Revolution Rejected: Canada and the American Revolution at the Canadian War Museum
Ottawa, Ontario, February 24, 2003 - A new permanent exhibition, Revolution Rejected: Canada and the American Revolution is now on view at the Canadian War Museum (CWM). The Museum is using this exhibition to evaluate new approaches in exhibition development to be used in the new CWM.
Revolution Rejected: Canada and the American Revolution, curated by staff historian Peter MacLeod, uses artifacts, a scale-model diorama, audio-visual material, maps, images and personal accounts to tell the stories of the American invasion of Canada in 1775-1776 and the migration of American Loyalists to Canada after 1783.
Visitors will notice the blazing scarlet of a British provincial uniform, worn by Loyalist Jeremiah French during the later years of the war. This is one of the oldest complete uniforms in Canada and the oldest in the Canadian War Museum collection. The American Revolution is one of Canada's least known, most important wars. For most Canadians, the revolution is something that happened somewhere else, south of the border. Yet without the events portrayed in Revolution Rejected, the Canada we know today might not exist. The Canadian victory at the siege of Quebec in 1775-1776 saved Canada from conquest and incorporation into the new United States.
The arrival of Loyalist refugees added a significant English-speaking element to the population and led to the creation of the provinces of Upper Canada (Ontario) and New Brunswick. In 1867, the British colonies that rejected the American Revolution came together to form the Dominion of Canada.
The Museum is using Revolution Rejected to evaluate new approaches to the presentation of history in our exhibitions. As part of this assessment process, visitors will be asked to comment on the exhibition's interpretive approach. These comments will contribute to the review of various approaches to storyline development for the new CWM.
The construction of the new Canadian War Museum has been underway since November 2002. The new Museum is scheduled to open in 2005, coinciding with the 60th anniversary of the end of the Second World War and the 125th anniversary of the Canadian War Museum.
Information (media)
Christina Selin
Senior Communications Officer
Tel. : (819) 776-8607
Fax : (819) 776-8623
E-mail : communications@warmuseum.ca
Sylvie St-Louis
Communications and Development Officer
Tel. : (819) 776-8608
Fax : (819) 776-8623
E-mail : communications@warmuseum.ca
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