Struggle for a Border: Canada's Relations with the United States
Why are there just two nations occupying that enormous expanse of the North American continent north of the Rio Grande? Why not just one unlimited American empire? Or why not several nations? This unique work gives clear and vivid form to the immense and complex forces--economic, political, military, diplomatic, social, and geographic--that created and confirmed the U.S.-Canada border. The largest single work ever undertaken by the National Film Board of Canada, Stuggle for a Border is the result of painstaking scholarship and research, and imaginative filmmaking. Each of the nine one-hour films is entirely self-contained, though part of a larger continuity. There are no interviews, but an on-screen narrator provides commentary and perspective. The films are so constructed that, if need be, they may be shown in half-hour, or shorter, segments.
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Cast
Seasons
- Ep 1
1.New England and New France (1490-1763)
01-01-196757 minThis feature documentary addresses the struggle between New England and New France, from the first uneasy contacts to the culminating conflicts. The economic battle between the St....
- Ep 2
2.Canada and the American Revolution (1763-1783)
TBA57 minThis feature documentary recounts the opposition between American revolutionaries and Canadian communities settled along the St. Lawrence River during the period leading up to the...
- Ep 3
3.The War of 1812 (1783-1818)
TBA58 minThis feature-length documentary looks at the Canadian-British-American struggle for the Ohio valley during the War of 1812, and how it contributed to American and Canadian national...
- Ep 4
4.Dangerous Decades (1818-1846)
TBA58 minThis documentary, part of a series from the late 1960s, focuses on the contest for the continental interior. It examines the American advantages and the problems plaguing Canada in...
- Ep 5
5.The New Equation: Annexation and Reciprocity (1840-1860)
TBA58 minIn this installment of a documentary series from the late 1960s, we survey the period between 1840 and 1860. Canada considers its options—annexation, continentalism, free trade, an...
- Ep 6
6.The Friendly Fifties and the Sinister Sixties (1850-1863)
TBA57 minThis installment of a documentary series from the late 1960s takes us from the 1850s to 1863. We see several historical episodes from this period interwoven in a unique fashion. Th...
- Ep 7
7.The Triumphant Union and the Canadian Confederation (1863-1867)
TBA58 minThis installment of a documentary series from the late 1960s presents a fascinating study of the great and enduring principles of international relations. Through this close look a...
- Ep 8
8.The Border Confirmed: The Treaty of Washington (1867-1871)
TBA58 minThis documentary explores the years following Canadian Confederation, a delicate period in regard to American attitudes towards Canada. This was a critical time for the two countri...
- Ep 9
9.A Second Transcontinental Nation (1872)
TBA58 minCanada struggles to preserve her borders after the Treaty of Washington in this feature documentary. The country's survival as a nation independent of the United States rests in th...
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