Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!utgpu!utcsri!clarke From: clarke@utcsri.UUCP Newsgroups: can.francais Subject: Re: le monde nouveau Message-ID: <5147@utcsri.UUCP> Date: Tue, 28-Jul-87 10:57:22 EDT Article-I.D.: utcsri.5147 Posted: Tue Jul 28 10:57:22 1987 Date-Received: Wed, 29-Jul-87 04:39:26 EDT References: <3999@utai.UUCP> <238@Mannix.iros1.UUCP> Reply-To: clarke@utcsri.UUCP (Jim Clarke) Distribution: can Organization: CSRI, University of Toronto Lines: 30 Summary: In article <238@Mannix.iros1.UUCP> desmarai@iros3.UUCP (Stephane Desmarais) writes: >Timothy J. Horton ecrit: >>J'ai une questionne pour les etudiantes de la histoire: >> >> Why was it that english inhabitation dominated the formation >> of the New World, while both French and Spanish forces were >> taking chunks at the same time. I was able to resist commenting on this question when it was first asked, but no longer.... We in the U.S. and Canada are living in the leftovers after the interesting and profitable bits were shared between the Spanish and Portuguese. (Remember your grade six history? The pope arranged the split to keep the peace, or something like that.) Even now when the richest bits happen to have turned out to be the English and French bits, it is in no sense the case that they "dominated the formation of the New World". Look at area; look at population; ask a Mexican or Brazilian or Argentinian. (Wear a fireproof jacket!) [I realize this isn't exactly can.general material, but should it be in can.politics instead of can.francais? Its only relevance here seems to be that it will inflame English and French historical passions and provoke culturally interesting reminiscences of primary-school teaching.] -- Jim Clarke -- Dept. of Computer Science, Univ. of Toronto, Canada M5S 1A4 (416) 978-4058 {allegra,cornell,decvax,linus,utzoo}!utcsri!clarke