#HeDidNotConquer
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mdrohan.bsky.social
The majority of Canadians have been saying No to becoming Americans for 250 years. Some Americans either aren’t listening or won’t take No for an answer.

#hedidnotconquer #canada #history #book #cdaus
Opinion | Canada Said No to America. It Will Reverberate Far Beyond Its Borders.
Mark Carney has chosen suffering, but he did what Canadians elected him to do.
www.nytimes.com
August 24, 2026 at 5:14 PM
mdrohan.bsky.social
Propaganda, spies, and willing local accomplices. See how American meddling in the Alberta separatism debate resembles the tactics they used in Quebec 250 years ago.

#hedidnotconquer #canada #history #americanrevolution @revwar250.bsky.social

opencanada.org/when-america...
When America Tried to Win Canada - Open Canada
The failure of American colonists to win Canadian hearts and minds 250 years ago offers lessons for responding to current meddling in the Alberta separatism debate.
opencanada.org
July 13, 2026 at 12:21 AM
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
#OTD July 3, 1776, John Adams grumbled in a letter to his wife Abigail that had the Declaration of Independence been made seven months earlier, “we should have mastered Quebec and been in Possession of Canada.”

#hedidnotconquer #canada #history #books #americanrevolution @revwar250.bsky.social
July 3, 2026 at 6:16 PM
mdrohan.bsky.social
“Alas Canada,” John Adams (pictured) wrote July 1, 1776, “We have found Misfortune and disgrace in that Quarter.” He later said the retreat was caused by “a Complication of Circumstances, of Famine, Pestilence, Distress, Defeat, and Disgrace.”
#hedidnotconquer @dundurnpress.bsky.social
June 18, 2026 at 2:09 PM
mdrohan.bsky.social
#OTD June 8, 1776, the American troops who invaded the British colony of Canada in 1775 fought one last, disastrous battle at Trois-Rivières before resuming their headlong rush for home.

#hedidnotconquer #canada #history #books #americanrevolution @dundurnpress.bsky.social
Black and white etching of General John Sullivan of the Continental Army. He is wearing an army uniform, holding a spear, and has his hand on his hip. He looks determined.
June 8, 2026 at 6:31 PM
mdrohan.bsky.social
“The Dogs of Warr are now fairly let loose upon us.” So wrote Robert Morris, a key financial backer of the American Revolution and future founding father, #OTD June 5, 1776.

#hedidnotconquer #canada #history #books #americanrevolution #america250 @dundurnpress.bsky.social @revwar250.bsky.social
An oil portrait of a portly man from the revolutionary era. He is wearing a beige jacket and waistcoat and white neckerchief. He had his hand resting on a book. He has long hair on the sides and appears to be balding on top.
June 5, 2026 at 8:51 PM
mdrohan.bsky.social
One of the reasons the 1775-76 American invasion of Canada failed was that the residents of the British colony of Canada set aside their historical grievances and united to defend Quebec City.

#hedidnotconquer #canada #books #history #americanrevolution #cdnpoli
Four people are standing in front of a panelled wood door marked Senate Chamber, two men and two women. The men are holding copies of the book He Did Not Conquer: Benjamin Franklin’s Failure to Annex Canada. Everyone is smiling.
May 28, 2026 at 5:03 AM
mdrohan.bsky.social
After Benjamin Franklin fled Montreal on May 11, 1776, his fellow commissioners Charles Carroll and Samuel Chase stayed behind in the forlorn hope that the American invasion of Canada could still succeed if more troops, food, and money were sent north.

#hedidnotconquer #canada #history #books
An oil portrait of Charles Carroll of Carrollton. He is wearing a dark coat and white neckerchief. He has silver-grey hair swept back from his face and looks distinguished.
May 27, 2026 at 2:09 PM
knight54.bsky.social
www.linkedin.com/posts/christ...
#cicyeg #hedidnotconquer | Christina Hamer, PhD
📣 Event Alert! Join the University of Alberta Political Science Speakers' Series and CIC Edmonton to hear how He Did Not Conquer! Before Donald Trump in 2025, before James Madison in 1812, Benjamin ...
www.linkedin.com
May 27, 2026 at 5:51 AM
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
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
When Benjamin Franklin fled Montreal for Philadelphia on May 11, his two fellow commissioners remained behind in the hope that they might still be able to salvage the American invasion of Canada and set up a new government.

#hedidnotconquer #canada #history #books #americanrevolution Dundurn Press
An oil portrait of Charles Carroll of Carrollton. He is wearing a dark jacket with what looks like a fur collar. He has a white neckerchief. His hair is silver-gray and is swept back from his face.
May 17, 2026 at 4:46 PM
mdrohan.bsky.social
Quebec City is central to the story I tell in my book about Benjamin Franklin’s failure to annex Canada. I was delighted to speak at the Morrin Centre there last night. My thanks to Noora Heiskanen of the centre, Renald Grégoire of the CIC, and everyone who came.
#hedidnotconquer #canada #history
Three people standing in front of an audience at the Morrin Centre in Quebec City: author Madelaine Drohan (short grey hair, glasses, green jacket), Renald Grégoire of the Quebec section of the Canadian International Council (wearing a pale blue shirt), and Noora Heiskanen of the Morrin Centre (long brown hair, wearing a patterned top). They are standing in front of a banner with CIC on it. There are bookshelves behind them.
May 12, 2026 at 7:09 PM
mdrohan.bsky.social
#OTD May 11, 1776, Benjamin Franklin fled Montreal after learning that British war ships had arrived at Quebec City and were sailing up the St. Lawrence River.

