1. The War of 1812 in a Nutshell

2. Canada and the War of 1812
The War of 1812 was basically Canada’s War of Independence
For the Americans it was their 2nd War of Independence
Between 1812 and 1814, Canada won the right to not be American
And in the same time period, America won the right to not be pushed around

3. The Lead-up to War
Louis XVI helped the Americans with their American Revolution, but in 1789 he was in the middle of a revolution of his own.
During the French Revolution Louis and his wife Marie Antoinette had their heads sliced off by the guillotine
By 1799 a ruthless little general named Napoleon Bonaparte seized power and launched France on a European war of conquest.

6. The War of 1812
What is important to realize, from a Canadian perspective, is this:
The French Revolution led to the Napoleonic Wars of
The War of 1812 was the North American phase of this conflict
With Britain bogged down in Europe fighting Napoleon, some American war hawks saw a chance at capturing Canada – and they argued for it.

7. “Free trade and sailors’ rights”
The Americans also had some genuine grievances against the British
The British were preventing France & the United States from trading with one another.
The British Navy had asserted its “right” to board foreign ships and press any British citizens they found into military service.

9. A Mere Matter of Marching
American history books usually portray the United States as the underdog in 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
The entire population of the British North American colonies combined was less than 1 million
How could the Americans possibly lose?

10. War!
On June 18, 1812 the United States of America declared war on Great Britain – and made immediate plans for the Conquest of Canada

11. 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 border between the United States and the British North American Colonies (Canada)

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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 is long remembered as the fallen hero and saviour of Upper Canada

13. 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.

14. 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!
Siege of Fort Detroit: 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 so 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 warriors. In fact, Tecumseh had fewer than 600 men on hand.

15. The Capture of Detroit, 1812 No attack was needed.
General William 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.
Casualties: British - 2 wounded, Americans - 7 killed, captured

16. Battles August 18, 1812 - Brock and Tecumseh capture Detroit
October 13, Battle of Queenston Heights – Americans ultimately pushed back, but Brock dies
April 27, 1813 – General Dearborn briefly 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 the Thames – 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 D.C.
January Battle of New Orleans - US huge victory over British

17. The Battle of Queenston Heights, 1812

18. Brock’s Monument, Queenston Heights

19. Laura Secord & the Battle of Beaver Dams, 1813
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22. 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”

24. Francis Scott Key
During a 24-hour British bombardment of Fort McHenry during the Battle of Baltimore, Francis Scott Key penned a poem entitled “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Over time it was put to music, and finally in 1931 was made into the U.S. national anthem by a congressional resolution.

25. The Battle of New Orleans

26. 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 kept their independence.
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 sovereignty reaffirmed

27. The Final Score The Americans won The Canadians broke even
Who won? Who lost? Does the final score stands like this?:
The Americans won
The Canadians broke even
The First Nations lost
Do you agree or disagree?