War and Peace: War of 1812 By 1812 the British and United States of America were not getting along again. But why are they fighting?
Didn’t they just resolve all their difference not so long ago. Well, true to form, Britain was at war with France;
Napoleon to be exact. Side note: Napoleon: really short French army guy, and military strategist genius; if you
want to read up on him. Focus Mrs. Carrol, focus! Ahhh, those darn Europeans! Why can’t they just play nice
with each other? These two fight and make others miserable around them. Kind of like how you fight with
your siblings and make your parents miserable!
So France and Britain are at war with each other; nothing new there. Americans are mad at the British because
trade has stopped with France as a result of the war. Plus, Britain was kidnapping American sailors to serve in
British navy. If that was not enough to be mad at, the British were supporting First Nations in struggle for land.
(LOL the British are usually taking First Nations land). Some Americans were so mad they wanted to take over
ALL British colonies and free North America from British rule.
So the British are in another predicament and this one is coming at a really bad time. The British are already
fighting a huge war with France (short French army guy Napoleon) and really don’t need to deal with the
Americans again. But there is no way the Americans are going to beat them again and there is no way that the
British would give up Rupert’s Land, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island,
Upper and Lower Canada. They are way to valuable.
The British wondered if people would support them if they went to war with the Americans. The British are
justified in wondering this because their colonies were a mishmash of people who were there not necessarily
because they are loyal to Britain.
Let’s examine each group:
(A)French and First Nations: have been conquered by British
(B) Americans: came for cheap land
(C) Maritime Colonies: depended on trade with Americans living on coast.
(D)Loyalist’s: the only group who is loyal to Britain and they are outnumbered 4 to 1
The War of 1812 begins when America declares war on Britain. And wouldn’t you know; the mishmash of
people in the colonies unites and supports British. Regardless of their feeling towards Britain, the American
immigrants, Loyalists, Maritimes, and Canadiens unite to fight a common enemy. THEY DON’T WANT TO
BE AMERICAN. (Not that there is anything wrong with that).
Perspective
Considering which side of the 49th parallel you live, the winner of the war is debatable. How is this possible?
There must be a clear victor! Usually that is the case but the War of 1812 ended in deadlock (neither side wins,
neither side loses.)
The Treaty of Ghent ended the war in December 1814. Both sides returned any territory gained. A clear
boarder was made between the United States of America and the British colonies (now Canada) and this line is
called the 49th parallel of latitude. So if the war ended in deadlock and territory was returned to their original
owners why the debate?
Canadian View
The War of 1812 was a clear victory over American expansion. This is the second time we stopped Americans
from marching in and creating one large nation. (American Revolution was the first time in case you forgot).
Canada showed Americans that we could protect ourselves and once again did not want to be liberated. Groups
of people from all backgrounds came together under one common cause (start of a bilingual and pluralistic
identity). Although Canada would not be a country for many years yet, there was one thing they were not American!
American View
The War of 1812 is considered to be the forgotten war or a war of ambiguity (no one is really sure what went
on.) Some historians will refer to the war as the second American Revolution. Instead of focusing on the war
itself, Americans prefer to remember what came after the war. The 1812 war solidified American independence
from Britain and helped foster a national identity. America was a new country with a small army and once
again, stood up to a superpower. In fact, Colonel Jackson won a great victory over Britain in New Orleans.
(After the peace treaty was signed, not his fault he did not know until after) and went on to be the president of
the United States.
First Nations View
Although the winner of this war is debatable there is no dispute over who lost this war, the First Nations. The
union of the Six Nations ended with the death of First Nations leader, Tecumseh. The First Nations suffered
terrible loses and had more causalities than both the American and British combined. They would never again
unite as a confederacy and attempt to stop European expansion in North America.
Summary
If you are still confused who the winner of the war was, join the club. 200 years later historians still debate.
What seems to be a common theme though is the impact of the war. Americans, Canadians and British have
maintained a peaceful for 200 years. This friendship has become a strong economic trade relationship AND the
49th parallel is the largest unprotected boarder in the WORLD! Reason number #98 why learning social studies
is more important than………MATH! It is also in agreement that the First Nations suffered the most and their
contributions to the war are being recognized and remembered. Who do you think won?
War and Peace: War of 1812 Questions
1.
Who is Britain at war with?
2.
Why are the Americans mad at the British? 3 reasons.
3.
What did the Americans hope to accomplish by going to war with Britain?
4.
Name the British colonies. (6)
5.
Who were the people living the British colonies?
6.
Why were the British worried about going to war with the Americans again?
7.
What motivates people to in the colonies to fight with the British?
8.
What does deadlock mean?
9.
What were the terms of the Treaty of Ghent?
10. What is the Canadian perspective on the War of 1812?
11. What is the American perspective on the War of 1812?
12. What is the First Nations perspective on the War of 1812?
13. What is common between all groups?