The War of 1812, Canada, the US, the British and the President

The British burn Washington from: The National Museum of American History

On June 6, during a tense discussion with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, President Donald Trump reportedly told Trudeau,  "Didn't you guys burn down the White House?" referring to the War of 1812. This exchange brought caused both condemnation and amusement from news-people and commentators alike because it's common knowledge that the British burned the White House. The fact that Canada did not exist as an independent nation until 1867 reinforces the error of President Trump. 

President Trump and Prime Minister Trudeau from Axios.com

But the reality is more nuanced and complicated than most realize. Yes, the British burned the White House but the War of 1812 was a pivotal event in the formation of Canadian nationalism and pride. While the US declared war because of British maritime aggression and supposed British incitement of Native Americans, the invasion of Canada soon developed into an American war aim. Thomas Jefferson declared that American annexation of Canada merely required a march north with most Americans viewing the war as an easy victory. But back and forth fighting on the border proved fruitless. American troops invaded seven times and burned the capitol of York (now Toronto) but failed to establish a permanent north of the border. Today many Canadians view the war as their victory over an aggressive American invader. But the success in pushing Americans back across the border would prove impossible without aid from Native Americans and British regular troops. 

Battle of York. From: http://www.akimbo.ca

The American view of the war also contains selective memory. Most American accounts focus on the Star Spangled Banner and the victory at the Battle of New Orleans. While its debatable if a British victory at New Orleans would have changed the postwar situation the fact remains that Andrew Jackson's triumph took place two weeks after peace arrived when both sides signed the Treaty of Ghent. Still the victory at New Orleans framed the war in the American perspective into the Second War for American Independence and catapulted Andrew Jackson into the Presidency.  

Battle of New Orleans from History.com

What of the British perspective? The British remain largely ignorant of the war. Any remembrance of the war depicts it as a minor and unimportant skirmish on the fringes of the Napoleonic Wars. My own experience in Britain demonstrate British unawareness regarding the War of 1812. While most British remain aware about the Revolutionary War, blank stares are all one receives if you ask a British citizen about the War of 1812. For the British the struggle against Napoleon remains the 19th century war that looms large in the British conscious.                   Canadian historian Charles Stacey ably explains the confusion regarding the War of 1812:

The Americans think of it as primarily a naval war in which the pride of the Mistress of the Sea was humbled by what an imprudent Englishman had called “a few fir-built frigates, manned by a handful of bastards and outlaws.” Canadians think of it equally pridefully as a war of defence in which their brave fathers, side by side, turned back the massed might of the United States and saved the country from conquest. And the English are the happiest of all, because they don’t even know it happened.

So yes, President Trump was incorrect when he blamed Canada for the burning of Washington, since there was not even direct involvement from Canadians, still the war plays an important part in the formation of the Canadian memory. The burning of Washington still remains for Canadians retaliation for the burning of York and the war remains pivotal event in the minds of most Canadians. 

Further Reading

Everybody gets a trophy: Claiming victory in the War of 1812 by Donald E. Graves from the National Park Service

The Smithsonian Magazine: The War of 1812: 200 Years Later

The Smithsonian Magazine: Today We Celebrate the Time Canada Burned Down the White House

The Star: The War of 1812 Shaped Canada Forever, An Editorial

Hickey, Donald R. The War of 1812: A Forgotten Conflict. Champaign, IL: University of Illinois Press, 1989.

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