Idea of Liberty in Canada During the Age of Atlantic Revolutions, 1776-1838

Michel Ducharme is assistant professor in the Department of History at the University of British Columbia.

" … for today's young scholars, it is imperative to have a sense of the historical development of how society evolved in the New World so as to be able to compare and contrast what happened in the past with what is currently occurring in society. Indeed, Ducharme's valiant efforts do much to provide the necessary background for achieving this goal." American Review of Canadian Studies "Ducharme writes clearly and lucidly; his presentation of the material is straightforward and accessible, and the work is refreshingly balanced. I was impressed with his ability to point directly to the sources of inspiration of colonial political writers. He presents readers with a considerable amount of original documentary material, much of it, especially for Lower Canada, relatively little known. We have learned a great deal from Greer's Patriots and the People about the struggles from below that lead to 1837. Ducharme offers a major advance in our understanding about struggles from above. This book will be agenda-setting." Bruce Curtis, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Carleton University "This will be an unavoidable text in the literature on the history of ideas in Quebec." Ollivier Hubert, Département d'histoire, Université de Montréal "A thoroughly researched, well-argued, and well-written book. Highly recommended." Choice "The Idea of Liberty puts forward a thought-provoking and convincing reinterpretation of the intellectual history of late eighteenth-and early nineteenth-century Quebec and Ontario. It also provides a new approach to the origins, course, and outcome of the rebellions of 1837 and 1838 in both provinces… The Idea of Liberty is an intellectually engaging and exciting book that will be of interest to both scholars and the general public." - Vivien Hughes, British Journal of Canadian Studies"The Idea of Liberty presents an intriguing and well-argued case for the importance of differing ideas of liberty in the lead-up to the Upper and Lower Canada rebellions. Ducharme's use of an Atlantic perspective contextualizes the rebellions in a way that will be useful for historians studying how wider intellectual trends shaped preconfederation Canada." H-Net Reviews