The+War+of+1812

__ ﻿The War of 1812 __
Reasons Why: Relations between Britain and the United States following the American Revolution were strained. The causes of the War of 1812 had little to do with British North America. The points of contention were largely between Britain and the United States.

The real origins of the War of 1812 were in the conflict that raged in Europe for two decades after Napoleon Bonaparte. The British colonies were to become quickly involved in the outbreak of the War of 1812. While unable to directly attack the British Isles, the americans were able to attacking Britain's North America possessions. The repeated American invasions of British North America were unproductive often ending in defeat and retreat for the American forces. Incompetent American military leadership, the British victories like Queenston Heights in 1812, demonstrated to the Americans that the colonies would not be conquered easily. Upper Canada: The majority of the population of Upper Canada was composed of American-born residents.Very few members of this population actively supported the American cause. It became clear to the Americans that most of the people of Upper Canada did not view the Americans as "liberators" from British "tyranny". Immigration from the United States was discouraged. American settlers were viewed with suspicion. The elite felt that since they had "led" the defence of Upper Canada during the War, they should continue to lead it afterwards. Lower Canada: Despite the urging of the Catholic hierarchy, the population of Lower Canada remained relatively uninvolved during the war.

The result: The British victory over Napoleon, in early 1814, strengthened the British position and move their attention to British North America. In 1814 the Treaty of Ghent ends the fighting in the war of 1812. In December1814, the two sides agreed to a treaty that restored the status quo before the war. In 1818, Rush Bagot Agreement settles the boundary between the United States and British North America. A border was established at the forty-ninth parallel from the Lake of the Woods to the Rocky Mountains. The British and Canadians were badly outnumbered by the Americans. As the Americans made their plans, it became obvious that their easiest objective would be upper Canada. The Maritime provinces were protected by British sea power and Lower Canada was protected by its remoteness and by the fortress of Québec. But Upper Canada would seem an easy target. The population was predominantly American and the province was lightly defended. However, the badly outnumbered British were in fact better prepared than the Americans knew. The Americans fared better on the western flank. The British tried and failed to take Harrison's stronghold at Fort Meigs on the Maumee River. A struggle for control of Lake Erie followed. American commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, a bold seaman, used unorthodox tactics to turn defeat into victory and become the first man in history to capture an entire British fleet. Erie became an American lake, Detroit was abandoned, and the British army retreated up the Thames River.

__ ﻿The Treaty of Ghent __
Was signed by Great Britain and the US to end the war of 1812. Negotiations for peace had begun the previous year, with both parties agreeing to meet in Europe to work out the details. The military situation in North America was so balanced that neither side had achieved its war aims. For the British, it had been a war of survival for their remaining territories in North America, and thus their diplomats remained on the defensive. Britain's initial instructions were to be forceful, with some in London hoping that the release of their armies from fighting in Europe might effectively change the seesaw battles of 1813 toward British victory. But ten years of constant warfare made most diplomats eager for peace and avoiding the impression that London was now on a war of conquest. The capture of Washington in September and incursion into Maine turned the US delegation sullen until the news of American victory at Lake Champlain. Even in the midst of diplomacy, the relative deadlock of the battlefields continued. Consequently, none of the issues that had caused the war or that had become critical to the conflict were included in the treaty. There was nothing included on neutral rights or impressment. All captured territory in Upper and Lower Canada and the US was returned to its original owner. Outstanding concerns about the western boundaries of both countries were resolved later by a commission. War prisoners were to be returned to their home countries. The British proposal to create a buffer state for the Native Americans in Ohio and Michigan fell apart after the dissolution of the Native coalition. But news was slow to travel from Europe to North America, and operations already begun played out as news of the Treaty made its way to both British and American forces. What emerged from this peace was the survival of Upper and Lower Canada as part of British North America, and with it a growing sense of identity different from that of their American neighbours and, indeed, the Imperial motherland. Washington had hoped that the once-American populations of Upper and Lower Canada would rise up and side with the invading forces, a hope that was never realized. For the Canadas, the war also bred the infamous "militia myth," that the chief battles had been won by and large by part-time citizen soldiers, which thus negated the need for the colonies to invest in professional soldiers. This myth, which downplayed the incredible influence of career soldiers like Isaac Brock and First Nation chiefs like Tecumseh, would continue to influence military affairs in Canada until the First World War.

__ ﻿The Big Question __
Canada has gone through many different changes throughout the 17th and 18th century that has created the Canada we have today. One of the major transformations that Canada has gone through would be government. Canada has gone through several different types of government to finally try and achieve the government that we have now. The people of Canada have had a large impact as well in transforming Canada. They have done many things like recvolting, presenting new ideas and even leaving Canada to prove points. The First Nations people suffered a huge loss because of people trying to change Canada. They lost land, personal rights, human rights as well as respect for the people that they thought were going to help them. Even though the First Nations people faced these many problems they still managed to keep their real identity and stay true to themselves. Canada has become a more independant nation because of the wars and people's willingness to change the country they live in. I believe that the Canada that we live in is because of the strength and the determination of the people living in it. I am proud to live in the Canada that we have now and I am greatful to those people who made it what it is today.