natives would have had much luck.

Oh, well. We believe what we believe, I guess.

 

[AnnaG]

I agree, the natives wouldn't have stood a chance no matter who won, they had their chance when we first arrived. We all would just have had to come up with a new country name, states would have become provinces or states. France probably would have lost the Louisiana Purchase thru war, Russia would have remained in Alaska. Whalers would have still taken over Hawaii. Canada was only made up of Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Quebec (Upper and Lower Canada), "Ruperts Land", the rest was unexplored in 1775-1791. Would California have been drawn away from Mexico, would Mexico have broken with Spain? Our whole world would be different. Hard to imagine anything different than what we now have.

North America could just as well have become Russian, too.

 

[AnnaG]

Yeah, us dumb savages never could outsmart the paleface. lol

 

[ironsides]

An American will tell you....

That the best Italian Restaurants are in NYC, best pizza in the world.

 

[ironsides]

North America could just as well have become Russian, too.

Wonder why Russia didn't move out of Alaska, guess they weren't as interested in colonization like the eastern Europeans where.

 

[Johnnny]

i agree with dexter we are influenced alot by native heritages/customs. alot of dont know it

 

[taxslave]

I read one of Saul's books on this topic, Reflections of a Siamese Twin and I think he overplays the aboriginal presence in Canadian history. There aren't that many Canadians have ancestors who participated in the fur trade. Quick, name the tribe Pocahontas was part of. Quicker, name a famous Canadian Indian. Can you name an Iroquois Indian?

The Cdn elites have to avoid the race card, because so few Canadians have aboriginal ancestry they have to rely on the fur trade and proximity. To me it is like the millions of people who claim ancestry to Pocahontas, yet very very few English, and then Americans ever married Indians. When one compares how quickly Spanish men married Indians after Columbus landed, and produced many mixed race babies, you see a huge difference.

Consider how aboriginals constantly complain of a lack of rights, being herded on reserves and denied rights for so long, I wonder some days if Saul reads Canadian newspapers.

Maquinna-Cheif of the Nootka that met the first Spaniards, British and Russians. He also had a white slave at one point.
There is a lot more inter marrying once you get outside of the large Eastern cities. My grandmother was Cherokee and my sons wife is Salish.

 

[L Gilbert]

Wonder why Russia didn't move out of Alaska, guess they weren't as interested in colonization like the eastern Europeans where.

My advice would be to ask them. lol
I can't see how anyone could say definitively that NorthAm could only have become a Europe Junior.

 

[L Gilbert]

Maquinna-Cheif of the Nootka that met the first Spaniards, British and Russians. He also had a white slave at one point.
There is a lot more inter marrying once you get outside of the large Eastern cities. My grandmother was Cherokee and my sons wife is Salish.

Yep. Happens all over. We have a friend that has brown hair, pale skin, and blue eyes and contains aboriginal DNA. We met a Mexican, when we were there, that was blonde, pale-skinned, and grey-eyed. Didn't speak more than hald dozen English words.

 

[ironsides]

Pick a country, England, France, Spain or Russia. Native Americans were out of the picture 100 years after the European arrived. If it wasn't for the American Revolution or something similar, I can't see how we could not be part of one of the European powers.

 

[Said1]

Wonder why Russia didn't move out of Alaska, guess they weren't as interested in colonization like the eastern Europeans where.

Oh I think they were, only not as advanced industrially and supplying a lot of raw materials that went to making weapons for Western Europe. (please don't make me provide a link, I don't remember where I read that. )

 

[L Gilbert]

Pick a country, England, France, Spain or Russia. Native Americans were out of the picture 100 years after the European arrived. If it wasn't for the American Revolution or something similar, I can't see how we could not be part of one of the European powers.

How about if Temujin had kept acquiring real estate and followers? Or if the tectonic plate Europe is sitting on completely subducted? Or if the seafloor sunk and had made a huge hole in Europe similar to the Gulf of Mexico? Or perhaps the Portuguese, French, Spanish, et al hadn't gone exploring? There are loads of variables.

 

[Said1]

I agree, the natives wouldn't have stood a chance no matter who won, they had their chance when we first arrived.

Sorry to quote you twice, but what chance? Just a recap will do?

 

[Liberalman]

We have to remember that the revelutionary government called America broke away from the British Empire stealing their lands.

They broke their treatise with the Indians.

Lied to the Mexicans if the northern part of Mexico would join the union of states of America and Mexican-Americans ended up being second-class citizens.

America have participated in most of the wars since their birth in the late seventeen hundreds.

So keeping the Canadian identity is important.

 

[ironsides]

Sorry to quote you twice, but what chance? Just a recap will do?

If they had not feared or been friendly with the European. There were only 30-40 persons on the first ships to arrive, easy pickens. Their bows and arrows far out classed early muskets. They did swallow up the Vikings. Very short what if.

 

[L Gilbert]

If they had not feared or been friendly with the European. There were only 30-40 persons on the first ships to arrive, easy pickens. Their bows and arrows far out classed early muskets. They did swallow up the Vikings. Very short what if.

So you are basically saying that because they welcomed Europeans, they were victimised by European guile and greed. True. If aboriginals had exterminated every white man they saw, though, they could very well have been the dominant culture in North America. You just made a case for Anna's idea and added another variable in my comment.