Canadians are Trying to Rewrite the History of the 1812 War

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXAvOcY9TlE

The 1812 war was between the US and the British. Canada as a government didn't exist until 1867. Yet Canadians continue to claim that they beat America, when in reality the US never fought "Canada" and has more of right to claim victory than the British (because the US won the last major battle and ended British impressment, which was what started the war in the first place). So how could Canada have participated in the 1812 war, when at that time "Canada" was only known as a region of North America? It seems to me Canadians are looking for something to get patriotic about, but facts are facts. Is there nothing else Canadians can use for patriotism besides this fiction that's based on nothing but historically false mythology?

Here's an article from the March 2012 issue of the Canadian magazine Walrus titled "That Time We Beat the Americans".

http://walrusmagazine.com/article.php?ref=2012.03-essay-that-time-we-beat-the-americans

After googling this it looks more like no one won the war.

The war of 1812 was over British impressment or kidnapping of US merchant sailors. I think the US has more of a right to claim victory because we achieved everything we intended and won the battle of new orleans, which was the last major battle.

My main confusion is why are Canadians using a war that they never fought for their on patriotic purposes.

This is like if the US took the British and French 7 Years war and annually celebrated a victory for the US over the British, when in reality the British were more victorious over the French and the US wasn't even a country when it occurred.

Americans didn't win the war of independence either they would have technically been British until the war was over.

Noone won the war. New Orleans was one of the most pointless battles in history. it was only fought because of the time delay in getting news of the peace treaty. land borders hardly changed, America wanted Canada and they never achieved that. And the whole affair was just a sideshow for the Empire as they had bigger fish to fry with Napoleon. if there had been no war in Europe the US would of been utterly crushed.

Canada didn't exist as a government entity until 1867, so why are they celebrating something that they never participated in? Inferiority Complex?

The war of 1812 was over British impressment or kidnapping of US merchant sailors. I think the US has more of a right to claim victory because we achieved everything we intended and won the battle of new orleans, which was the last major battle.

My main confusion is why are Canadians using a war that they never fought for their on patriotic purposes.

This is like if the US took the British and French 7 Years war and annually celebrated a victory for the US over the British, when in reality the British were more victorious over the French and the US wasn't even a country when it occurred.

Yes. How would you feel if you were Canada and everybody referred to you as "America Two" and "America's Hat" and "Diet America"?

The impressment issue is debatable, because the British were trying to get Royal Navy deserters back, while the Americans said that once they were in America the deserters were naturalised American citizens. Besides, Britain only needed to use impressment so it would have enough sailors to fight Napoleon, and by the time the war was over he had already been defeated.

In the end, neither Britain nor America achieved their aims, but both managed to repel the others invasion of their territory and so both sides can claim victory. The only people who really lost were Britain's Indian allies, who lost the former's protection.

I think the reason Canada celebrates it as their victory is because for the first two years any potential British reinforcements were fighting in Europe, so the majority of forces opposing the American invasion were local Canadian militias.

I think the US has more of a right to claim victory because we achieved everything we intended and won the battle of new orleans, which was the last major battle.

If the US had used impressment against the British or any other country there would have been automatic war. The British, who were then one of world's superpowers, was trying to bully the young United States.

America did achieve its aim to stop British impressment and gain respect. So the US has more of a right to claim victory. Britain was a superpower and for a young and weak country to go toe to toe with the stronger country will always be chalked as a victory for the smaller country.

But those local militia were British not Canadian because it was a British territory.

Oh, I see, an American is complaining about Canadians.

/thread

The point is is that it wasn't the war that stopped impressment, it was simply the fact that it was no longer needed. Impressment would have stopped anyway regardless of whether or not America declared war. When you discount that America had neither gained nor lost anything by the end.

As for the nationality, the American Declaration of Independence wasn't signed until more than a year after the revolution began, and wasn't recognised until seven years after that. Would you then argue that Americans have no right to be proud of anything that happened before, because until 1776 they too were British?

Obviously I'm American, USA it clearly listed in location.