War of 1812 – What Was the Lasting Legacy?
When listing major American wars, the Revolutionary War, the Spanish-American War, the Civil War, WWI, and WWII, we usually
leave out the War of 1812. We all learned about the War of 1812 in school, only to never hear about it again. Those damn British came back and burned the White House down. But the War of 1812 has more of a significant historical meaning than many people give it credit for.
With Britain and France at war, America continued to trade with the French, and as a neutral country had every right to do so. Britain thought different and introduced trade restrictions. Whether out of jealousy or anger the British planned to stop all American trade with France. Ironically, by the time Americans declared war, the British had already repealed the trade restrictions. At this point our young nation had to defend its honor, and fight Britain, again.
War of 1812: What Was Really Won?
After two and a half years, and 15,000 American lives lost the American were victorious, but what did we really win? The War of 1812 paved the way for many greater things in American history. With a victory sealed, the US was finally recognized and respected as a sovereign nation. With the French and British gone from the continent America was free to move westward. Manifest Destiny would soon take hold, and everything that came with it. It also allowed James Madison to declare America’s sphere of influence, in the Monroe Doctrine, which included all of the Americas.
With westward mobility also came the mobility of slavery, and the fight over “slave or free” state would lead the nation towards civil war. Without the victory against the British and the ability to move west who knows how the country, confined to east of the Mississippi, would have turned out.
Andrew Jackson’s Heroic of War of 1812 Put Tennessee on the Map
Andrew Jackson surges to glory as the Tennessee State Museum surveys the War of 1812
When the War of 1812 started, Tennessee was America’s frontier, the Wild West, full of hardscrabble farmers and men with no pasts scratching out an existence. Less than 20 years after securing statehood, Tennessee still did not have the sophistication of its sister states. It had yet to produce a true statesman or contribute any great national figures.
Read the rest of the story at Andrew Jackson surges to glory as the Tennessee State Museum surveys the War of 1812 | Culture | Nashville Scene.
Written by J.R. Lind; Photo from Wikimedia
Battle of York soldiers remembered in War of 1812 exhibit
Battle of York soldiers remembered in War of 1812 exhibit
In our peace-loving society, there are many people who don’t know that Toronto was once the site of war, and one would have changed everything about this city’s history.
The Battle of York is a seminal event in the history of this city, as well as this nation, but many Torontonians do not know very much about it. The city of Toronto is hoping that will change with a number of events observing the bicentennial anniversary of the War of 1812.
Read the rest of the story at Toronto News: Battle of York soldiers remembered in War of 1812 exhibit – thestar.com.
Story by Raju Mudhar – Toronto Star; Photo by Rick Eglington
Why we went to war in 1812?
Why we went to war in 1812It has been called the “Second War of Independence.”
Yet neither of the major combatants — the Americans nor the British — was initially enthusiastic about waging it.
Today it is questionable how many people even care to commemorate it.
The Niagara Frontier was a major hub in the War of 1812, one of three targets that President Madison selected to invade Canada, known then as British North America.
Read the rest of the article at Why we went to war in 1812 » War of 1812 » Niagara Gazette.
Story by Don Glynn – Niagara Gazette
War of 1812 bicentennial offers a wealth of historic sites to visit this year
2012 marks the bicentennial of the War of 1812. There are a lot of locations in my area in South-Western Ontario that saw many of the major battles of the war. Historical reenactors have been feverously planning large scale reenactments of this important milestone. The Truro Daily News list some of the best places to visit to take in the history of the War of 1812.
Travellers interested in military history usually think of Europe as the place to visit battlefields, but Canada has its fair share of them and as this year marks the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812, there is no better time to visit some of them.
The World Wars of last century are recent enough that they loom large in our memories, but it’s no understatement to say that the War of 1812 is every bit as important in Canada’s history as those great conflicts. In fact, if the outcome had been different, there would probably be no country called Canada.
The reasons for the war are diverse, but it was essentially an American effort to get rid of the British presence in North America. It began with an American invasion of Ontario and ended two years later soon after British soldiers burned down the White House and Capitol buildings in Washington, D.C.
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To help you plan your War of 1812 explorations in Canada, here is a list of some of the most important sites to visit:
Find out about which sites to visit! War of 1812 bicentennial offers a wealth of historic sites to visit this year – Travel – Truro Daily News.
Posted in Historic Travel Destinations | 
Britain, Canada, Niagara, Ontario, Quebec, US, War of 1812 | 
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