Canadian History with Clarence McPhee: the War of 1812

Good evening, and welcome to Canadian History, the shortest history in history. I'm Clarence McPhee. Few Europeans know much about the War of 1812 fought between Canada and the United States, known to its native American participants as the Great White Wedge. Native tribes under Tecumseh felt most comfortable with the redcoats. America was provoked into the conflict by a British naval blockade against American ships that might be smuggling tobacco and rum to Napoleon's troops in Europe and by the sneaky British tactic of arming native tribes around the Great Lakes with muskets to block the westward expansion of the fledgling republic. America's president, James Madison, was like Napoleon, a short man with something to prove. He didn't like being called a pygmy. So he organized an invasion force and attacked York (now Toronto), burning every cabin in sight and forcing civilians to make do with igloos. In retaliation, British troops invaded the undeveloped US capital of Washington and burned the White House, as well as burning all the stables and chicken coops and barns and outhouses and freeing the slaves. Canada was doing well under General Brock, but then while boldly leading a cavalry charge through the muskeg, he was instantly killed by a Yankee mini-ball through the eye. Laura Secord's famous dash through the forest to share a napkin with the British on which a U.S. General had scrawled while dining on custard is now commemorated by a delicious dessert. The great Tecumseh was killed while trying to stop the white men from massacring each other's women and children. At sea, the United States navy had eight frigates, three brigs, three sloops, and four gunboats. They would have had more but the royal navy kept stealing their ships. They intended to make up for this with hundreds of pirates. Canada had her famous schooner, The Bluenose, while Mad King George had one hundred ships of the line and two hundred frigates. But US frigates had more cannons than the British ones and they put up a good fight. Of the chief naval actions of this conflict, the one most fondly remembered by Americans is the British bombardment of Fort M'Henry, which filled the skies with so much shrapnel that it shredded the flag and inspired Francis Scott Key to turn the popular English drinking song, To Anacreon in Heaven, into the Star-Spangled Banner. Hostilities ceased by 1815. Peace had been declared the year before, with the signing of the Treaty of Ghent, but the trans-Atlantic carrier pigeon flew into a bad storm. Canada gave back Annapolis, Brooklyn, and Lake Michigan in return for American withdrawal from Kingston, Belleville, and over seven hundred of Thousand Islands. Both countries agreed to limit themselves to westward expansion, across native lands, a policy which would be administered in the decades to follow by the Northwest Mounted Police in Canada and by General George Armstrong Custer in the United States. To honour the bravery of native troops, the new territories seized by European settlers would retain the names of the native tribes who formerly occupied them. And that's Canadian History for today. Wherever you're watching, thank you for joining us.
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