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"I am not one of those hyphenated Americans who claim allegiance to two countries". - Alexander Graham Bell
The idea that he was Canadian is laughable. He was a Scottish immigrant to the US who spent time in Canada.
It is not laughable at all. What's laughable to me is how you dismiss his time in Canada, as if he came up for a weekend or two.
As for your quote. It is interesting to note that he said it in 1915, while his birthplace was at war, and the war was of interest in the US.
It was also the year where he did a lot of interviews because the first transcontinental phone call took place, of which he was a guest speaker.
So what did he really mean by it? What was the context. What was the question he was asked?
He also said
“I have travelled around the globe. I have seen the Canadian and American Rockies, the Andes, the Alps and the Highlands of Scotland, but for simple beauty, Cape Breton outrivals them all!"
That expresses some sort " allegiance " in a sense, especially since he moved there.
As my previous posts have noted, he spent a lot of time in Canada. He chose to be buried in Canada etc.
So if by " spent time in Canada" means immigrating to, living in, buying a piece of land in which he built a complex to carry on his work, from 1885 ( when he and his wife built a summer home, which became their permanent residence )until his death in 1922, then I can say " he spent some time " in the US as well.
We have already covered the fact about citizenship.
Someone mentioned you are a historian. However you are human and may have a true blind spot in this matter, especially if all your sources are American.
I'm sure as a historian, you also know how history is written and by whom. After all, we all know Edison did not INVENT the light bulb. The story is much more complex than that.
It is not laughable at all. What's laughable to me is how you dismiss his time in Canada, as if he came up for a weekend or two.
As for your quote. It is interesting to note that he said it in 1915, while his birthplace was at war, and the war was of interest in the US.
It was also the year where he did a lot of interviews because the first transcontinental phone call took place, of which he was a guest speaker.
So what did he really mean by it? What was the context. What was the question he was asked?
He also said
“I have travelled around the globe. I have seen the Canadian and American Rockies, the Andes, the Alps and the Highlands of Scotland, but for simple beauty, Cape Breton outrivals them all!"
That expresses some sort " allegiance " in a sense.
As my previous posts have noted, he spent a lot of time in Canada. He chose to be buried in Canada etc.
So if by " spent time in Canada" means immigrating to, living in, buying a piece of land in which he built a complex to carry on his work, from 1885 ( when he and his wife built a summer home, which became their permanent residence )until his death in 1922, then I can say " he spent some time " in the US as well.
We have already covered the fact about citizenship.
So a quote of the guy identifying as an American isn't good enough, but a quote of him saying he thinks Cape Breton is beautiful must be evidence that he was Canadian. That doesn't express allegiance to a nation, it only expresses his fondness of the scenery in Cape Breton. Honestly, this whole argument that Bell was Canadian, which spans several pages now, is quite ridiculous. These are the kinds of childish contests that lead people to believe that Canadians suffer from an inferiority complex.
"I am not one of those hyphenated Americans who claim allegiance to two countries". - Alexander Graham Bell
I see you edited your post? Why did you remove "The idea that he was Canadian is laughable. He was a Scottish immigrant to the US who spent time in Canada." ?
I see you edited your post? Why did you remove "The idea that he was Canadian is laughable. He was a Scottish immigrant to the US who spent time in Canada." ?
I edited it before you posted, as you already know. Little did I know you were in the process of patching together a long-winded and emotional response.
So a quote of the guy identifying as an American isn't good enough, but a quote of him saying he thinks Cape Breton is beautiful must be evidence that he was Canadian. That doesn't express allegiance to a nation, it only expresses his fondness of the scenery in Cape Breton. Honestly, this whole argument that Bell was Canadian, which spans several pages now, is quite ridiculous. These are the kinds of childish contests that lead people to believe that Canadians suffer from an inferiority complex.
Your quote proves no such thing, until you can give the context and the question he was answering. Perhaps he was referring to Scotland and not the US? Or he was being politically expedient?
It is not a childish argument in the least. It is only clarifying history. Inferiority complex? LOL
You guys really have got to get a new line.
There is NOTHING in my posts about Bell that aren't true. It sounds like you are backtracking since you removed part of your original post.
Did you learn a little something about Bell's time in Canada that made you do that?
I think you did.
So a quote of the guy identifying as an American isn't good enough, but a quote of him saying he thinks Cape Breton is beautiful must be evidence that he was Canadian. That doesn't express allegiance to a nation, it only expresses his fondness of the scenery in Cape Breton. Honestly, this whole argument that Bell was Canadian, which spans several pages now, is quite ridiculous. These are the kinds of childish contests that lead people to believe that Canadians suffer from an inferiority complex.
You are really obsessed with saying over and over again that Canadians have an inferiority complex...What is with this Canadian obsession... I'd almost think you are actually a jaded Canadian with his own complex.
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Says it all really
