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| BNA generals, adept at dying despite winning. |
I’m
teaching a Canadian History and Culture class for immigrants and international
students. It’s one of my favorite lessons: the War of 1812.
Assuming that my audience know
nothing about the war—fair as most Canadians know nothing about the war—I start off with a question. In pedagogical lingo, this is known as an
icebreaker. I guess it means the same thing in all lingos for when you’re intending
to start something.
“Does anyone know why the White
House is white?”
They look at me, at each other,
sensitive to the likely trick nature of the question. Don’t answer with the obvious. . . . Is this a race thing?
“Because,” I say, “a group from
British North America—Canada someday—attacked Washington, lit it on fire, and
burned a substantial portion of the president’s house. When it was repaired, it
was painted white: the White House.”
They give me that mistrusting
look that tells me that they are waiting for the punch line.
“No really.” I tell them about
Napoleon, about British raids on North American merchant ships, about American
retaliation against the nearest British colony: the Canadas. I tell them about
the American attack on York (Toronto). I tell them about Johnny Horton and “The
Battle of New Orleans.”
I tell them about how Major
General Issac Brock led the British forces to victory in repelling the
Americans, but was mortally wounded in doing so, following General Wolfe in
that proud BNA tradition of dying in victory on Canadian soil. Canadian
generals would only learn to survive their triumphs when they started
commanding overseas.
They don’t know what to make of
all this. Is he serious? People from CANADA burned down the White House? Canada.
Seriously. The place where people say “Excuse me” when they fart by themselves?
“Well, no,” I correct, holding
up a correctional finger in that way that says what I’m saying now is important
and the rest of the lesson is just chaff. “It wasn’t Canada. Canada proper wouldn’t exist for 55 years. But neat story,
eh?”
Then I play them the Arrogant
Worms' “The War of 1812,” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ety2FEHQgwM I point out the nod to Horton’s
song, which was about the rest of the war, a war that would last another three
years, inspire the lyrics to “The Star Spangled Banner,” and end in either a
stalemate or an American victory, depending what country published the history
book you read.
I teach it because it's fun,
not because it's especially Canadian.
The historian in me loves that
the Canadian Government has chosen to recognize the bi-centennial of the War of
1812. The historian in me also approves of the prime minister’s whacky little
quest to find the Franklin Expedition. However, the Canadian in me shrugs and
says we shouldn’t try to make the War of 1812+ into something it wasn’t, and
maybe you should get off that icebreaker and back to work, sir.
In taking a war—a war fought by
the British, with a victory in the north, but overall a pretty much a loss—and
making it out to be a major turning point in our history is too much like
Americanizing our history for me. As with the Plains of Abraham, the
significance was really on the eventual
Canada. The Americans have created myths and heroes out of their history,
usually with some tremendous embellishment. It’s a mistake for us to do the
same, to try to create some sort of false gods so we can all feel proud at the
sake of facts. That’s just not Canadian.
At the risk of being too Canadian—sarcastic, self- and
nationally-deprecating—let me say I do feel strongly about the effect later battles had on us as a nation. Much
of our Canadianness, our non-Britishness, came at places like Vimy, and in the
days afterward when the Canadian Corps fought under the command of the unlikely
General Arthur Currie. There were battles that contributed to our national
identity, sure, but Canada is a nation affected by war, not defined by it. I
think that’s one of the most important differences between us and U.S.
So if you’re interested in
history, by all means learn a little about the war of 1812 (thru ’15). There’s
a great government website currently dedicated to it. http://1812.gc.ca/eng/1305654894724
Learn about Issac Brock,
Tecumseh, Laura Secord, and, yes, the burning of the White House. But don’t
feel that guilty lack of patriotism if you’re a Canadian and this story is news
to you. There are far more important—and more Canadian—things to make your
maple-leaf tattoo swell with a burning need to cheer and then apologize for the noise. (Gold in swimming at the Paralympics—woot!)
