University of British Columbia Press
Britain and the Origins of Canadian Confederation, 1837-67
9780774804875
Distributed for University of British Columbia Press
Britain and the Origins of Canadian Confederation, 1837-67
In Britain and the Origins of Canadian Confederation, 1837-1867, Ged Martin offers a sceptical review of claims that Confederation answered all the problems facing the provinces, and examines in detail British perceptions of Canada and ideas about its future. The major British contribution to the coming of Confederation is to be found not in the aftermath of the Quebec conference, where the imperial role was mainly one of bluff and exhortation, but prior to 1864, in a vague consensus among opinion-formers that the provinces would one day unite. Faced with an inescapable need to secure legislation at Westminster for a new political structure, British North American politicians found they could work within the context of a metropolitan preference for intercolonial union.
400 pages | © 1995
Table of Contents
Preface
Map
1 British North America on the Eve of Confederation
2 Canadian Confederation and Historical Explanation
3 The Origins of British Support for Canadian Confederation
4 The British and their Perceptions
5 Motives and Expectations of the British
6 The Role of the British in the Launching of Confederation
7 The Role of the British in the Achievement of Confederation 1864-1867
Conclusion
Note on Sources
Abbreviations
Notes and References
Index