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Thomas D'Arcy McGee, Volume 2The Extreme Moderate, 1857-1868 |
eBook Available
A compelling and comprehensive biography of Thomas D'Arcy McGee's political career in Canada.
After a tumultuous career as a revolutionary in Ireland and an ultra-conservative Catholic in the United States, Thomas D'Arcy McGee moved to Canada in 1857, where he became a force for moderation and the leading Irish Canadian politician in the country. Determined that Canada should avoid the ethno-religious strife that afflicted Ireland, he articulated an inclusive, broad-minded nationalism based on generosity of spirit, a willingness to compromise, and a reasonable balance between order and liberty.
To realize his vision, McGee became a strong supporter of the "new northern nationality." A spellbinding orator who emerged as the youngest and most intellectually gifted of the Fathers of Confederation, he fought what he saw as the atavistic and intolerant elements of Canadian life - the Orange Order, with its strident anti-Catholicism; the opponents of separate schools, whom he viewed as enemies of minority rights; and above all the Fenian Brotherhood, with its dreams of revolutionizing Ireland and annexing Canada to the United States. Convinced that compromise with Fenianism was impossible, he set out to destroy the movement through a strategy of confrontation and polarization - channeling his earlier extreme tendencies in the service of moderation and attempting to reduce the influence of Fenianism within his own community. In the process, he alienated many of his former supporters, who came to regard him as a traitor who sacrificed the cause of Irish nationalism on the altar of personal ambition. On 7 April 1868, McGee was assassinated on the doorstep of his Ottawa boarding house.
As someone who took an uncompromising stand against militants within his own ethno-religious community, and who attempted to balance core values with minority rights, McGee has become increasingly relevant in today's complex multicultural society.
To realize his vision, McGee became a strong supporter of the "new northern nationality." A spellbinding orator who emerged as the youngest and most intellectually gifted of the Fathers of Confederation, he fought what he saw as the atavistic and intolerant elements of Canadian life - the Orange Order, with its strident anti-Catholicism; the opponents of separate schools, whom he viewed as enemies of minority rights; and above all the Fenian Brotherhood, with its dreams of revolutionizing Ireland and annexing Canada to the United States. Convinced that compromise with Fenianism was impossible, he set out to destroy the movement through a strategy of confrontation and polarization - channeling his earlier extreme tendencies in the service of moderation and attempting to reduce the influence of Fenianism within his own community. In the process, he alienated many of his former supporters, who came to regard him as a traitor who sacrificed the cause of Irish nationalism on the altar of personal ambition. On 7 April 1868, McGee was assassinated on the doorstep of his Ottawa boarding house.
As someone who took an uncompromising stand against militants within his own ethno-religious community, and who attempted to balance core values with minority rights, McGee has become increasingly relevant in today's complex multicultural society.
Details
528 Pages, 6 x 9
35 illustrations
ISBN 9780773542969
July 2013
Formats: Paperback, eBook
"A magnificent achievement. The narrative has tension and momentum, even though we know the final tragic scene. This is the triumphant finale of years of scholarship and must rank as one of the great historical biographies of our time." Liam Kennedy, Queen's University, Belfast
"The skillful blend of McGee's own words and Wilson's analysis will surely make even the most disinterested student of history feel at least a tiny bit prouder to be Canadian." Quill & Quire
"[Wilson] demonstrates persuasively that D'Arcy McGee, erratic but often brilliant, was the poet, the orator and the most profound thinker of Canadian colonial politics. While Macdonald was a supreme practitioner of politics as the art of the possible, McGee was a representation incarnate of all the conflicts and reconciliations of religion, language, ethnicity and religion in 19th-century British North America." The Montreal Gazette
"Wilson's great contribution is to revive our knowledge of D'Arcy McGee and revise our understanding of his ideas. In contemporary culture we communicate through references to celebrities and public personalities. Wilson demonstrates that McGee fits comfortably into that pantheon of Canadians whose life stories resonate with importance. Altogether, both volumes make up a remarkable work of research and lucid writing, a compelling narrative of the man and his era. David Wilson conveys a sympathetic understanding of the tumult of real politics, the contradictions of real people, and the contributions of McGee to the ideals of this country." Victor Rabinovitch, Literary Review of Canada
"This is history well-told: insightful, detailed, and faithful to the historical record, yet displaying the clear writing and narrative drive needed to bring McGee's story - the achievements as well as the tragedy - to a general audience." Canada's History
"This double volume biography is undoubtedly the definitive study of McGee and required reading for every student of Canadian political history." OHS Bulletin
"...the definitive biography of McGee..." The Irish TImes
"Written in lucid, lively, and concise prose..." The McGill Tribune
