The British victory on the Plains of Abraham in September 1759 and the subsequent Conquest of Canada were undoubtedly significant geopolitical events, but their nature and implications continue to be debated. Revisiting 1759 provides a fresh historical reappraisal of the Conquest and its aftermath using new approaches drawn from military, imperial, social, and Aboriginal history.

This cohesive collection investigates many of the most hotly contested questions surrounding the Conquest: Was the battle itself a crucial turning point, or just one element in the global struggle between France and Great Britain? Did the battle's outcome reflect the superior strategy of General James Wolfe or rather errors on both sides? Did the Conquest alter the long-term trajectories of the French and British empires or simply confirm patterns well underway? How formative was the Conquest in defining the new British America and those now living under its rule?

As this collection makes vividly clear, the Conquest's most profound consequences may in fact be quite different from those that have traditionally been emphasized.

Revisiting 1759 provides a fresh historical reappraisal of the Conquest and its aftermath using new approaches drawn from military, imperial, social, and Aboriginal history.

Contents

Preface
Contributors

I Introduction
II 'One more card to play': Revisiting Wolfe's Final Stratagem at Quebec
III Crossing the Line? The British Army and the Application of European 'Rules of War' in North America in the Quebec Campaign
IV Falling into Oblivion? Canada and the French Monarchy, 1759-1783
V 1759: The Perils of Success
VI The Slow Process of Conquest: Huron-Wendat Responses to the Conquest of Quebec, 1697-1791
VII The Consequences of Conquest: Quebec and British Politics, 1760-1774
VIII Commercial Interest and Political Allegiance: The Origins of the Quebec Act
IX The Conquered and the Conqueror: The Mutual Adaptation of the Canadiens and the British, 1759-1775
X 'Delivered from all your distresses': The Fall of Quebec and the Remaking of Nova Scotia
XI 'Cutting Heads from Shoulders': The Conquest of Quebec in Gaelic Thought, 1759-1791