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Exploring the American Vietnam War Migration to Vancouver

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Exploring the American Vietnam War Migration to Vancouver Journeys to the “North Country Fair”: Exploring the American Vietnam War Migration to Vancouver by Aisling Murphy B.A. (Honors), University of Alberta, 2001 THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS In the Department of History © Aisling Murphy 2010 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY Summer 2010 All rights reserved. However, in accordance with the Copyright Act of Canada, this work may be reproduced, without authorization, under the conditions for Fair Dealing. Therefore, limited reproduction of this work for the purposes of private study, research, criticism, review and news reporting is likely to be in accordance with the law, particularly if cited appropriately. Approval Name: Aisling Murphy Degree: Master of Arts Title of Thesis: Journeys to the “North Country Fair”: Exploring the American Vietnam War Migration to Vancouver Examining Committee: Chair: Dr. Thomas Kuehn Assistant Professor of History ___________________________________________ Dr. Mark Leier Senior Supervisor Professor of History ___________________________________________ Dr. Karen Ferguson Supervisor Associate Professor of Urban Studies and History ___________________________________________ Dr. Lara Campbell External Examiner Assistant Professor of Gender, Sexuality, and Women‟s Studies Date Defended/Approved: July 13, 2010 ii Declaration of Partial Copyright Licence The author, whose copyright is declared on the title page of this work, has granted to Simon Fraser University the right to lend this thesis, project or extended essay to users of the Simon Fraser University Library, and to make partial or single copies only for such users or in response to a request from the library of any other university, or other educational institution, on its own behalf or for one of its users. The author has further granted permission to Simon Fraser University to keep or make a digital copy for use in its circulating collection (currently available to the public at the “Institutional Repository” link of the SFU Library website <www.lib.sfu.ca> at: <http://ir.lib.sfu.ca/handle/1892/112>) and, without changing the content, to translate the thesis/project or extended essays, if technically possible, to any medium or format for the purpose of preservation of the digital work. The author has further agreed that permission for multiple copying of this work for scholarly purposes may be granted by either the author or the Dean of Graduate Studies. It is understood that copying or publication of this work for financial gain shall not be allowed without the author’s written permission. Permission for public performance, or limited permission for private scholarly use, of any multimedia materials forming part of this work, may have been granted by the author. This information may be found on the separately catalogued multimedia material and in the signed Partial Copyright Licence. While licensing SFU to permit the above uses, the author retains copyright in the thesis, project or extended essays, including the right to change the work for subsequent purposes, including editing and publishing the work in whole or in part, and licensing other parties, as the author may desire. The original Partial Copyright Licence attesting to these terms, and signed by this author, may be found in the original bound copy of this work, retained in the Simon Fraser University Archive. Simon Fraser University Library Burnaby, BC, Canada Last revision: Spring 09 STATEMENT OF ETHICS APPROVAL The author, whose name appears on the title page of this work, has obtained, for the research described in this work, either: (a) Human research ethics approval from the Simon Fraser University Office of Research Ethics, or (b) Advance approval of the animal care protocol from the University Animal Care Committee of Simon Fraser University; or has conducted the research (c) as a co-investigator, collaborator or research assistant in a research project approved in advance, or (d) as a member of a course approved in advance for minimal risk human research, by the Office of Research Ethics. A copy of the approval letter has been filed at the Theses Office of the University Library at the time of submission of this thesis or project. The original application for approval and letter of approval are filed with the relevant offices. Inquiries may be directed to those authorities. Simon Fraser University Library Simon Fraser University Burnaby, BC, Canada Last update: Spring 2010 Abstract This thesis explores the American Vietnam War migration to Canada through the lives of eight men and women who moved to Vancouver, British Columbia between 1967 and 1973. Using oral history, it challenges prevailing conceptions of this migration by examining the broader composition of migrants, the circumstances that informed their decisions to leave the United States, and the welcome they received in Canada. Active participants in the democratic struggles for change that marked this period in American history, their experiences indicate that migration to Canada was an expression of a profound alienation from American society that went beyond opposition to the Vietnam War. Once in Vancouver, the intersection of the class bias of the Canadian Immigration Act and authorities‟ antipathy towards the city‟s burgeoning youth counterculture created a climate of hostility that complicated the image of Canada as a “refuge from militarism” and the haven that it promised. Keywords: Vietnam War; War Resisters; United States, 1960s; Vancouver, 1960s; Americans – Canada; Oral History iii Dedication To my parents, Esther and Kevin Murphy, for all your love and support. iv Acknowledgements A number of people deserve thanks for helping this project come to fruition. I want to first thank my senior supervisor, Dr. Mark Leier, for his support throughout the process, and particularly in the crucial last months. I am also grateful to Dr. Karen Ferguson, for her thoughtful comments on the project in its last stages, and to Dr. Lara Campbell, for serving as my external examiner. Thanks are also owed to my family and friends, especially Esther Murphy, Sheamus Murphy, Holly Palmer, and Cameron Hassall, without whose encouragement I might never have finished. My deepest gratitude, however, goes to the eight men and women whose lives form the foundation of this thesis. I continue to be inspired by the decisions they made as such young people. Such memories are invaluable to studies on this topic, and I am indebted to them for sharing their experiences with me. v Table of Contents Approval .......................................................................................................................................... ii Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... iii Dedication ....................................................................................................................................... iv Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................ v Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................... vi Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 1: Love it or Leave it ....................................................................................................... 19 Chapter 2: Class and Canada as a “Refuge from Militarism” ................................................... 66 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................. 107 Bibliography ................................................................................................................................ 111 Primary Sources ............................................................................................................... 111 Secondary Sources ........................................................................................................... 113 vi Introduction ...Had I thought about what I was going to in Canada? No, not at all. In fact, it stuns me now that I think about it – well, it doesn’t exactly stun me. It’s just revealing to me of my state of mind and our states of mind, because I don’t think I differed that much from the other people that came up then. It was, “alright, we’re going to go up there.” And there was an image of Canada as an alternate America. And I think lots of people [thought] – and I at certain times must have said it – that I’ll go up there and I’ll be able to really live the American dream, that that polity that was supposed to be [in the United States] may in fact exist in Canada.1 James Leslie left the United States in December 1967, driving his Volkswagen car, stuffed with all of his worldly possessions, due north from San Francisco, California, to Vancouver, British Columbia. A female friend had agreed to make the ride with him; she had friends they could crash with in Seattle, and, more importantly, they reasoned that he would have an easier time crossing the border if they appeared to be a couple than if he crossed alone. This they did with no incident, and within two months of arriving in Canada, James, a deserter from the U.S. Reserves, had become a landed immigrant.2 James Leslie was
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