The War of 1812

   The War of 1812 is the only war where Canada fought against the Americans. It was started  by the americans for several reasons, but mainly because they were mad at the British. And since the British in Europe were busy fighting another war, the Americans had to settle for the ones right above them, in what is now know as Canada.
   The war started when the American general, William Hull, invaded upper Canada with the force of 2000 men. They took over Sandwich (which today is Windsor, Ontario) but experience supply problems that forced then to retreat back to Fort Detroit. Sir Isaac Brock was the head of the British force at the time. He decided was best to launch his own attack instead of waiting for the Americans to come back. With his new ally Tecumseh, leader of the Shawnee people, Sir Isaac Brock invaded Fort Detroit.  The army of Canada had only 1300 men to the 2000 men fighting for the Americans, but the British and Native army still won. it was all thanks to Tecumseh and his people who surrounded the fort and let out terrifying battle cries, the Americans surrender and no blood was spilt.
   Several battles were fought after that in both British and American territory, like the Battle of Queenston Heights, the Battle of York, and The Battle of Lundy's Lane. Both sides had there share of victory, but all of this was ended with the final battle of the war, the Battle of Washington. Fallowing the Battle of Lundy's Lane, the British pushed forward to Washington and started fighting there. Furious at the Americans for burning our Parliament buildings in the Battle of York, the British got there revenge by winning the battle and burning down the Library of Congress, The Treasury Department, and the White House.
   The war came to a end with the treaty of Ghent. In the signing of the treaty, no one really won anything. Neither side made any political, territorial, or economic gains. iI was kind of like nothing happened. During the negotiation the British hoped for the area in the Ohio valley (south of the Great Lakes) for the First Nation peoples, but they never got it. As a precautionary action the British built the Rideau Canal. The purpose of it was to create an alternate transport route for Canadian forces in case of another war between Canada and the Americans. The Rideau Canal linked Kingston Ontario  to an inland port on Ottawa River. Today the Canal still exist.
   This event was very historically significant to northern North America. Like I said before, it was the only war to be fought between America and Canada. Luckily Canada won, so we have something to brag about. But what made the event so important was because of the fact that Canada stood up for itself and won without the aid of the Europeans. It showed that Canada was not weak and that we could do just as much as any other nation. That is why it is important, and that is why we learn about it in school.