The origins of Canadian and American political differences / Jason Kaufman.

Author
Kaufman, Jason Andrew, 1970- [Browse]
Format
Book
Language
English
Published/​Created
Cambridge, Mass. : Harvard University Press, 2009.
Description
xii, 368 pages ; 25 cm

Availability

Available Online

Copies in the Library

Location Call Number Status Location Service Notes
Firestone Library - Stacks E183.8.C2 K28 2009 Browse related items Request

    Details

    Subject(s)
    Summary note
    Why do the United States and Canada have such divergent political cultures when they share one of the closest economic and cultural relationships in the world? Canadians and Americans consistently disagree over issues such as the separation of church and state, the responsibility of government for the welfare of everyone, the relationship between federal and subnational government, and the right to marry a same sex partner or to own an assault rifle. In this wide ranging work, the author examines the North American political landscape to draw out the essential historical factors that underlie the countries' differences. He discusses the earliest European colonies in North America and the Canadian reluctance to join the American Revolution. He compares land grants and colonial governance; territorial expansion and relations with native peoples; immigration and voting rights. But the key lies in the evolution and enforcement of jurisdictional law, which illuminates the way social relations and state power developed in the two countries.
    Bibliographic references
    Includes bibliographical references (p. [309]-355) and index.
    Contents
    • Origins of the colonial system
    • Expansion and contraction
    • Two turning points
    • The birth pangs of nationalism
    • Nationhood begins, and almost ends
    • Federalism suborned
    • Completing the journey west
    • Nations reborn
    • The vagaries of national political development.
    ISBN
    • 9780674031364
    • 0674031369
    LCCN
    2008031411
    OCLC
    225874273
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