It is said that history is written by the victors. Who then should write the stories of the War of 1812? As we approach the 200 year anniversary of the start of the War, it is only just that we discuss the conflict from all side, the Canadian, the British and the American. I will not bore you with dates and times or battles and events; that was the role of the schools in my day; but rather I want to explore the causes and the effects of the conflict.
For example, prior to the War of 1812, Canada did not have a standing army and the army of Britain, our overseer, was tied up in the Napoleonic Wars in Europe. The fight for our country was primarily through assistance of the Aboriginal Canadians, who ended up being screwed by all sides.
I will approach this series by separating the stories into bite sized chucks that can be assembled.
The series begins now:
War of 1812 – Part 1: The Lead Up
War of 1812 – Part 2: Stoking the Fires – The Rise of Tecumseh
War of 1812 – Part 3: The Fur Flies
War of 1812 – Part 4: The Emergence of Isaac Brock
War of 1812 – Part 5: Chronology of the Action
War of 1812 – Part 6: How Politics Sunk the Americans
War of 1812 – Part 7: Who Won the War of 1812?
Canada’s Joan of Arc – Laura Secord
04/09/2012
