The most abundant evidence of Haliburton's goals in "The Watchmaker" is the Americans. “The Clockmaker” was written when Nova Scotia “had no capital or markets and with a population that had acquired habits unsuited to a life of meager income and sober agriculture” (Klinck, 92-101). Haliburton blamed the Americans for this. One of the reasons he wrote "The Clockmaker" was to enlighten Nova Scotia and the rest of the world about the true legacy and resources of the colony. “The salvation of Nova Scotia could only come, he felt, through a marked change in the habits of its people, would cause them to emulate the thrift, hard work, and ingenuity of their Yankee neighbors” (Klinck 92-101). Haliburton targeted Americans because he believes that if they tainted America's image, people's views of them would change and thus their opinion of being more independent would change. In targeting Americans, Haliburton used humor and irony as satirical methods. “How is it that an American can sell his wares, at whatever price he wants, where a blue nose couldn't make a sail at all?”(83). It's ironic because Americans are at the top of the food chain when it comes to development and political power, so they are able to sell their goods at whatever price they want. In "The Clockmaker" the character Sam Slick is an American who is a crook and cannot be trusted. He has the ability to convince people that to live a more luxurious life they needed one of his watches even though he knew they couldn't afford it. He convinces them that a watch that only cost them six-fifty is worth the forty they paid. Haliburton makes Americans seem like they are the same as his character Sam Slick. The name "Sam" stands for an all-American name and "Slick" stands for unreliable yet smart. At the beginning of "The Clockmaker" Haliburton makes a statement offensive to Americans: "I have heard of Yankee clock peddlers, of tin peddlers, and of Bible peddlers" (83). Referring to Americans who deal in nonsense, he also refers to Americans as Yankees, that is, foreigners. The character of Sam Slick, who is an American target in "The Clockmaker", is both obvious and abundant; Nova Scotians as targets are much less frequent. "How is it possible that an American can sell his goods, at whatever price he wants, where a blue nose could not make a sale at all??