Canadian State Trials, Volume II: Rebellion and Invasion in the Canadas, 1837-1839 (Osgoode Society for Canadian Legal History) - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1442657677 ISBN 13: 9781442657670

Publisher: University of Toronto Press, 2002

Synopsis

This second volume of the Canadian State Trials series focuses on the largest state security crisis in 19th century Canada: the rebellions of 1837-1838 and associated patriot invasions in Upper and Lower Canada (Ontario and Québec). Historians have long debated the causes and implications of the rebellions, but until now have done remarkably little work on the legal aspects of the insurrections and their aftermath. Given that over 350 men were tried for treason or equivalent offences in connection with the rebellions, this volume is long overdue.

The essays collected here, written by prominent Canadian historians, legal scholars, and archivists, break new ground in the existing historiography of the rebellions by presenting the first comprehensive examination of the legal dimensions of the crises. In addition to examining trials and court martial proceedings, the essays examine their political, social, and comparative contexts, including the passage of emergency legislation and executive supervision of legal responses, the treatment of women, and the plight of political convicts transported to the Australian penal colonies. Canadian State Trials, Volume Two contributes significantly to the ongoing reassessment of the rebellion period.

About this title

About the Author:

The late Frank Murray Greenwood was Associate Professor Emeritus of History at the University of British Columbia.

Review:

'The authors take a very broad, but clearly defined, view of 'state trials' and, in doing so, add considerably ... to our understanding of the colonial state in the first half of the 19th century, the ways in which authorities responded to extraordinary challenges from below, and the functioning of the rule of law within the British Empire. Indeed, the [book] fills a major hole in historiography.' James Naylor, Department of History, Brandon University

About this edition

• Publisher: University of Toronto Press
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 1442657677
• ISBN 13: 9781442657670
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 522
• Editor: Greenwood F. Murray, Wright Barry