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The Fenians were a very large organisation, with at least 50,000 members, mainly in the northeast States. A large majority of them had served in the Union Army, during the Civil War. They were a serious danger to Canada, and they were tolerated by the US Government, mainly due to hostility to Britain`s aid to the Confederacy during the war.
One of the modern day Canadian Forces reserve infantry battalions in Toronto, The Queens Own Rifles, carry their very first battle honour, from The Fenian Raids. Some of the Canadian Forces units in Quebec also carry that battle honour on their Regimental colours. We remember.
The Fenians were penetrated by Canadian agents, who attended the meetings in Buffalo, and Chicago. The plans were known well in advance of the planned raids into Canada. The fact that the meetings were also scenes of heavy drinking.....is also not unexpected, and I am of Irish descent ( grin ) so I can say that.
Jim B.
I've read quite a bit about them this afternoon thanks to your inspiration. Lots of good stuff I had not encountered before. I love it!
Every new generation is faced with increasing expectations for history education, because the clock never stops ticking. Furthermore, as our nation's demographics and political entanglements change, the breadth of relevance changes with it.
In another thread, a teacher correctly pointed out that the average C-Der's grandparents had up to a century less American history to master in the same amount of time students do today. It's an overwhelming amount of information, so we curate, and that's where the conflicts arise.
One person wants the the Revolution studied in depth, while another wants the Civil War. Yet another has a hissy, because we're giving short shrift to Westward Expansion. And, oh yes, we must spend half of seventh grade teaching the Holocaust! ...
Wait! Did the students cover The Magna Carta? Can we shoe-horn that into Freshman English as a exercise in close reading of primary sources? ...
Where do we find the time? History is a subject never truly covered. I have learned more in the last decade of personal research than I ever did as a student, and I have always loved history, so I'm in no hurry to chastise America's young people for not knowing everything there is to know. Neither do I.
i agree that a complete history cant be taught in primary schools today, and i also agree that certain compromises must be made, that isnt my point. my point is that the government is constantly rewriting the history text books, to the point where they are no longer accurate with the information they do provide.
A Union Army unit in the civil war, that was NEVER in any battle.... but the entire unit received the Medal of Honor, all 864 of them. The 27th Maine Regiment. Look it up. The Medals were not rescinded until 1917, by an act of Congress.
Around 100,000 men from what was then known as British North America, now Ontario and Quebec, served in the US army in the civil war. Many were being PAID to fill the place of a wealthy young American, who had been drafted. The standard bounty was 400 to one thousand dollars if the stand in was a killed in battle. That is where the term " He bought the farm" comes from......The money was enough to buy a 125 acre farm in Canada, at that time.
The man who later wrote the music for Oh Canada, our national anthem, Calaxa Lavalle, served as the band master for a New York State Regiment. Three of the Union Army General's had previously been Generals in the British Army.
In your own words " I know lots about American history ". I call that a boast.
Come on, tell us all about your knowledge, I even gave you a couple of questions to answer.
Jim B.
Facts aren't boasting. Did you forget the claims of the topic heading here that many Americans don't know our history? I guess according to you by me saying yes I do (a fact) that's boasting?
Not interested in playing your silly games either. I don't have to prove anything to you as I am not a liar. You're a Canadian citizen so what's it to you anyway?
No, things have not gotten worse; they are simply more demanding because time marches on. History teachers evaluate and re-evaluate what should be taught, because, as I pointed out in another post, the time to teach these things is limited. Curriculum are modified to meet the requirements associated with changing demographics and political entanglements.
History cannot be taught without spin. History is spin.
Exactly! I remember when my older daughter was taking AP US History. At Back to School night the teacher, who was the greatest, said "Do I teach to the test? You bet I do!" There's just so much US history you can cover in a year.
Quote:
Originally Posted by carterstamp
Again, tell the truth about the men who founded this country. They weren't saints, they didn't have halos, they were human beings. It doesn't diminish what they accomplished. It doesn't make the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution any less valid. I don't understand why humanizing these men is in any way disrespectful.
I don't particularly like the current fad to make it sound like these guys were a bunch of sleazes. I'm not for idolizing, but good gravy! We're ALL multi-dimensional.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Oldglory
I know all about American history but I choose to live in the present unlike some that want to beat up on Americans alive today that played no role in the past good or bad.
in school for tweleve years it was always the pilgrims to just before the war of 1812, never got pass the war of 1812, so anything after that, never happen. hey i dont make the rules, that how it was for 12 years, wasnt for tv, i would never new they was a civil war. everything on ww2 i learned from hogan heroes
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