Gustavus Myers

History of Canadian Wealth Gustavus Myers

An account of the development of Canadian industry. Myers lays bare the corruption, swindling, land deals, bribery that are the basis of Canadian history. The heros of other history books come out looking quite different. The Canadian Pacific Railway, Hudson's Bay Company, Lord Selkirk, John A MacDonald, Laurier - all fall under Myers's scrutiny, and the facts he records about them are startling. Contents include: The Quest of Trade and New Sources of Wealth; The Ecclesiastical and Feudal Lords; The Hudson's Bay Company; Wars of the Fur Traders and Companies; The Landed and Mercantile Oligarchy; The Landed Proprietors; Revolt against Feudalism; Sovereignty of the Hudson's Bay Company; Passing of the Hudson's Bay Company's Sovereignty; Inception of the Railroad Power; First Period of Railway Promoters; Contest for the Pacific Railway; Era of Railway Magnates; Progress of the Railway Lords; Extension of Railway Possessions; Appropriation of Coal, Timber and Other Lands; and Distribution of Railway Subsidies. Gustavus Myers (1872-1942) was an American historian who worked on a number of newspapers and magazines in New York City, joined the Populist party and the Social Reform Club, and was a member (1907-12) of the Socialist party. Such books as The History of Tammany Hall (1901), History of the Great American Fortunes (1910), and History of the Supreme Court of the United States (1912) were detailed, realistic exposes through which Myers made his reputation in the muckraking era of American literature.