A new documentary by filmmaker Deke Richards spotlights the little-known story of American and Canadian exiles sent as convicts to the penal colony of Australia after their capture during the 1837-38 Canadian Insurrections against the British (also known as the Patriot War). [Read more…] about American & Canadian Patriot War Exiles Subject of New Doc
Toronto
The Lives of Lake Ontario: An Environmental History
Lake Ontario has profoundly influenced the historical evolution of North America. For centuries it has enabled and enriched the societies that crowded its edges, from fertile agricultural landscapes to energy production systems to sprawling cities.
In The Lives of Lake Ontario (McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2024) Daniel Macfarlane details the lake’s relationship with the Indigenous nations, settler cultures, and modern countries that have occupied its shores. [Read more…] about The Lives of Lake Ontario: An Environmental History
June 18, 1812: War of 1812 Begins When US Declares War On Great Britain
On June 18, 1812, Congress passed and President James Madison signed a declaration of war against Great Britain, marking the beginning of the War of 1812. Frustrated by Britain’s maritime practices and support of Native American resistance to western expansion, the U.S. entered the war with ambitious plans to conquer Canada, a goal that was never realized. [Read more…] about June 18, 1812: War of 1812 Begins When US Declares War On Great Britain
Zebulon Pike And The Pike Historic Trail
As an Army captain commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson, Zebulon Montgomery Pike (1779-1813) explored much of the American West. He led two expeditions through the Louisiana Purchase, first in 1805–1806 to reconnoiter the upper northern reaches of the Mississippi River, and then in 1806–1807 to explore the southwest to the edge of the Spanish-colonial settlements of New Mexico and Texas. [Read more…] about Zebulon Pike And The Pike Historic Trail