Drawing Borders: The American-Canadian Relationship during the Gilded Age

(Paperback)

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Canada has not always had the role of 'friendly neighbor to the north.' In fact, the seemingly peaceful history of relations between the United States and Canada is punctuated with instances of border disputes, annexation manifestos and trade disagreements. David R. Spencer reveals the complexity of this relationship through a fascinating examination of political cartoons that appeared both in the U.S. and Canada from 1849 through the 1990s. By first examining both the cultural and political differences and similarities between the two nations, Spencer lays the groundwork for the main focus of his study - deeper analysis of the political perspectives of the editorial cartoons. Including 141 actual cartoons of the time, Spencer provides meaningful references to the historical material covered. An intriguing study by a leading Canadian-American scholar, this work is sure to interest many across the disciplines of journalism history, cartoons, media studies, communication and international relations.

Reviews

Spencer explores the personalities, political forces and controversies behind [Canadian editorial] cartoons, providing the context needed to understand each image and the message it conveyed to nineteenth-century eyes This book breaks new ground in its exploration of what scholars can learn from editorial cartoons, and through its insights into how nineteenth-century Canadians saw themselves and their place in the world, and how these themes resonate today. -- Dean Jobb, Associate Professor of Journalism, University of Kings College, Halifax, Canada
This book breaks new ground in its exploration of what scholars can learn from editorial cartoons, and through its insights into how nineteenth-century Canadians saw themselves and their place in the world, and how these themes resonate today. The cartoons and case studies Spencer has compiled could be used as a jumping-off point for lectures or seminars on Canadian-American relations. What American editorial cartoonists thought of their northern neighbor during the Victorian Age is a subject worthy of its own book, Spencer notes, but one that remains unwritten. Drawing Borders suggests such a study would shed light not only on how Americans viewed Canada, but on how they viewed themselves. -- Dean Jobb, University of King's College, Halifax, Canada * American Journalism *

Author Bio

David R. Spencer is Professor of Information and Media Studies at the University of Western Ontario, Canada.