#HeDidNotConquer
LightNews LightNews
mdrohan.bsky.social
When French Canadians refused Benjamin Franklin’s invitation to join the American Revolution in 1776, it was a foundational moment for modern Canada. I loved discussing it today with the Rotary Club of Old Montreal.
#hedidnotconquer #history #canada #AmericanRevolution @dundurnpress.bsky.social
A picture of two women and four men smiling and holding copies of the book, He Did Not Conquer: Benjamin Franklin’s Failure to Annex Canada. They are wearing business dress and standing in front of a screen on which is projected the lyrics to O Canada!
December 12, 2025 at 10:10 PM
mdrohan.bsky.social
Trump pitching making Canada the 51st state on election day. Clear case of foreign interference (and a lot of magical thinking).
#HeDidNotConquer #cdnpoli #Canada #250Canada
April 28, 2025 at 2:06 PM
mdrohan.bsky.social
I was worried that the story of Benjamin Franklin and Canada might not seem as compelling to audiences in Western Canada. Today’s event at the Brock House Society in Vancouver put those fears to rest. Lots of good questions about our shared history!

#hedidnotconquer #cdahistory #history #books
November 25, 2025 at 11:59 PM
mdrohan.bsky.social
This makes me very happy!

#hedidnotconquer #cdahistory #history #books @dundurnpress.bsky.social
November 25, 2025 at 11:18 PM
mdrohan.bsky.social
Dropped into #Indigo at the Rideau Centre today. No matter how many books you write, it is a good feeling the first time you see copies on display.
#hedidnotconquer @dundurnpress.bsky.social #cdaus #cdahist
Woman standing in a book store, smiling, holding two copies of the book, He Did Not Conquer: Benjamin Franklin’s Failure to Annex Canada. She is wearing a blue raincoat. There is a table piled with books beside her.
October 8, 2025 at 4:44 PM
mdrohan.bsky.social
We all have self-proclaimed victims in our lives who are difficult to deal with. Imagine facing them across a negotiating table when the stakes are high. That's where PM Carney finds himself now.
#cdaus #cdahist #CIC #hedidnotconquer
Canada’s Difficulty in Dealing with the Victim-in-Chief - Open Canada
Two and a half centuries after Benjamin Franklin cast the young United States as the aggrieved party to pry concessions from Britain, the same playbook appears to be back in circulation.
opencanada.org
October 20, 2025 at 1:48 PM
mdrohan.bsky.social
Really enjoyed speaking with Larry Ostola of the Champlain Society about my book and its relevance to Canada-US relations today.

#hedidnotconquer #canada #history #cdaus #americanrevolution
@dundurnpress.bsky.social @revolution250.bsky.social
champlainsociety.utppublishing.com
January 28, 2026 at 4:56 PM
mdrohan.bsky.social
The Americans were mistaken.
Illustration is from Canada Invaded by George Stanley.

#hedidnotconquer #canada #history #books @dundurnpress.bsky.social
December 4, 2025 at 1:07 PM
mdrohan.bsky.social
I really enjoyed speaking with such a knowledgeable host about why the events of 250 years ago still matter today.

#hedidnotconquer #canada #history #books #americanrevolution @dundurnpress.bsky.social
Madelaine Drohan: Long Before Trump, Franklin Failed to Annex Canada | TVO Today Live
YouTube video by TVO Today
youtu.be
May 22, 2026 at 1:26 AM
mdrohan.bsky.social
Do you have a special person on your list who is always difficult to buy for? Get my book. It puts Donald Trump’s threats to make Canada the 51st state into context.

#hedidnotconquer #history #books #americanrevolution @dundurnpress.bsky.social
Photo show a book, He Did Not Conquer: Benjamin Franklin’s Failure to Annex Canada, beside a holiday arrangement of cedar branches, fairy lights and tree ornaments.
December 19, 2025 at 11:28 PM
mdrohan.bsky.social
Trump is not inventing a new foreign policy with his threats to Greenland. He’s resurrecting an approach that is 250 years old.

#hedidnotconquer #canada #cdaus #history @dundurnpress.bsky.social @revwar250.bsky.social
America’s Roots are Showing with its Threat to Greenland – Centre for International Policy Studies
Canada's leading centre for analysis and debate of international affairs.
www.cips-cepi.ca
January 14, 2026 at 10:14 PM
mdrohan.bsky.social
It’s an important part of our history and something I cover in my forthcoming book about Franklin’s many attempts to make Canada American. It didn’t start with Trump.

