New vulnerabilities are surfacing. While most polls suggest the vast majority of Canadian adults are resolute in resisting any such takeover, the younger generation (18-35) is much more inclined – given certain favourable terms – to join the United States. The younger you are, the more likely you are to be susceptible to Trump and his appeals.
One of the most unacknowledged reasons is the failure of our school systems to teach the current generation about historic Canadian resistance to U.S. threats, incursions and trade sanctions going back to the American Revolution.
The result that alarmed Colin MacEachern, a former Halifax high school history educator now teaching in Australia, was the susceptibility of today’s students and their teachers to Trump’s bluster and blandishments.
MacEachern wrote on social media that his students would likely have no comprehension of the U.S. doctrine of “Manifest Destiny” or the American threat to Canada that was a major factor in nudging us toward Confederation.
It’s also fair to assume they have little or no knowledge of critical events of U.S. pressure on Canada such as the American invasion of Quebec in 1775, the War of 1812, the 1911 election reciprocity debate, the nuclear warheads controversy of the 1960s or American pressure to join the Iraq War in 2003.
Yes, but doesn’t then establish the connection, from my skim through. For example, the war of 1812 was a war by a colonial empire, against a breakaway state that was arguably a bit more democratic at the time. If you think the British Empire was cool maybe Trump’s expansionism should speak to you as a fond old tradition coming back.
If the Confederates were Canadian, I’m pretty sure the author would cite their role in the civil war as an example of resistance we should draw on now. He basically agrees with Trump’s worldview, and the rhetoric gets pretty noticeably “anti-woke” in the full text.
It could also be naked commercial interest, though, considering he writes history textbooks for a living.
Thanks for pointing this out. I didn’t notice the comments about BC’s history curriculum - where I completely agree with your assessment - or know what the author meant by “post-national” in my first skim. If I’d read this more carefully I probably wouldn’t have posted it. Thanks for the insights!
Hey, thanks for listening!