A social history of any community, in any time period, must seek to study every cultural and sub-cultural signpost, and should take the reader on a natural path to explain the past and foreshadow the future. From 14th Colony to Confederation, 1749-1867: Governors, Placemen & Merchant Elite is a social history, and is the middle publication of three books that are connected. The first was published in 2015: The CITADEL on Stage. The appeal of the first book in the trilogy is that it illuminates the lives of the British military garrisoned at Halifax until Confederation and their impact on theatre, recreation, and sport, including horse racing/breeding and regattas within the Maritimes. It is important to remember that from 1749-1785, the new colony included all three Maritime Provinces and a portion of Maine.This current publication describes the Governors, Placemen, and the Merchant Elite – military men, aristocrats and the rich and powerful who ruled the 14th Colony until responsible government in 1848. This book demystifies the lives of the rich and the powerful of that time; and traces the experiences of those who fought to be heard, as well as the struggles of people who strained every nerve to survive, and were often victims of the power systems of that era. A common thread running through the chapters in this manuscript focuses on the circumstances in which each governor and lieutenant-governor found himself, and what he did to remedy a specific situation; and how each, in his own way, brought Nova Scotia a step closer to Confederation. Some achieved what they set out to do, others were hampered by existing conditions, and a few, who were extraordinary, propelled society forward. Some were not without flaws, but their faults only served to illuminate the excellence of others.This work also describes the critical factors that changed a colony into a nation, and in the end it was what Joseph Howe once described as the ‘middling class’ that brought about the final set of circumstances, as well as the fear of American hegemony that ultimately lead to Confederation in 1867. The final book in this trilogy will deal with the evolution of the ‘middle’ class.