History Today

While Britain was engrossed in the struggle with Napoleon, writes J. Mackay Hitsman, a defensive war with the United States was fought along the frontiers of Upper and Lower Canada.

George Godwin charts the life of the Royal Navy commander and his exploration of the northwestern regions of contemporary Canada and USA.

From all the evidence, writes Sudie Duncan Sides, it is abundantly clear that it was harder to be a slave than a plantation mistress; but the memoirs of the time do not admit this.

In the struggle for the New World, writes Arnold Whitridge, France had no more gallant soldier.

Without dexterity and imagination historians are in danger of overlooking the telling details that complete the bigger picture, argues Mathew Lyons.

Churchill and Hitler painted scenes of the Western Front while in remarkably close proximity to one another.

In the belief that either Britain or France was about to wrest California from Mexico, writes G.G. Hatheway, an American Commodore in 1842 attempted the venture himself, with some ludicrous results.

On May 14th, 1787, a Convention met in Philadelphia to draw up the articles of “ a more perfect union”. Alexander Winston describes how the problem was “government or anarchy”.

In 1836, after a short but violent struggle, conspicuously mismanaged on both sides, Texas wrested its independence from Mexico, which had itself secured its independence from Spain only fifteen years earlier.

Esmond Wright offers the second part of his study of the early 20th century American president and moralist.