Heroines and History: Representations of Madeleine de Verch?res and Laura Secord

Verch<`e>res (1678-1747) and Secord (1775-1868) are celebrated as heroes of the colonial period of upper and lower Canada. Coates (Canadian studies, U. of Edinburgh) and Morgan (history, U. of Toronto) begin by recounting their exploits, but are primarily concerned with how their reputations have been constructed within the framework of Canadian nationalism. They describe how the processes of commemoration began in their locations of Quebec and Ontario, and the continuing contributions of …