W. J. Eccles: France In America
...history looks back at France's presence on the continent largely from the British side of events that occurred. W. J. Eccles' France In America introduces readers to French history in North America drawing largely from the french side of events. Eccles begins the book around the year 1500 with early french exploration and the events that eventually lead to colonization. France In America details the events that took place in France and french colonies from colonial beginnings to the years following the American Revolution.
William John Eccles was born in Thirsk, England on July 17, 1917. When Eccles was just a young boy, he came to Canada, where he lived the rest of his life. Eccles received his education at McGill University in Montreal and the Sorbonne in Paris (MU). After receiving his education he began teaching as a historian at the University of Manitoba in 1953. After 4 years of teaching at Manitoba he then moved on to the University of Alberta and again to the University of Toronto in 1963. Eccles is the author of several books including: Frontenac: The Courtier Governor, The Canadian Frontier, 1534-1760, and of course France in America. W. J. Eccles retired from the University of Toronto on 1983 and passed away October 2, 1998. When Eccles wrote France in America, he did so with the argument that even though the modern day presence of French speaking people in North America is very small, that was not always the case. Eccles argues that France once controlled far greater amounts of land than England and therefore France plays an important role in American History. Since most Americans have only heard history from the British perspective that his book "views events and developments from the French rather than the English side of the hill" (Eccles xii).
France in America introduces readers to events and developments throughout North...
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