"In this dramatic retelling of one of history's great "what-ifs", Mark R. Anderson examines the American colonies' campaign to bing Quebec into the Continental confederation and free the Canadians from British "tyranny." -- jacket flap.

The only link wanting: the First Continental Congress invites Canada -- New subjects to the king: Canadians and the Province of Quebec -- Fuel for rebellion: the British party and the Quebec Act of 1774 -- Authors and agitators: patriot correspondence and John Brown's mission -- Preemptive strikes: Ticonderoga and Fort St-Jean -- That damned absurd word "liberty": Quebec's own rebellion -- To erect the glorious standard of American liberty in Canada: the decision to intervene -- The Canadians opened the road: continentals and partisans on the Richelieu River -- The treachery and villainy of the Canadians: collaboration, resistance, and siege in the Montreal District -- Another path to the heart of Quebec: Canada's capital, Hannibal's heir, and the Kennebec Expedition -- To winter in Canada: "free" Montreal and Fortress Quebec -- Time to consider politics: the Continental Congress, the Northern Army, and a Committee for Canada -- Contest of wills at Quebec: the fortress capital; key to victory? -- The question of loyalists: General Wooster and "liberated" Montreal, 1775 -- A critical month: Wooster's Montreal, January 1776 -- Evolving occupation: Montreal and the struggle for the Canadian spirit -- A spirit of cooperation and understanding: William Goforth, Jean-Baptiste Badeaux, and Trois-Rivières -- Patriot zealots: Benedict Arnold, Canadian patriots, and the Quebec City blockade -- Spring of unrest: a Canadian battle in the Quebec District -- A late-changing cast: new continental leadership for Canada -- May tides: new arrivals and massive change for the province -- The sad necessity of abandoning Canada: military collapse and the end of the Canadian continental experience -- The causes of the miscarriages in Canada: Carleton and Congress investigate the failures -- Conclusion: misinterpretations and missteps in a war to spread democracy.