England, Canada and the Great WarDesjardins, L. G. (Louis Georges)
History
England, Canada and the Great War
Desjardins, L. G. (Louis Georges)
Great Britain -- Colonies -- Canada; Imperialism; World War, 1914-1918; World War, 1914-1918 -- Canada
England shared Spain's error, but much less heavily. Like Spain, she
reaped what she had sowed. The thirteen British American colonies
revolted and conquered their Independence. Alone French Canada remained
loyal to England.
If the French Canadians had sided with the British Colonies to the South
in the contest for their Independence, the Canada of those days would
certainly have been included in the American Republic when England was
forced, by the fate of war, to acknowledge the new Sovereign nation. Her
offspring then violently broke away from the parental home, but has
recently hastened to her defence, at the hour of danger, only
remembering the first happy years of her childhood.
Following the loyal advice of their spiritual leaders, and of their most
trusted civil chieftains, the French Canadians remained true to England,
refusing to desert her, thus maintaining her Sovereign rights over the
Northern half of the Continent destined, a century later, to develop
into the present Dominion, enjoying the free institutions of the Mother
Country.
As previously stated, the American Revolution brought for ever to an end
British absolutism in the new continent. Henceforth, liberty and
autonomy were to be the two foundation stones of a new colonial Policy
which, far from disrupting the Empire as the autocratic one had done,
was to cement its union so strongly as to make possible the gigantic
military effort she has displayed for more than the last four years.
The Treaty of Paris brought the Seven Years War to a close. Once more
the peace of the world was temporarily restored. By the Treaty of Paris,
Canada was ceded to England, our "Nationalists" say. If so, how can they
pretend that the extension of British Sovereignty over the regions which
have become the great autonomous Dominion of Canada was an undue
manifestation of British conquering Imperialism?
An intelligent and impartial student of the early settlements of the two
continents of America can only draw the conclusion that the New World
has not been the theatre of the operations of British Imperialism. Its
first real attempt was tried--with much laudable success--in 1867, by
the federal union of the Canadian provinces, decreed by the Sovereign
legislative power of the Parliament of Great Britain, at our own request
and in accordance with our own freely expressed wishes.
Australia is the second autonomous colony of England in extent and
importance. It comprises nearly all the territory of the Oceanic
continent, so called from the geographical position, in the Pacific
Ocean, of the Islands forming it. New Zealand is the second group of
these Islands. It is another autonomous British colony, called, since
1907 "THE DOMINION OF NEW ZEALAND".
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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