Nova Scotia's Massachusetts: A Study of Massachusetts-Nova Scotia Relations, 1630 to 1784

Montreal and London: McGill-Queen's University Press, 1978. 1st Edition . Hardcover. Very Good/Very Good. The interior of the book is crisp and tight. There is a former owner's signature on the front free end paper, but no other marks, damage, or even signs of use. The black cloth covers are clean, with just a touch of rubbing at corners. The dust jacket is also in very good condition, with a price clip on the bottom corner of the front flap and moderate edge wear. The attached scan should give a better idea of general condition. Synopsis: "This book is primarily concerned with two facets of Massachusetts' relationship with Nova Scotia: the economic stranglehold over the neighbouring colony during most of the period from 1630 to 1784 and the various military thrusts sent from New England . Instead of seeing the expansion of New England into Nova Scotia as leading inevitably and naturally to the expulsion of the Acadians in 1755, Professor Rawlyk perceives Massachusetts' interest in the area suddenly declining after the Louisbourg campaign of 1745. The military expeditions did not represent a growing Massachusetts imperialism but were rather the expression of temporary enthusiasm and concern. They represented a response, not to popular demand, but to the political pressure of certain interest groups and the shrill rhetoric of various propagandists. After 1755 whatever sympathetic concern Massachusetts had for its neighbouring colony virtually disappeared. Nova Scotia was regarded as a backward Anglophile colony incapable and unworthy of political redemption. This indifference, together with other factors, meant that when the American Revolution broke out, Nova Scotia rejected it.