#HeDidNotConquer #BenFranklin
#CdaUS
March 10, 2025 at 2:18 AM
mdrohan.bsky.social
Thanks to Ben McNally Books for hosting the Toronto launch my book, published by @dundurnpress.bsky.social

#hedidnotconquer #cdahist #cdaus #canada #Canada250
October 30, 2025 at 6:35 PM
mdrohan.bsky.social
They backed the party they felt best able to resist Trump’s desire to turn Canada into the 51st state. The Liberals would not have won without the support of French Canadians.
#HeDidNotConquer #histodons #cdnpoli #250Canada
April 29, 2025 at 3:13 PM
mdrohan.bsky.social
I’m really pleased @theglobeandmail.com said my book He Did Not Conquer: Benjamin Franklin’s Failure to Annex Canada (@dundurnpress) is a must-read. Trump’s threats to make Canada the 51st state have made it relevant.
#hedidnotconquer #cdaus #cdahist #dundurn

www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/book...
Here are 61 books to add to your must-read list this fall
New memoirs from Margaret Atwood and Arundhati Roy, buzzy fiction by Mona Awad and more notable reads this season
www.theglobeandmail.com
October 9, 2025 at 2:01 PM
mdrohan.bsky.social
Benjamin Franklin received a disappointing birthday present when he turned 70 years old #OTD January 17, 1776. He and fellow delegates to the Continental Congress learned that the Continental Army failed to take Quebec City by storm more than two weeks earlier.

#hedidnotconquer #canada #history
Black and white etching made to appear old-fashioned of Benjamin Franklin with a birthday cake in front of him. He is wearing spectacles and is pursing his lips.
January 17, 2026 at 1:54 PM
mdrohan.bsky.social
Who says you can’t have fun while talking about your book? I had a great time this evening discussing Benjamin Franklin’s failure to annex Canada with an informed and engaged Winnipeg audience.

#hedidnotconquer #canada #history #books #americanrevolution @dundurnpress.bsky.social
A woman with short grey hair and glasses, wearing a red jacket is laughing. She is standing beside a lectern and a banner that reads CIC Winnipeg branch. She appears to be giving a speech in a bookshop.
May 26, 2026 at 3:27 AM
mdrohan.bsky.social
It's a wonderful feeling when 5 years of research and writing comes to fruition. The thought that immediately follows is that the work is not done because you now have to promote it. I am grateful for all the help I received along the way.

#HeDidNotConquer #Dundurn #cdaUS #cdnpoli #Canada250
Photo of author Madelaine Drohan holding a copy of her new book, He Did Not Conquer: Benjamin Franklin's Failure to Annex Canada. There is a box full of author's copies of the book in front of her. She has short, gray hair and glasses and is smiling.
August 13, 2025 at 2:22 PM
mdrohan.bsky.social
In the image, from a battle in late December, the British soldiers and Canadian militia are dressed in white.

#hedidnotconquer #history #canada #books #AmericanRevolution @dundurnpress.bsky.social
December 10, 2025 at 4:49 PM
mdrohan.bsky.social
@economist.com Checks and Balance podcast wants listeners to name their favourite founding father. I picked John Adams. Here is why:

#hedidnotconquer #canada #history #books @dundurnpress.bsky.social @america250.bsky.social @revwar250.bsky.social
Two separate portraits of Abigail and John Adams. She is wearing a lace cap and shawl. He is dressed in a black jacket and white neckerchief. They are middle-aged. Both look serious.
July 4, 2026 at 1:38 PM
mdrohan.bsky.social
Why should Canadians care about Benjamin Franklin’s failure to annex Canada?
I make the case to Antonio Michael Downing on CBC Radio’s The Next Chapter. My bit starts 10 minutes in.

www.cbc.ca/listen/live-...

#hedidnotconquer #canada #history #books #americanrevolution @dundurnpress.bsky.social
Photo of a woman with short grey hair and glasses, with headphones on. She is wearing a checked shirt. She is smiling.
December 22, 2025 at 2:03 PM
mdrohan.bsky.social
One of the reasons the Americans failed to conquer Canada in 1775-76 was they under-estimated how hard it would be and did not allocate sufficient men, money, weapons, and provisions.

#hedidnotconquer #canada #history #books #americanrevolution @dundurnpress.bsky.social @revwar250.bsky.social
Black and white etching of Charles Lee, an American general during the revolution. He is wearing an army uniform and hat.
March 1, 2026 at 1:04 PM
mdrohan.bsky.social
If anyone had any doubts about where Trump intends to go next, these faked photos, which MSN says Trump posted last night, make it clear.
Take a look at the map showing Canada covered by the American flag.
#hedidnotconquer #canada #cdaus #history #books @dundurnpress.bsky.social
January 20, 2026 at 12:26 PM
mdrohan.bsky.social
Had a really enjoyable evening discussing my book with the Friends of Lifelong Learning at the Glebe Centre in Ottawa. What a great group!
#cdahistory #cdaus #hedidnotconquer
Woman with grey hair and glasses wearing a red sweater stands beside a screen showing the cover of the book He Did Not Conquer: Benjamin Franklin’s Failure to Annex Canada. Below the screen is a marble fireplace.
November 11, 2025 at 12:08 AM
mdrohan.bsky.social
About 1,700 Americans laid siege to the fort. It was defended by about 500 British regulars, 120 French Canadians, and their indigenous allies. It took the invaders almost a month to capture the fort and resume their march on Montreal. Winter was fast approaching.

#HeDidNotConquer #cdaUS #cdaHist
September 6, 2025 at 3:10 PM