Samuel Moffett and the Americanization of Canada - Book Report/Review Example

 Samuel Moffett and the Americanization of CanadaIntroduction“Samuel Moffett and the Americanization of Canada” appears as an interesting article and is one of the most intriguing chapters of the book, “Canada: An American Nation? Essays on Continentals, Identity, And The Canadian Frame Of Mind” by Allan C. L. Smith. This book ponders on the influences Canadians receive from the United States and raises question on their identity crisis. It is actually a compilation of essay that is based on the preoccupied thought that Canada can be best comprehended if looked upon from the perspective of the influences the United States have on it.

The chapter or the article “Samuel Moffett and the Americanization of Canada” actually receives its name from the book by Moffett bearing the same title and the essay intends to discuss and explore the perspective of Moffett in this book regarding the virtual identity and identity crisis of the Canadians along with their attempt to dissipate it from that of the United States.Thesis StatementThis review intends to explore the contention put forwarded by Allan C. L. Smith in his essay “Samuel Moffett and the Americanization of Canada” regarding the identical identity of the populations of the United States and Canada.

The essay tries to navigate the point of affirmation and resemblance with respect to the original book by Moffett.Samuel Moffett and the Americanization of Canada: The ReviewTo explore the central theme or contention presented in the article by Allan C. L. Smith, it is essential to discuss the central theme captivated in the historically important document by Samuel. E. Moffett in his enlightening book, Americanization of Canada. The book discusses and renders information on the metamorphosis that occurred at the turn-of-the century focusing on the Canadian emigration and immigration.

A deep thought at the content of the book enables the readers to understand that the argument put forwarded by Moffett is highly influenced by the Manifest Destiny and he does not put his enough focus on the French Canadian, putting more influence on the English Canada. Allan Smith takes this queue and continues his essay hailing the fact that Anglo-Saxon solidarity gained importance and a mutual harmony was very evident. In fact the European submission in front of the emerging American power was manifested.

Moffett’s progressive bent of mind and his staunch belief of continentals found profound affirmation and conformation in the essay. At the same time, Moffett’s vision that development of communication and trade compelled the Canadians to embrace the culture of their immediate super power neighbor and eventually the protest of the English Canadians to succumb to the Americanization of Canada is looked upon by Smith from different perspective which includes its dissimilar southern neighbors as well.

The power of the environment or the natural sharing of the geographical contour provided the most suitable base and acted as a latent factor in bringing the two societies together and this has been the interesting phenomena and intriguing one in the Moffett’s document. This share of the most valid factor responsible for amalgamating the two distinct societies of Canada and the United States finds a better explanation in the essay by Smith.Lastly, Smith himself contends that the book by Moffett and his provocative thesis captivated in the book, “The Americanization of Canada” is beyond any criticism, yet the shortcomings of the book are very subtly dealt in the essay by Smith and somehow he is able to create a moderate view on the most extreme contentions presented by Moffett in his book.

The article is mostly drawn from the book by Samuel E. Moffett’s “The Americanization of Canada”. But other scholarly books and articles also influence the course of thesis in the article. The prime among them are “The Americanization of the World” or, “The Trend of the Twentieth Century” and America’s exemplary civilizing functions and its lengthy history is influenced by Manifest Destiny of Frederick Merk.The article is coherent and Smith has taken enough pain to take up Moffett’s subtle and intriguing arguments slowly and explained each of them with proper scientific and logical bent of perception.

The essay includes enough enriched perspective of both the societies and is judgmental on the basis of its socio-economic and socio-cultural facets. This includes a detailed discussion on myriad economic and sociological issues of the belt and its relation with the history of the area is therefore explicitly linked and discussed.There is no major shortcoming of this article. Yet, at places Smith seems very repetitive and at times incongruity with the prior logic seems to lose its proper establishment making the article incoherent.

But each time with a new initiation of a point, the coherence gets established diminishing the lacuna of incongruity. ConclusionThe virtual identity of Canadian and American society and the gradual identity crisis of the Canadian society through its Americanization have found profound expression in many historical texts. But the article by Allan Smith definitely is one of the most euphemistic and evocative papers in terms of its content and expression (Smith, A. C. L., “Canada-- An American Nation?

: Essays On Continentalism, Identity, And The Canadian Frame Of Mind”). Work CitedSmith, Allan C. L. Canada-- An American Nation?: Essays On Continentalism, Identity, And The Canadian Frame Of Mind McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP, 1994.