James Naismith as the Founder of American Basketball

Excerpts from the Paper

James Naismith as the Founder of American Basketball
This paper briefly describes a Histori.ca Minute featured on the Historica-Dominion website. The paper will discuss why Historic.ca would choose this subject for a Minute; what the preferred reading is (or would appear to be) for the Minute in question; will explore what Canadian values and myths the Minute references; and will note how the Minute presents the event it references; in addressing this last item, the paper will duly note how there is an emotional response that the Minute is trying to evoke (namely, pride) which appears to be rooted in the sense that here, at long last, is one of those occasions where Canada did something that the Americans did not do first – namely, create...

.....adians as being a people who can quietly get substantial things done while glib Americans crack jokes and fumble the ball. For Canadians who like to think of themselves as being morally superior to Americans, and for Canadians who like to think themselves as being substance over flash, the reading of the presentation they will undoubtedly take away is one in which the quiet, professorial Canadian comes up with the answers while the Americans come up with the jokes. When all is said and done, the Minute is very good and rather entertaining as it drives home a history lesson that depicts Canadians in a positive light.
Bibliography
Wiseman, Nelson. “Tory-touched liberalism: political culture in Canada.” Pp.72-83 (additional info not provided).