This Kindred People

Kohn shows how Americans and Canadians often referred to each other as members of the same 'family,' sharing the same 'blood,' and drew upon the common lexicon of Anglo-Saxon rhetoric to undermine old rivalries and underscore shared interests. Though the predominance of Anglo-Saxonism proved short-lived, it left a legacy of Canadian-American goodwill as both nations accepted their shared destiny on the continent. Kohn argues that this new Canadian-American understanding fostered the Anglo-American 'special relationship' that shaped the twentieth century.