It is said that "history is the record of an encounter between character and circumstance." In the context of history, Sir John A. MacDonald, Canada's first Prime Minister, was notably successful at reacting to circumstance through his own resilience and unique style. With his intelligence, wit, and charisma, Sir John A. MacDonald created great political success out of some very severe circumstances. Some of the most commonly known successes of Sir John's political career included the Great Coalition, the British North America Act, the Manitoba Act, the creation of the North West Mounted Police, the National Policy, and the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway. Perhaps MacDonald's greatest asset was that he was a visionary. To him, Canada must stretch from coast to coast, a view that in those times would be greeted with considerable skepticism. Yet MacDonald delivered. …
