Unguarded border American émigrés in Canada during the Vietnam War Maxwell, Donald William creator author. text bibliography History. nju 2023 monographic eng print vii, 280 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm. "Unguarded Border: American Émigrés in Canada during the Vietnam War examines one of the largest exoduses from the United States, in the late 1960s and early 1970s, when over 50,000 Americans immigrated to Canada during the Vietnam War. For many this emigration was the best way for them to resist military service. Women and non-draft-age men also left to accompany draft-age men or to escape the political and social atmosphere of the United States in the 1960s and 1970s with which they were at odds. Author Donald W. Maxwell provides a definitive history of this exodus that is compelling, accessible, and brimming with insightful observations. Canada was an attractive destination. It was very easy for Americans to enter. U.S. residents needed no passport to enter Canada and could, from 1966 to 1972, apply to immigrate to Canada from within Canada. Canadian immigration officials refused to extradite military deserters and draft resisters if they otherwise qualified as immigrants. Émigrés who succeeded in Canada did so by identifying a specific place in which they could enjoy life on their own terms while eschewing the nation and the responsibilities it places on its citizens. Further, they embraced cosmopolitanism, detached from civic engagement and political identification, which they exercised by traveling beyond the bounds of their own country, by accepting aid from religious groups, and by pursuing higher education with fewer restrictions than in the United States. By delving into rich archival resources and firsthand oral histories, Unguarded Border reclaims the multifaceted and complex history of these U.S. émigrés who might otherwise be lost to history"-- Escaping over the border : the Americans who went to Canada -- The welcome mat is spread all along the border : how Americans found their way to Canada -- Religion and politics at the border : Canadian church support for American Vietnam War resisters -- "Knowledge has no national character" : Americans in Canadian universities and the movement of ideas over the U.S.-Canada border -- "These are the things you gain if you make our country your country" : defining citizenship along the U.S.-Canada border in the 1970s -- American Vietnam War-era émigrés and the blurring of borders. Donald W. Maxwell. Includes bibliographical references and index. n-us--- n-cn--- Vietnam War, 1961-1975 Draft resisters United States Vietnam War, 1961-1975 Desertions United States Vietnam War, 1961-1975 Protest movements United States Americans Canada History 20th century Canada Emigration and immigration History 20th century United States Emigration and immigration History 20th century HISTORY / Asia / General Americans Draft resisters Emigration and immigration Protest movements Canada United States Vietnam War (1961-1975) fast (OCoLC)fst01431664 1900-1999 fast DS559.8.D7 M39 2023 959.704/3373 War culture 9781978834033 1978834039 9781978834026 1978834020 9781978834040 9781978834057 2022037745 pda,print LBSOR/DLC 221210 20250318214251.6 in00004730331 eng