Which political issues can you identify ? Look for examples where power is used to change people's actions or behaviour, and or examples of conflict over resources or values.
1:46 do. "0: E} H learn-useast-1-prod-f|eetO2-xythos.content.blackboardcdn.com begun, The Globe & Mail, Sep. 14, 2009. If it wasn't for the controversy, tomorrow's 250th anniversary of the Battle on the Plains of Abraham might go entirely unnoticed. There have been no stamps, no coins and almost no recognition from Ottawa that anything important might have happened on Sept. 13, 1759. This ofcial disregard for the Battle of Quebec, born of a fear of angering a few perpetually aggrieved separatists, is unfortunate. Not only does it represent a crucial moment in the modern history of Canada but, more importantly, it marks the birth of the great Canadian spirit of cultural accommodation. From a purely historical perspective, it is impossible to ignore the signicance of the battle. It settled, once and for all, the question of which crown would control Canada. Further, the cost of winning the war proved so onerous for the British treasury that it necessitated a host of new taxes on American colonies - setting in motion the events of 1776. The trajectories of both Canada and the United States were determined that day. More than the historical fact of Canada was decided on the battleeld, however. Our character was dened there as well. In draft articles of capitulation drawn up before the battle, the victor, Major-General James Wolfe, sketched a new model of British occupation. Despite his reputation as a brutal military leader, Maj.-Gen. Wolfe was prepared to preserve Quebec's unique cultural character and population. "There shall be no innovations in religious matters or any interruption of Divine Service, as it is now preach'd in the Colony," he wrote. Such generosity had not been found at the fall of Louisbourg a year earlier, where the British razed the city and expelled the citizenry. Maj-Gen. Wolfe's more liberal position has proven enduring. It dened the ofcial surrender of Quebec City after his death, as well as the capitulation of Montreal a year later. It found its way into the Royal Proclamation of 1763 and, later, Canada's Constitution. This was not an arrangement inspired entirely by generosity. The British army hoped to avoid the hassle of becoming an occupying force. Co-operation was far more appealing than further confrontation. After the battle, French hospitals served the wounded from both sides, with bilingual British soldiers conscripted as orderlies. Of course not every French habitant willingly accepted British rule, just as today many Quebec nationalists still cling to an emotional connection with the Conquest, in spite of more rational arguments. Nonetheless, the events of Sept. 13, 1759 and its immediate aftermath marked the origin of minority rights and religious freedom in Canada, as well as the acknowledgment that governing this diverse country requires an appreciation for what may be possible, given the circumstances. It is certainly cause for commemoration. Article name: Author
