Dbq War Of 1812

The War of 1812 began June 12th, 1812 after American President James Madison signed the declaration of war on Great Britain. Americans declared war for a multitude of reasons, “the British had been in an economic block with France, hostile First Nations along the great lakes, and the involuntary enlistment of American seamen into the Royal British Navy” (history.com). The American government had experienced success with the war against Britain and made advancements to formulate a new plan to take control of Canada, which ultimately failed.
Canada was a British colony and was therefore involved in the conflict; however, many Canadians believed that Britain was “ill provided for our defence.” The doubt in Britain as an allie manifested in the

Canadian confusion of if there would be a war (Queen’s University). Canada experienced many invasions from Americans which ultimately led to a large majority of the war being fought in Upper and Lower Canada (canadianencyclopedia.com). Americans believed that Upper Canada would be easier for invasion due to the Atlantic area having protection by British naval ships and Lower Canada being sealed off by the Quebec Fortress (Citadelle of Quebec) (canadianencyclopedia.com).
Upper Canada was a combination of many different small neighbouring towns in Ontario.

Kingston, Ontario is a well known Upper Canadian town for a multitude of reasons, the childhood town of the first prime minister of Canada, at the head of the St. Lawrence River, and the home of Fort Henry. Primarily, Kingston was utilized for distribution of supplies and ship construction. Due to the town being the major naval base in Upper Canada, the town had to build to meet the needs of the war efforts (Queen’s University). Canadian ships were not built at a fast rate because the British desired more visually pleasing ships which caused longer building time as well as a shorter life span (Queen’s University). The need for ships kept the naval town busy and flourishing economically as well as population

growth.
As a town, Kingston was ill prepared for the upcoming war; however the town did not experience as much damage as predicted (Queen’s University). Kingston was believed to be a potential target for Americans; however, it did not see many large battles. The most impacting battle was on “November 10, 1812, Kingston Harbour came under attack by an American squadron led by Commodore Isaac Chauncey.” (Queen’s University). The British and Canadians travelled “from Kingston and across Lake Ontario, the British, led by Sir George Prevost and Sir James Yeo were determined to strike the Americans with a surprise attack.” (Queen’s University). The Americans were prepared for the invasion and both sides experienced heavy casualties (Queen’s University).
Finally, the War of 1812 ended on December 24th, 1814 with the decree of Treaty of Ghent.

The Treaty of Ghent was signed in Ghent, Belgium by American and British representatives. The treaty outlines that all land taken before the war would be restored to the original owner and “disputes over boundaries were deferred to joint commissions.” (canadianencyclopedia.com). Within the Treaty of Ghent there was a clause which “agreed to restore the Indians to “all possessions, rights and privileges which they may have enjoyed, or been entitled to in 1811.”” (pbs.org). Land was theoretically restored to all parties involved within the war through the treaty. Britain would finally recognise the United States as a national entity to which the United States gave up their desire for Canadian land. This would be the last “Treaty of Peace and Amity between His Britannic Majesty and the United States of America” (pbs.org) Canada was not directly included with the signing of the treaty due to their colonial status within the United Kingdom; however, the borderline between the United States and Canada was decided through this treaty. Fundamentally, the mindset of Canadians and Americans alike was changed, Americans would become more anti-British while Canadians would become more anti-American and support Britain

more.

Part E
Kingston, Ontario was utilised as a major naval base throughout the entirety of the War of 1812. Unlike most towns in the war, Kingston thrived and developed into one of the most historic towns in Canada because the town experienced minimal damage throughout the war, population growth, and economic expansion. Shipping supplies and constructing ships increased the availability of work within the town and allowed for citizens to form a stable income. Although the town was not directly involved in the signing of the Treaty of Ghent, it did receive the reassurance that the Americans would not attempt to to invade or strike the town. The Treaty of Ghent inspired Kingstonians and Canadians alike to support their nation and become more loyal to their mother country. Subsequently, Kingston formed its own identity throughout the war as an independent, thriving, and growing town. To this day, Kingston remains a historical landmark of the progression of small Canadian villages into mature, functional towns and cities.