The Education of Canadians, 1800-1867: The Roots of Separatism

An account of the development of education in Upper and Lower Canada from the beginning of the nineteenth century until Confederation. The author's thesis, deemed by several critics to be oversimplified, is that during the period under review an alliance composed of Egerton Ryerson (the chief superintendent for Canada West from 1846 to 1876), the hierarchies of the Anglican and Roman Catholic churches, and the Conservative Party deliberately foisted upon French- and English-speaking Canadians an educational system which was colonial-minded and excessively pro-British. The author argues that the population of the two Canadas wanted a secular, government-run education system. The "separatism" referred to in the book's title is that of Church and State.

Montreal

Harvest House

1968

xiii-145p.

en