Transcript The War of 1812 in a Nutshell

THE WAR OF 1812 IN A NUTSHELL
CANADA AND THE WAR OF 1812
The War of 1812 was basically Canada’s
War of Independence
For the Americans it was a war of conquest
For Canadians it was a war of survival
Between 1812 and 1814, Canada won the
right to not be American
THE LEAD-UP TO WAR
Louis XVI helped the Americans with their
American Revolution was now in the middle of a
revolution of his own.
During the French Revolution Louis and his wife
Marie Antoinette had their heads chopped off by
a guillotine
A ruthless little general named Napoleon seized
power and launched France on a European war
of conquest.
THE WAR OF 1812
What is important to realize, from a Canadian
perspective, is this:
The French Revolution led to the Napoleonic Wars of
1793-1815
The War of 1812 was the North American phase of this
conflict
With Britain bogged down in Europe fighting Napoleon,
the Americans saw their chance at capturing Canada –
and they took it.
“FREE TRADE AND SAILORS’
RIGHTS”
The Americans also had some genuine grievances against the
British
The British were preventing France from trading with the United
States
The British Navy had also asserted its right to board foreign ships
and press any British citizens they found into military service.
In 1807, they fired upon a U.S. vessel, the Chesapeake, killing several
men, before boarding the ship and arresting four so-called deserters
– two of whom were American citizens. Britain later apologized,
and released the Americans but the damage had been done
A MERE MATTER OF MARCHING
American history books usually portray the United
States as the underdog in 1812. Why? Because they were
up against the British Empire
This isn’t entirely accurate. Great Britain was tied up in
Europe, and Canada lay poorly defended and exposed.
Consider the real odds:
Population of the United States: 7.5 million
Population of Upper Canada: less than 80,000
The entire population of the British North American colonies combined was less
than 1 million
How could the Americans possibly lose?
WAR!
On June 18, 1812 the United States of
America declared war on Great Britain –
and made immediate plans for the Conquest
of Canada
Remember Canada didn’t exist as a separate
country at this point
THE WAR IN
UPPER CANADA
(ONTARIO)
The original Loyalist population of Upper Canada had
been swamped by an influx of American settlers whose
true loyalty remained in doubt
Fortunately (for Canada) the U.S. forces were very
poorly organized and launched scattered attacks rather
than focusing their approach
Most of the battles took place along the boarder
between the United States and the British North
American Colonies (Canada)
GENERAL ISAAC BROCK
Brock was the man in charge
of defending the colony from
the American invaders
He was a brilliant strategist
and an inspiring leader
Isaac Brock was long
remembered as the fallen hero
and saviour of Upper Canada
TECUMSEH
Tecumseh was a Shawnee chief that
was allied with the British
His main goals were to
Stop American expansion into Native
territory
To secure a sovereign First Nations
Confederacy in the interior.
He brought together dozens of
different Nations and fought along
side the British for tactical reasons,
not loyalty.
BLUFFING THEIR WAY TO
VICTORY
The Americans were confident that the Canadians would flock
over to the American side of the fight – but they didn’t!
Brock had an idea – there weren’t very many British regular
soldiers so he dressed Canadian militia in the red coats of the
regular army to make them seem like they were professional
soldiers
He also knew that the Americans were terrified of the Natives
and Brock and Tecumseh used this to their advantage
Tecumseh paraded his men in front of the American Garrison then led them
through the woods to join the end of the line again. Then they marched past
again. Tecumseh marched the same men by three times and the Americans never
caught on
Their estimates of Tecumseh’s forces ranged as high as 3000 warriors. In fact,
Tecumseh had fewer than 600 men on hand.
THE CAPTURE OF DETROIT
No attack was needed.
General Hull was so scared of an Indian
Massacre that he caved almost immediately
All it took were a few cannon shots and a
threatening ultimatum from Brock.
BATTLES
August 18, 1812 - Brock and Tecumseh capture Detroit
October 13, 1812 - Battle of Queenston Heights – Americans ultimately
pushed back, but Brock dies
April 27, 1813 – General Dearborn captures York (Toronto)
June 6, 1813 – Battle of Stoney Creek – American advance stopped cold
June 24, 1813 – Battle of Beaver Dams – Americans turned back
July 31, 1813 – Americans re-capture York (Toronto)
October 5, 1813 – Battle of Moraviantown – Tecumseh dies
October 25, 1813 – Battle of Chateauguay – American invasion force defeated
by French and English Canadians
November 11, 1813 – Battle of Crysler’s Farm – Americans defeated
July 25, 1814 – Battle of Lundy’s Lane – a confusing and bloody conflict that
ends in a stalemate (though both sides claim they won)
August 1814 – British capture and burn Washington
BURN, WASHINGTON! BURN!
Why is the White House white? Because we burned it, that’s why!
Or at least, the British did. In August 1814, and in direct
retaliation for what the Americans had done in York, the British
captured and burned Washington D.C. The attack came as a
complete surprise, and President Madison and most of his
defending army ran away so fast the battle became known,
sarcastically, as “a race”. The British spent the next two days
ransacking the U.S. capital and torching the public buildings.
When the President’s own residence was badly damaged and the
walls scorched, the building was hastily rebuilt and the exterior
painted over with whitewash. It became known as “the white
house”
SO WHO WON?
Do you want to know the strange
thing about the War of 1812? The
Americans think they won it. Really.
Do you want to know what’s even
stranger? They’re right. Not in a
military sense of course.
On the battlefield, the Americans
lost. They didn’t even come close to
their goal – the conquest of Canada
But war is after all a political tool, and
what counts in the end are the long
term results, not individual heroics
The United States lost a war and won
a conference.
Britain’s First Nation allies were
completely shut out of the
negotiations
So were the Canadians
The Americans had refused to allow
either at the bargaining table.
The United States came away with
their soverignty reaffirmed
THE FINAL SCORE
Who won? Who lost? The final score stands like this:
The Americans won
The Canadians broke even
The First Nations lost
ENJOY! 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMXqg2PKJZU