THE PATRIOTS IN 2026…
By Bernard Bujold -
On this National Patriots’ Day (Monday, May 19, 2026), as we seek to honor their memory, many will want to compare Paul Saint-Pierre Plamondon’s proposed referendum with Louis Joseph Papineau’s mission in 1837.
Papineau envisioned a Lower Canada (now Quebec) independent from England, but allied with the United States, or even becoming a U.S. state. Papineau admired the U.S. Constitution and had even taken refuge in the United States after the Patriots’ defeat in December 1837, as the British had placed a bounty on his head; and he did not return to Quebec until late 1845, after being granted amnesty and a pardon by the British authorities. He had fled to the United States in December 1837, then to France in early 1839.
To defeat the British, the Patriotes would have needed American military aid, but the Americans refused to participate. In 1837–1838, Great Britain was the United States’ leading economic partner, and the U.S. government was determined not to lose its cotton exports and financial trade with Europe. The Americans remembered the devastation of the War of 1812 against the British, who had prevented commercial ships from crossing over to Napoleon’s France. It was a kind of blockade similar to the one in Iran in 2026, when the British intercepted all commercial ships attempting to enter France, including American ones. The Americans knew that a new armed conflict with London would be catastrophic for their economy.
The Patriots, therefore, lacked weapons and ammunition and were defeated using hunting rifles and modified farm tools, but the defeat can also be explained by a lack of military strategy, as the Patriots were not soldiers and knew nothing of the discipline required of soldiers in an army.
Would the modern United States act differently toward Quebec, particularly under Donald Trump? Should Quebec one day secede from Canada, it would be Alberta that would be economically drawn to becoming the 51st U.S. state. Quebec, because of its Francophone culture, is not a natural territory for Americans.
If you want to relive the history of the Patriotes from 1837 to 1838, you should read Jules Verne’s novel: *Famille-sans-nom*.
HAPPY PATRIOTS’ DAY, 2026 edition!
By Bernard Bujold -
On this National Patriots’ Day (Monday, May 19, 2026), as we seek to honor their memory, many will want to compare Paul Saint-Pierre Plamondon’s proposed referendum with Louis Joseph Papineau’s mission in 1837.
Papineau envisioned a Lower Canada (now Quebec) independent from England, but allied with the United States, or even becoming a U.S. state. Papineau admired the U.S. Constitution and had even taken refuge in the United States after the Patriots’ defeat in December 1837, as the British had placed a bounty on his head; and he did not return to Quebec until late 1845, after being granted amnesty and a pardon by the British authorities. He had fled to the United States in December 1837, then to France in early 1839.
To defeat the British, the Patriotes would have needed American military aid, but the Americans refused to participate. In 1837–1838, Great Britain was the United States’ leading economic partner, and the U.S. government was determined not to lose its cotton exports and financial trade with Europe. The Americans remembered the devastation of the War of 1812 against the British, who had prevented commercial ships from crossing over to Napoleon’s France. It was a kind of blockade similar to the one in Iran in 2026, when the British intercepted all commercial ships attempting to enter France, including American ones. The Americans knew that a new armed conflict with London would be catastrophic for their economy.
The Patriots, therefore, lacked weapons and ammunition and were defeated using hunting rifles and modified farm tools, but the defeat can also be explained by a lack of military strategy, as the Patriots were not soldiers and knew nothing of the discipline required of soldiers in an army.
Would the modern United States act differently toward Quebec, particularly under Donald Trump? Should Quebec one day secede from Canada, it would be Alberta that would be economically drawn to becoming the 51st U.S. state. Quebec, because of its Francophone culture, is not a natural territory for Americans.
If you want to relive the history of the Patriotes from 1837 to 1838, you should read Jules Verne’s novel: *Famille-sans-nom*.
HAPPY PATRIOTS’ DAY, 2026 edition!
See JULES VERNE BOOK (PDF)
https://beq.ebooksgratuits.com/vents/Verne-famille.pdf
See video
https://drive.google.com/file/d/18oaek2egtjpBE1SBs3cRSsiYt4tiGVch/view?usp=sharing
https://beq.ebooksgratuits.com/vents/Verne-famille.pdf
See video
https://drive.google.com/file/d/18oaek2egtjpBE1SBs3cRSsiYt4tiGVch/view?usp=sharing
