What's all of the fuss about anyway? Why are Canadians so revved up about the War of 1812 Bicentennial anyway, didn't we lose? It should be the victors that are celebrating.
The War of 1812 would rather be forgotten by most Americans, it was not a war that was very popular at the time and would rather be forgotten, much like the Vietnam war. The only positive thing remembered about the War of 1812 was the creation of their national anthem and the Battle of New Orleans, which was fodder for another song.
Canadians, on the other hand, remember the War of 1812 as the defining
of a nation, every person supported the war, whether they were British,
American-born, French-Canadian or Indian. The one thing they all had in
common was that they were all ready to fight and die to prevent the
Americans from taking what was theirs. They fought, against all odds, to
defend our borders, outnumbered by the forces invading. The
one bond that kept them unified was their determination to keep the
Americans out or die trying. As far as that goal goes, they were victorious
and we will forever be indebted to them for their sacrifices. We have several monuments to our war heroes and the plans are for even larger ones to come. The Brock Monument, standing tall at Queenston Heights on the bank of the Niagara River, is probably the most familiar memorial but there are several others.
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| Memorial for Lt. Col. John MacDonnell |
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| Memorial to Chief Tecumseh near Moraviantown |
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| Memorial to Laura Secord |
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| Laural Secord |
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Memorial to Sir Roger Hale Scheafe
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| Memorial at Butler`s Farm |
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| base of Brock Memorial |
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| Brock Memorial |
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| Indian Memorial at the base of Brock`s Monument |
I couldn't
begin to imagine what this country would be like if they hadn't
succeeded. One thing I know is that it would be a lot worse, the
Americans would be the ones making all of the fuss about the War of 1812
and there would be no Canada!
Ancestral Notes by Earline Hines Bradt U.E. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.5 Canada License.
Canadians, on the other hand, remember the War of 1812 as the defining
of a nation, every person supported the war, whether they were British,
American-born, French-Canadian or Indian. The one thing they all had in
common was that they were all ready to fight and die to prevent the
Americans from taking what was theirs. They fought, against all odds, to
defend our borders, outnumbered by the forces invading. The
one bond that kept them unified was their determination to keep the
Americans out or die trying. As far as that goal goes, they were victorious
and we will forever be indebted to them for their sacrifices. We have several monuments to our war heroes and the plans are for even larger ones to come. The Brock Monument, standing tall at Queenston Heights on the bank of the Niagara River, is probably the most familiar memorial but there are several others. 
What do you mean, "didn't we lose"? I thought the general concensus was that we won?
ReplyDeleteThough to be fair, all my knowledge of the War of 1812 comes from the song by The Arrogant Worms...
Earline,
ReplyDeleteI loved this post. Being a Brock, I spent a long time studying Sir Isaac's family looking for ties. Seeing photos was a real treat!
Sheri
It was interesting to learn about the War of 1812. I have never known much about it. Thank for posting.
ReplyDeleteRegards,
Grant
http://thestephensherwoodletters.blogspot.com
Happy Blogiversary!
ReplyDeleteRegards,
Grant