France and England in North America

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This second volume of a two-part series presents all seven parts of Francis Parkman’s extensive narrative history of the struggle for control of the American continent. Parkman’s “history of the American forest,” crafted over thirty years, is as remarkable as the explorations it recounts. The narrative culminates in the pivotal confrontation at Quebec’s Plains of Abraham, where a bold strategy would shape the continent's future. "Count Frontenac and New France under Louis XIV" (1877) explores how France could have triumphed over England in its imperial ambitions. Frontenac, appointed governor by Louis XIV, presided over a flourishing New France. Had subsequent governors matched his skill and political acumen, the English colonies might have been part of a French-dominated continent. As England’s American colonies prospered, France faced decline. Tensions in the western regions ignited colonial wars, detailed in "A Half-Century of Conflict" (1892), which set the stage for the American Revolution. "Montcalm and Wolfe" (1884) recounts the decisive battle that marked the end of French dominance in America. This imperial conflict also highlighted emerging American figures like Benjamin Franklin and George Washington, who would soon take center stage in history. LIBRARY OF AMERICA, founded in 1979, aims to preserve the nation's literary heritage through authoritative editions of significant American writing.