"The book is a re-markable piece, and is therefore fit for the man who was Thomas D'Arcy McGee." Journal of Historical Biography
“As in his impressive first volume, David A. Wilson’s task has been to understand a personality who seemed ‘congenitally incapable of walking a straight line’ (p. 11)….He was 42 when he died: how might he have responded to the Pacific Scandal and Louis Riel? This splendid biography provides material for speculation.” British Journal of Canadian Studies
"The skillful blend of McGee's own words and Wilson's analysis will surely make even the most disinterested student of history feel at least a tiny bit prouder to be Canadian." Quill & Quire
"[Wilson] demonstrates persuasively that D'Arcy McGee, erratic but often brilliant, was the poet, the orator and the most profound thinker of Canadian colonial politics. While Macdonald was a supreme practitioner of politics as the art of the possible, McGee was a representation incarnate of all the conflicts and reconciliations of religion, language, ethnicity and religion in 19th-century British North America." The Montreal Gazette
"Wilson's great contribution is to revive our knowledge of D'Arcy McGee and revise our understanding of his ideas. In contemporary culture we communicate through references to celebrities and public personalities. Wilson demonstrates that McGee fits comfortably into that pantheon of Canadians whose life stories resonate with importance. Altogether, both volumes make up a remarkable work of research and lucid writing, a compelling narrative of the man and his era. David Wilson conveys a sympathetic understanding of the tumult of real politics, the contradictions of real people, and the contributions of McGee to the ideals of this country." Victor Rabinovitch, Literary Review of Canada
"This is history well-told: insightful, detailed, and faithful to the historical record, yet displaying the clear writing and narrative drive needed to bring McGee's story - the achievements as well as the tragedy - to a general audience." Canada's History
"This double volume biography is undoubtedly the definitive study of McGee and required reading for every student of Canadian political history." OHS Bulletin
"...the definitive biography of McGee..." The Irish TImes
"Written in lucid, lively, and concise prose..." The McGill Tribune
"The book is a re-markable piece, and is therefore fit for the man who was Thomas D'Arcy McGee." Journal of Historical Biography
“As in his impressive first volume, David A. Wilson’s task has been to understand a personality who seemed ‘congenitally incapable of walking a straight line’ (p. 11)….He was 42 when he died: how might he have responded to the Pacific Scandal and Louis Riel? This splendid biography provides material for speculation.” British Journal of Canadian Studies
David A. Wilson is coordinator of the Celtic Studies Program and a professor in the Department of History at the University of Toronto. He has written widely on Irish history and politics, and has made several radio documentaries on Ireland for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Illustrations ix
Acknowledgments xi
McGee Family Tree 2
Introduction 5
1 A New Northern Nationality: May - November 1857 16
PART ONE: THE REFORM ALLIANCE
2 A Twofold Dilemma: December 1857 - August 1858 43
3 An Open Debatable Space: August 1858 - November 1859 67
4 The Shield of Achilles: December 1859 - March 1861 93
5 Democracy Armed and Insolent: April 1861 - May 1862 116
6 A False Position: June 1862 - May 1863 140
PART TWO: CONSERVATISM AND CONFEDERATION
7 A Constitutional Conservative: June 1863 - February 1864 165
8 This Extraordinary Armistice: March 1864 - May 1865 196
PART THREE: FENIANISM
9 The Goula of Griffintown: March 1864 - May 1865 221
10 Uncertainty and Instability: May - December 1865 242
11 The Brethren of Sedition: December 1865 - May 1866 260
12 Those Men Deserve Death: June 1866 - January 1867 278
13 Moral Courage: February - September 1867 297
14 The Most Critical Period: October 1867 - April 1868 323
PART FOUR: ASSASSINATION
15 A Chain of Circumstantial Evidence 341
16 The Grip of Suspicion 368
17 Mutations 384
Notes 407
Bibliography 471
Index 487
Acknowledgments xi
McGee Family Tree 2
Introduction 5
1 A New Northern Nationality: May - November 1857 16
PART ONE: THE REFORM ALLIANCE
2 A Twofold Dilemma: December 1857 - August 1858 43
3 An Open Debatable Space: August 1858 - November 1859 67
4 The Shield of Achilles: December 1859 - March 1861 93
5 Democracy Armed and Insolent: April 1861 - May 1862 116
6 A False Position: June 1862 - May 1863 140
PART TWO: CONSERVATISM AND CONFEDERATION
7 A Constitutional Conservative: June 1863 - February 1864 165
8 This Extraordinary Armistice: March 1864 - May 1865 196
PART THREE: FENIANISM
9 The Goula of Griffintown: March 1864 - May 1865 221
10 Uncertainty and Instability: May - December 1865 242
11 The Brethren of Sedition: December 1865 - May 1866 260
12 Those Men Deserve Death: June 1866 - January 1867 278
13 Moral Courage: February - September 1867 297
14 The Most Critical Period: October 1867 - April 1868 323
PART FOUR: ASSASSINATION
15 A Chain of Circumstantial Evidence 341
16 The Grip of Suspicion 368
17 Mutations 384
Notes 407
Bibliography 471
Index 487
Shortlisted
J.W. Dafoe Book Prize
(2012)
Winner
Canadian Political History Prize
(2012)
Finalist
Canada Prize in the Humanities
Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences (2013)
J.W. Dafoe Book Prize
(2012)
Winner
Canadian Political History Prize
(2012)
Finalist
Canada Prize in the Humanities
Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences (2013)
