the War of 1812 - K

Connecting History Classrooms to Canada – the War of 1812
By Tina Storer and Rosemary Widenor
Canada’s history is sometimes said to be,
dare I say it, boring when compared to the
history of the United States, but that’s exactly
why making historical connections between
the U.S. and Canada is so interesting—our
historical journeys are often intertwined yet
different paths and outcomes have resulted.
The War of 1812 stands out as a rare shared
historical event where Canada and the US
crossed paths as adversaries and, even
though no spoils of war were won, both sides
claimed victory.
Next year marks the 200th anniversary of this
struggle for North America and it is anything
but boring to explore the American,
Canadian,
British
and
indigenous
perspectives of issues surrounding the war. It
is ironic that the War of 1812 is nonetheless
nicknamed the “forgotten war,” so having
students consider what defines historical
merit can make for an intriguing classroom
discussion.
Oddly enough, many adults only know about
the War of 1812 in regards to its musical
connections: Francis Scott Keyes’s “The Star
Spangled Banner” and Johnny Horton’s “The
Battle for New Orleans.” The first has become
our national anthem and the latter continues
its popularity on Youtube for younger
generations. As history teachers, however,
we know it’s important to go beyond the
myth-making and historical revisionism of
song lyrics by encouraging students to
examine primary documents and consider
stakeholder issues. Classrooms that study
the War of 1812 have a rare opportunity to
really “do history” and answer the key
questions: “What started the war?” and “Who
won?” by looking at the war from multiple
perspectives.
Here’s a quick overview that begins with the
American Revolution. In the mid- 1770s, the
thirteen American colonies were screaming
for change. A revolution was in the works and
all those in favor of independence from
Britain are now remembered in our history
books as patriots. At the time, those who
were loyal to King George found themselves
in a dangerous position. The only solution for
many was to make the trek to what was then
known as Upper Canada, where they could
maintain their loyalty and live under the
protection of the British Crown. So hundreds
of new Americans became the first refugees
to Canada and are remembered in Canada
as Loyalists rather than as “traitors” like
Benedict Arnold.
To learn more about the Loyalists, visit:
• www.pc.gc.ca/lhnnhs/on/fortgeorge/edu/edu10.aspx
• www.canadiana.ca/citm/themes/pioneers/
pioneers4_e.html
The fleeing Loyalists (now Canadians) did not
escape eventual war. By the end of the
1800’s first decade, the squabbling between
Britain and France in Europe suddenly
expanded to include North America. Britain
sought a way to strangle Napoleon’s power
by issuing an Order in Council to hinder North
American trade with France. This enraged the
young nation of the United States and
contributed to mounting tensions between
Americans and the British who governed
Canada as well as the indigenous peoples of
North America.
In
addition
to
these
sea-bound
disagreements, there were definite struggles
for
power
relating
to
the
land.
Specific sources for conflict included the following reasons and, as you can see, each
perspective claimed “just cause”:
1) The British and some Native Americans (called “First Nations” in Canada) were upset by
American settlement of the "Old North-west" (today's Ohio, Michigan, Illinois) because such
expansion violated earlier treaties.
2) Americans claimed that Indian agents at British posts in the upper lakes were encouraging
native resistance and supplying the means to carry it out.
3) Some American politicians saw war with Great Britain as an opportunity to expand
northward—Britain was an obstacle to expansion into Upper Canada—and both Canadians
and the British certainly viewed this as a threat.
[For more information on the causes of the War of 1812, visit:
www.archives.gov.on.ca/english/on-line-exhibits/1812/setting-the-stage.aspx and
http://library.thinkquest.org/22916/excauses.html.]
Tecumseh angry with William Henry Harrison who rescinds a treaty in 1810
(Public Domain)
www.shmoop.com/war-1812/photo-tecumseh-harrison.html
In June of 1812, these disputes led the United States to declare war on Britain; the Canadian
border served as the primary battleground.
Admittedly, Canada had the odds stacked against her. The young American nation was 7.5
million strong compared to Upper Canada’s population of 100,000 and they were still confident
from their earlier revolutionary win over the British. It must be remembered that the region of
Upper Canada, where most of the on-land confrontations of the War of 1812 took place, was
populated by newly-migrated ex-Americans. With only a small military presence in Canada, the
British had to reach out and trust these new Canadians along with the native population to help
defend their ground and, surprisingly enough, these two groups proved resilient.
