Elizabeth Mancke presents a comparative history arguing that differences in the political cultures of Canada and the United States have their origins in changes in the governance of the British Empire in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries.

This fascinating study analyzes the evolution of libel law in Nova Scotia and Massachusetts, in the crucible of conflicts over democratic institution-building, gender roles, slavery and other religious and social reform movements. It demonstrates how individuals shaped the law, as they navigated societal change and fought with their neighbors.

At 9:06 in the morning of December 6, 1917 in the City of Halifax, Nova Scotia two ships collided. Minutes later there was an apocalyptic explosion followed by a blizzard of flying glass, splintered wood and white hot metal falling from the sky. In an instant almost 2,000 people lay dead and another 9,000 wounded and thousands left homeless. This set in motion the greatest rescue mission ever known at the time between the United States and Canada. Within hours, without authority or hesitation the City of Boston and the State of Massachusetts pulled together all their medical resources and went to the aid of Halifax. This is the story of unprecedented compassion, mercy, and heroism. It speaks of the eternal friendship and helping hands across the border between the State of Massachusetts and the people of Nova Scotia. This humanitarian rescue mission was never forgotten. Every year a special thank you gift is sent to Boston from the people of Nova Scotia. This gift symbolizes peace on earth, hope and light in the darkness..... a giant fifty foot Christmas tree!

NATIONAL BESTSELLER The "riveting" (National Post) tick-tock account of the largest manmade explosion in history prior to the atomic bomb, and the equally astonishing tales of survival and heroism that emerged from the ashes “Enthralling. ... Gripping. ... A captivating and emotionally investing journey.” —Pittsburgh Post-Gazette After steaming out of New York City on December 1, 1917, laden with a staggering three thousand tons of TNT and other explosives, the munitions ship Mont-Blanc fought its way up the Atlantic coast, through waters prowled by enemy U-boats. As it approached the lively port city of Halifax, Mont-Blanc's deadly cargo erupted with the force of 2.9 kilotons of TNT—the most powerful explosion ever visited on a human population, save for HIroshima and Nagasaki. Mont-Blanc was vaporized in one fifteenth of a second; a shockwave leveled the surrounding city. Next came a thirty-five-foot tsunami. Most astounding of all, however, were the incredible tales of survival and heroism that soon emerged from the rubble. This is the unforgettable story told in John U. Bacon's The Great Halifax Explosion: a ticktock account of fateful decisions that led to doom, the human faces of the blast's 11,000 casualties, and the equally moving individual stories of those who lived and selflessly threw themselves into urgent rescue work that saved thousands. The shocking scale of the disaster stunned the world, dominating global headlines even amid the calamity of the First World War. Hours after the blast, Boston sent trains and ships filled with doctors, medicine, and money. The explosion would revolutionize pediatric medicine; transform U.S.-Canadian relations; and provide physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, who studied the Halifax explosion closely when developing the atomic bomb, with history's only real-world case study demonstrating the lethal power of a weapon of mass destruction. Mesmerizing and inspiring, Bacon's deeply-researched narrative brings to life the tragedy, bravery, and surprising afterlife of one of the most dramatic events of modern times.

Despite their position between warring French and British empires, European settlers in the Maritimes eventually developed from a migrant community into a distinctive Acadian society. From Migrant to Acadian is a comprehensive narrative history of how the Acadian community came into being. Acadian culture not only survived, despite attempts to extinguish it, but developed into a complex society with a unique identity and traditions that still exist in present day Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.