Oh, and look, the United Empire Loyalists have a website!

http://www.uelac.org/

Well, Samuel Cunard was born in Halifax. In any case, in the early to mid 19th century, it wasn’t uncommon for people to move across the border. Quite a few Canadians were American born at that time, and they weren’t all Loyalists either. There are quite a few descendants of freed American slaves in Nova Scotia, for example. There were thousands of Quebecers who went to the New England states to work in the textile factories and the mills.

One of my favorite anecdotes about him (there are several versions of this one) is how he was vomiting on stage during a debate for the elections. His opponent picked up on it and said, “Is this the man you want running your country? A drunk?!”, to which MacDonald replied, “People would rather have a drunk Conservative than a sober Liberal” (another version has Sir John A. reply, “I’m sorry. I don’t know what it is about my opponent, but every time I hear him speak, it turns my stomach.”).

Sure beats that stupid story of Washington and the cherry tree.

I probably should know my Canadian history better, but despite getting all A’s in my highschool history classes, all I can remember is that there was a cross-continental railway and that McDonald was a drinker. There seems to be very little references/interest in Canadian history, even in Canadian popculture. So Canadian history tends to get filed away in the part of my brain that belongs to things I absolutely don’t care whether I forget them or not, right beside the many different breeds of cats I read about in a Cat Fancy magazine while in a wating room.

Had he been an Anglo, not a French Metis, his trial would have taken a different term. Come on, shouldn’t you know that the hanging of Louis Riel is the stain on Sir. John A’s resume that prevents him from being idolized in Canada as George Washington is in the US?