The Past Speaks

John A. Macdonald, 1875. Image from Library and Archives Canada

Senator Hugh Segal has published a piece in the Toronto Star arguing that Canadians should pay more attention to Sir John A. Macdonald. Segal notes that the bicentennial of Macdonald’s birth (2015) is rapidly approaching and that we should begin planning celebrations similar to the Lincoln bicentennial in the United States (2009).

I couldn’t agree more. In fact, I have recently become involved in a project that will involve the creation of a first-class website devoted to the life, times, and digitized correspondence of Macdonald. (details to follow). I am also in the process of designing a course for undergraduate entitled “The Life and Times of Sir John A. Macdonald”.  This course will use Macdonald’s life as a vehicle for teaching Canadian history, 1815-1891.