Canada and the United States

Canada and the United States surveys the Canadian-American relationship from the 1770s to the 1990s, from the American Revolution to NAFTA. Thompson and Randall go beyond traditional diplomatic history to consider the political, economic, and especially the cultural and social contexts of two centuries of North American interaction. They argue that despite a shared continent and heritage, ambivalence has always characterized relations between the two countries -- an ambivalence stemming from differences that Americans underestimate and that Canadians overstate.The authors consider the economic and social dimensions of the relationship, from Canadian responses to the increasing weight of the U.S. cultural presence, to the archaic stereotypes through which Canadians and Americans understand each other. They conclude that while Canadians have been obsessed with the United States, Canada has been a matter of consuming disinterest to the United States public and to most of its leaders.