Doesn't anyone else find it extremely curious as to why before this class we knew virtually nothing about the war of 1812? Aside from the odd burning of the white house, have we seen or read any valiant stories about this war? It's as if the flow of attention from the revolution, and the civil war spilled over and covered it up.
We learned today that this was the war that gave America the confidence and assurance of it's new found power. They went toe to toe with the British and "effectively" won. Funny how we also never knew about the American's burning down the capitol of British Columbia, but hey, we aren't Canadians.
I believe the reason we didn't know much about this conflict was along with the other very important European sidetracks, the war was the first 'Merica moment, something people don't want to talk about. We like to have the impression that after the revolutionary war America arose as some magnificent pheonix from the ashes, but the bitter truth is quite the contrary. It's much easier just to say America became powerful and confident because we are Americans, instead of explaining the events leading up to.
Then again, that's an opinion. I just find it curious how such an awesome part of history is left out of nearly every class up until this point. I would understand if it wasn't significant, but after our lecture I can affirm that the war was crucial to the development of many American ideals we have today.
Really excellent points Eddie! It is odd to me that we did not learn at least an "improved version" of how the war went down like we learned about an "improved" Columbus and other less than great moments in America history. It seems like it would not have been hard to bolster the victories at New Orleans and New York as moments to be proud of in American history.
ReplyDeleteI beg to differ on the reason. Even in our textbook, the entirety of the war is written in 2-3 pages at least. If this was such a great "'Merica moment," then shouldn't our AP textbook aggrandize it more? I believe that the reason why we don't learn about it is that the US belligerents had some embarrassing moments that we don't like to talk about, for example the burning of the Columbian capital.
ReplyDeleteBeing a Canadian i had actually herd of the war of 1812 before and i did know about the burning of York. And on the contrary i believe that Americans don't enjoy talking about the War of 1812 both because of their unsavory actions as mentioned by Oliver, but also because it was not a complete victory, and Americans do not like to think of themselves as losers. Being one of, or arguably the most, powerful country in the world all around America likes to eliminate any weaknesses they may have, and i believe that is part of the reason for not elaborating on the War of 1812.
ReplyDeleteYes, however, it is my personal opinion that this is silliness - look at the British. They tried to uphold the view that they were 'immortal' in battle, and once that pretense fell, it wasn't that hard to muster up the courage to face them. I feel that the same goes in this case. By pretending to be immortal, or that America does not have faults when it comes to war, we only have farther to fall. If we were outright in the beginning, owning up to our losses and winning the overall war anyways, it would show that we were only that much stronger.
ReplyDeleteI can however, also see the reasoning behind keeping such information from the public. While it may have been wise at the time to keep the 'immortal' pretense up to encourage morale, as well as to protect the image of America and hopefully ward off foreign attacks, I have to wonder what would have happened if Americans hadn't tried to cover up so many of their losses, and if nationalism would have been even more profound in the country knowing what odds they overcame.
Something to think about...
Nice point Eddie! I have been thinking the same idea about the War of 1812. I think another important thing to look at is the results of the War of 1812. America really asserted its dominance. It was no longer a weak democracy that Britain could take advantage of. With the Treaty of Ghent, America was able to force Britain to stop attacking American ships and forcing the sailors into the British military. I feel like Britain was able to "bully" the Americans after the revolutionary war, but, America ended that with the War of 1812.
ReplyDelete@Eddie Barnes
ReplyDeleteInteresting post, Eddie! I like the points you've made and the questions you've asked. One of the most important things to remember, however, is that people remember history the way they want to. Perhaps, at the time, the government kept citizens "in the dark for their own safety," making decisions in secret instead of alerting the public; assuming this is true, citizens probably only want to remember the end of the war where their country triumphed. The actions that led up to the war, although not insignificant, were seemingly innocuous to citizens; it was the final result that mattered and promoted nationalism.