This is because most Americans fail to remember, if they ever knew, that the first English-speaking Canadians were ‘Loyalists.’

These ‘Loyalists’ were people who chose to remain loyal to British rule when the thirteen American colonies rebelled against England in the 1770’s. While the colonists regarded their action as a rebellion against tyranny, the ‘Loyalists’ regarded it as a rebellion against the established ‘law and order.’ Again, it depended upon whose ‘ox’ you were considering.

Anti-British mobs tarred, feathered and sometimes even murdered the ‘Loyalists,’ who were forced to flee, literally for their lives. They went to Canada. In most cases they lost their personal property and lands, which were confiscated and never paid for.

In the early years of the American War for Independence, it seemed only logical to the rebelling colonists that the French in the north would gladly join them in ousting the British from North America. So colonial forces invaded Canada. But despite some early success the invasion was a failure.

The major obstacle was that the inhabitants of Canada, whether French or ‘Loyalist,’ did not want to become part of the new American setup. The Americans considered this an example of people who did not know what was good for them. Why, a chance to throw off the British yoke and join the free Americans! How could the Canadians refuse? But they did, and the invasion began a long era of bitter feeling between the two countries.