Particularly during the first year of the war, troops in Canada warded off American attacks again
and again. The first real battle occurred on the Detroit-Windsor frontier in August 1812, resulting
in the surrender of American troops without anyone on either side firing a shot, thanks to clever
maneuvering on the Canadian side. British Major-General Sir Isaac Brock led a ragtag band of
soldiers with bravery and inspired patriotism to victory on that occasion as well as at the Battle
at Queenston Heights a few months later, where he died. Though his name is little recognized
outside Canada, the British-born military leader is considered a war hero in his adopted
homeland. The city of Brockville, on the Ontario side of the St. Lawrence River, was so named
to honor him.
For more information about important battles and heroes of the War of 1812, visit:
• www.archives.gov.on.ca/english/on-line-exhibits/1812/figures.aspx
• http://library.thinkquest.org/22916/exmain.html
• www.shmoop.com/war-1812/timeline.html
• www.archives.gov.on.ca/english/on-line-exhibits/1812/battlegrounds.aspx
Push on Brave York Volunteers (Public Domain - Wikipedia Commons)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Push_on,_brave_York_volunteers.jpg
A crucial part of Canada’s successful defense was her alliance with the aboriginal population.
While the British might not have been a favorite of native inhabitants in Upper Canada (though
ties with the French in Lower Canada [Quebec] were strong), the Niagara Treaty in the 1760s
had promised peace between the two populations. Britain was also a strong supporter of an
aboriginal state in midwestern North America, something that the U.S. strongly opposed. The
Shawnee, led by Tecumseh, was one of the native groups that allied with the British in Canada.
Tecumseh fearlessly guided his warriors and attracted many other native tribes to the Canadian
side. He and his men were vital in the Canadian victory on the Detroit frontier. Although he died
in the Battle of Thames in 1813, Tecumseh is still honored in Canada as one of her great
protectors.
For the most part, however, the battles that continued through 1814 resulted in a fairly even
number of wins and losses on both sides. They were small-scale when compared to modern
warfare, but students can still envision what such home-front battles might have been like.
The war finally ended in December of 1814 with the signing of the Treaty of Ghent. There was
no battle victorious and, despite what’s said in the song, the Battle of New Orleans actually
occurred after the treaty was signed. The treaty stated that all prisoners and properties were to
be returned to their respective nations, meaning American borders were no different than at the
start of the war. Canada still takes pride in having defended its borders against all odds. At their
most aggressive, the British and Canadians even managed to burn the White House, giving
them a strong argument for declaring themselves the clear winner of the War of 1812 on land.
1813 engraving by J. Coquerel of the U.S. Constitution and the HBM Java (Public Domain)
www.shmoop.com/war-1812/photo-ships-battle.html
On the sea, the US lays claim to victory…and we indeed triumphed over the British Navy. As
pointed out in the recent PBS documentary, The War of 1812 (co-produced by the Government
of Canada), the only true losers of the War of 1812 were the native peoples of North America.
When the war ended, the aboriginal people found themselves landless despite the promises
that had been made. Britain quickly stopped advocating for a native territory and soon nothing
stood in the way of American expansion in the west. As Americans claimed native lands west of
the Mississippi, the Royal Northwest (now Canadian) Mounted Police were created in 1873 to
patrol and protect Canada’s west from any possible attempts at northward expansion.
Though this war may be forgotten in the United States, it’s worth knowing that the War of 1812
served as a critical turning point in Canadian history: their defense brought Canadians together
in a way that re-established not only the nation’s borders but the nation’s identity. This part of
Canada’s history reveals a better, though still imperfect, acknowledgement of the role played by
indigenous peoples. That alone is worth further attention in classrooms whether comparative or
not.
In my opinion, when teaching about the War of 1812, the most important perspective for any
teacher to share with students is one that celebrates the 200 years of peace and friendship that
Canada and the United States have experienced ever since.
Several U.S. states and Canadian provinces have spent small fortunes to develop curricula for
classrooms in commemoration of the War of 1812’s 200th anniversary. Visit
www.k12studycanada.org/links_resource_links.html#History for links to these excellent teacher
resources.