La perception de la Guerre de Sécession dans la presse québécoise, 1861-1865

An examination of the views that future Quebecers, Anglophone and Francophone, held of the United States Civil War in the years leading up to Canada's Confederation. The discussions leading up to Confederation were sensitive, especially given that at the same time, south of the border, there was an exemplary case of the difficult relationship between different levels of government. The author argues that whether one was Liberal or Conservative, Anglophone or Francophone, one's take on Confederation was influenced at least in part by the American conflict and by the lessons that it was thought to teach. The perception of Anglophones and Francophones in the future Province of Quebec is analyzed by the author through the press, using the Conservative papers The Morning Chronicle and La Minerve and the Liberal papers Le Pays and the Montreal Wtiness. The central conclusion drawn by the author is that political allegiance was more important than other considerations, including language and religion, in determining the take on the Civil War: the Morning Chronicle and La Minerve spoke very much with the same voice while there was a profound difference of opinion between Le Pays and La Minerve, despite the common language. Likewise, the Montreal Witness and Le Pays had roughly similar positions, and the Montreal Witness was in quite clear opposition with the Morning Chronicle. The author concludes that the central importance of political allegiance meant that the analysis of the Civil War itself was often of secondary importance in the coverage of the event by these newspapers, coverage that served rather as a pretext for commenting on Canadian politics.

Master's Thesis

Université Laval

Québec

2010

157p.

fr