War of 1812 – Aftermath

 those who argue Canada/Britain “won” the war usually focus on it creating
Canadian unity
 BUT it didn’t really
 ideal of unity and the War of 1812 as unifying comes from schooling in the 1840s
 tax funded schools start in 1841 united Upper and Lower Canada
 elites saw the War of 1812 as a way to teach young people values including hard work,
patriotism, discipline
 commissioned veteran Major John Richardson to create textbooks about the War 
also to counter American narratives
 Richardson portrayed the Canadian, British forces, and Indigenous allies all rising up
all together
War of 1812 –
Aftermath
 boys were told to emulate Sir Isaac
Brock  career soldier who died at the
Battle of Queenston Heights
 girls supposed to emulate Laura Secord
 walked from Queenstown to Beaver
Dam to warn the British of upcoming
attack BUT she was mythologized as
very feminine and domestic
 this was the dominant narrative until
very recently
  whatever theory about who won the war there was still
Conclusions huge consequences for many people
 Indigenous warriors are the hardest hit  after the War
of 1812 Indigenous warriors would not serve as a
united allied force for again  though they will
continue to fight as part of Canadian forces in future
conflicts
 200 year anniversary  PM Stephen Harper tries to
utilize the mythology of the War of 1812  produces
Hollywoodized version in advertisements  historians
rise up against this BUT normal people don’t really
care about the War at all  more likely to use World
Wars as sources of nationalist pride