The American invasion of the British colony of Canada was collapsing.

#hedidnotconquer #canada #history #books #americanrevolution
A black and white image of an elderly Benjamin Franklin. He is balding and looks serious. He is wearing a waistcoat with a jacket over it and a white neckerchief.
May 11, 2026 at 12:27 PM
mdrohan.bsky.social
Guy Carleton, British governor of the colony of Canada, showed mercy to American invaders when they abandoned their siege of Quebec City on May 6 and fled into the woods.
#hedidnotconquer #canada #history #books #quebec #americanrevolution @dundurnpress.bsky.social
A portrait of Sir Guy Carleton, governor of Canada during the American Revolution. He is wearing a red, military uniform, with a black collar, and a white neckerchief. He has grey hair and is gazing off to the right.
May 10, 2026 at 11:35 AM
mdrohan.bsky.social
Stanbridge East lies close to the path American invaders took in 1775 as they fought their way to Montreal — and when they made their hasty exit in 1776.
#hedidnotconquer #canada #history #books @amrevmuseum.bsky.social @dundurnpress.bsky.social #americanrevolution
Two women stand on either side of red, British, military uniform worn by a loyalist during the American Revolution. The uniform is on exhibit at the Missisquoi Museum in Stanbridge East, Quebec. The women are smiling.
May 9, 2026 at 12:09 PM
mdrohan.bsky.social
When the British frigate HMS Surprise appeared before Quebec City #OTD May 6, 1776, the American troops besieging the city panicked and fled. It was the beginning of the end of the American invasion of the colony of Canada.

#hedidnotconquer #canada #history #books #BritishNavy #masterandcommander
An old oil painting of the HMS Surprise, a British frigate in the late 1700s. It is at anchor, with its sails furled, and is surrounded by smaller boats. It is flying the blue ensign off its stern. The colours are subdued.
May 6, 2026 at 4:18 PM
mdrohan.bsky.social
Will the next revolution start in Canada? I wrote about the similarities between Canadians today and the American colonists prior to the revolution. There are more than you think.
#hedidnotconquer #canada #history #americanrevolution
Should Canadians Resist, Surrender or Rebel Against Trump? The American Revolution Provides Some Guidance - Open Canada
A strained relationship with a dominant power, unpredictable leadership, and deep dependence, Canadians now face a dilemma the American colonists would recognize. Is it time to resist?
opencanada.org
May 6, 2026 at 1:50 PM
mdrohan.bsky.social
Benjamin Franklin got a nasty shock when he arrived in Canada and discovered the French Canadians would not accept the newly-created, American paper currency.

#hedidnotconquer #canada #history #books Dundurn Press #americanrevolution
A sepia-toned bill for eight dollars labelled Continental Currency. It has a harp on the left-hand side and the margins are decorated with elaborate scrolls. The printing says the bearer is entitled to eight, Spanish-milled dollars or their value in gold or silver.
May 3, 2026 at 1:12 PM
mdrohan.bsky.social
#OTD April 29, 1776, Benjamin Franklin arrived in Montreal, occupied by American troops since the previous November.
Franklin, Charles Carroll and Samuel Chase, had been sent to Canada by the Continental Congress.

#hedidnotconquer #canada #history #books #montreal #americanrevolution
A sepia-toned etching of Benjamin Franklin. He is wearing a fur cap, dark jacket and white neckerchief. He is looking sideways through spectacles and has a serious expression.
April 29, 2026 at 3:21 PM
mdrohan.bsky.social
When Benjamin Franklin arrived in France in December 1776, he stayed with Jacques-Barthélémy Gruel, a Nantes shipowner who made a fortune in the slave trade.

#hedidnotconquer #Canada #history #books #AmericanRevolution @dundurnpress.bsky.social
A coloured drawing of a French slave ship from the 1700s. The bottom two decks hold barrels. The next deck up is crammed with enslaved people. The top deck is clear.
April 23, 2026 at 8:31 AM
mdrohan.bsky.social
I wish Mike Myers had given PM Mark Carney a statue of Sir Guy Carleton instead of General Isaac Brock.

Everything the PM said about the War of 1812 in his video applies equally to the American invasion of Canada in 1775.

#hedidnotconquer #Canada #history #books #AmericanRevolution
A portrait of Sir Guy Carleton, governor of the British colony of Canada. He is wearing a red army jacket, trimmed with gold, and a white neckerchief. He has white hair and a serious expression.
April 20, 2026 at 6:25 AM
mdrohan.bsky.social
Benjamin Franklin was in Saratoga on his way to Canada in 1776 when he began to have doubts about whether he and two colleagues could salvage the faltering American invasion of the British colony.
#hedidnotconquer #canada #history #books #americanrevolution @dundurnpress.bsky.social
Painting of Benjamin Franklin reading a document. He is wearing spectacles and a grey wig. He has on a blue coat with gold decorations.
April 15, 2026 at 8:23 AM
mdrohan.bsky.social
#OTD April 9, 1776, it took Benjamin Franklin, Samuel Chase, and Charles Carroll of Carrollton an entire day to travel 51 km (32 mi) from Albany, NY, to Saratoga.

They were on their way to Montreal to salvage the faltering American invasion of Canada.

#hedidnotconquer #canada #history #books
A sepia-toned etching of Charles Carroll of Carrollton, who accompanied Benjamin Franklin to Montreal in 1776. He has a full head of hair and is wearing a dark jacket and white neckcloth. He has a serious expression.
April 9, 2026 at 6:59 AM