POLIS 210: Canada and the World

This book is a biography of Canada's first prime minister, a legendary political strategist who helped found a new nation in 1867. The chapters are chronological.

This two-volume work is the first full-scale biography of Canada's first prime minister in half a century. The first volume follows his life from his birth in Scotland in 1815 to his emigration with his family to Kingston, Ontario, to his days as a young, rising lawyer, to his tragedy-ridden first marriage, to his commitment to the all-but-impossible challenge of achieving Confederation, to his presiding, with his second wife Agnes, over the first Canada Day of the new Dominion in 1867. The second volume covers the rest of his life.

This book gives us the man behind the legend. Lively and revealing anecdotes of Sir John A.'s political and parliamentary life are set against stories of his private joys and sorrows. Stories of patronage, of political campaigns, loyal supporters, and bitter opponents take readers through many of the major events of nineteenth-century Canada, from the building of the CPR to the Riel Rebellions to name only a few.

Macdonald of Kingston is an exciting story about one of Canada's most colourful persons. This book reveals Sir John A. as a successful lawyer; a husband whose two marriages were marred by personal tragedies; and a forceful party leader.

Affectionately Yours contains the personal correspondence of John A. Macdonald and his family. This book is divided into four parts chronologically.

Includes two relevant chapters: "John A. Macdonald Takes the Stage" and "Confederation: The House Macdonald Built"