The United Empire Loyalists: A Chronicle of the Great Migration [1914 ed.]

"The United Empire Loyalists: A Chronicle of the Great Migration" by W. Stewart Wallace is a historical account likely written in the early 20th century. This work delves into the experiences of the United Empire Loyalists who fled to Canada during and after the American Revolution, exploring their trials, tribulations, and the significant impact they had on Canadian and American history. The opening of the book provides a critical overview of how the Loyalists were portrayed by historians and emphasizes the need for a more balanced narrative. Wallace highlights the shifts in historical perspectives regarding the Loyalists, noting their initial vilification by American historians and the subsequent reassessment by newer scholars. The author introduces the social and political dynamics of the time, underlining how the Loyalists represented a conservative and moderate element in the American colonies. As the narrative unfolds, Wallace suggests that the Loyalist migration played a pivotal role in shaping Canada's political landscape, pointing out how their arrival influenced the demographic and political balance in British North America. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

William Stewart Wallace was a Canadian historian, librarian, and editor. His historical reference works were considered "of inestimable value in Canadian studies." Canadian professor of political economy Harold Innis (1894–1952) was influenced by a maxim of the then McMaster University professor Wallace, "that the economic interpretation of history is not the only interpretation but is the deepest interpretation."