Who Won The War of 1812?

[Wirey]

Let's see:

America wanted to conquer the British territory of Canada. Britain wanted to keep it. Britain got what they wanted, and Washington DC got renovated.

I can't tell who won. Is this a serious question? By the "In the long run...." standard, looking at postwar Japan's economy, they obviously won the Second World War. In 1812, Britain 1, USA 0.

 

[Revoltingest]

Let's see:

America wanted to cobnquer the British territory of Canada. Britain wanted to keep it. Britain got what they wanted, and Washington DC got renovated.

I can't tell who won. Is this a serious question? By the "In the long run...." standard, looking at postwar Japan's economy, they obviously won the Second World War. In 1812, Britain 1, USA 0.

I never even studied this war. When was it?

 

[Willamena]

I never even studied this war. When was it?

 

[Wirey]

I never even studied this war. When was it?

During intermission at the Battle Of The Network Stars.

 

[Kathryn]

The Battle of New Orleans is interesting, but should not really be considered due to the it occurring after the war had ended.

BLASPHEMER- Let him be ANATHEMA!

But while we're on this subject - what is this land you call Ka Na Da?

 

[Kathryn]

Canada is still Canada, and when Americans look North at those rich Alberta tar sands that could maybe have been theirs I dont think America can claim a victory.

I'm not sure how to break this to you, but I don't know many Americans who even THINK about Canada very often, let alone sit gazing north at the "rich Alberta tar sands that could have been theirs."

Damn it I wish I had some of that rich Alberta tar sand. Life's just not fair.

America didnt try anything again against the Brits so I guess a lesson was learned,

Wow, talk about bass ackwards.

the fact is it is an event that very much closed a chapter of distrust between cousins,and in the aftermath though the process was slow the two nations became firm friends, both nations were still exporting and importing my ancestors at the time so the fact you were busy shooting each other was probably a source of joy for them.

Somebody help me carry this oppressively heavy load of white guilt. You're making me want to, I don't know, give you my car or something.

:thud:

 

[Alceste]

^ There's an alternate version by the Arrogant Worms (a Canadian band)

Goes something like:

Oh, we fired our guns and the Yankies kept a-comin'
There weren't quite as many as there were awhile ago
We fired once more and the Yankies started runnin'
Down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico!

hehehe

Edmonton's fairly obscure Three Dead Trolls in a Baggie, actually. Not the immortal Worms. The Trolls were golden. Ah for the good old days...

[youtube]o7jlFZhprU4[/youtube]

 

[Smoke]

Dolley Madison won the War of 1812. She's the only wife of a President to become a national heroine; that's a pretty big win.

 

[Smoke]

Canada is still Canada, and when Americans look North at those rich Alberta tar sands that could maybe have been theirs I dont think America can claim a victory.

I can't speak for all Americans, but if I could have any part of Canada, Alberta is not the part I'd pick.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Dolley Madison won the War of 1812. She's the only wife of a President to become a national heroine; that's a pretty big win.

I'm sure Martha Washington is shaking her fist at you from the grave.

What was she supposed to have done?

 

[Smoke]

I'm sure Martha Washington is shaking her fist at you from the grave.

What was she supposed to have done?

Kept a cool head and saved the Gilbert Stuart portrait of Washington. Of course, she also had style and wit and threw the best parties in Washington, so people liked her anyway and tended to make a bigger deal about it than if, say, Lucy Hayes had done the some thing.

I didn't mean to diss Martha; I understand she made a very nice whiskey cake.

 

[Alceste]

I can't speak for all Americans, but if I could have any part of Canada, Alberta is not the part I'd pick.

Ironically, it's also the only part that would have you.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

I didn't mean to diss Martha; I understand she made a very nice whiskey cake.

And some sort of flag, according to the popular story.

Ironically, it's also the only part that would have you.

I don't know about that - I've got a futon in the basement; if Smoke wants to come over, he's more than welcome.

 

[Alceste]

I don't know about that - I've got a futon in the basement; if Smoke wants to come over, he's more than welcome.

D'oh, I meant that Alberta is the only part of Canada that might consider being annexed by the US a good thing. My sloppy.
:sorry1:

 

[Kathryn]

I don't much think we want Alberta. You can keep her.

 

[Mercy Not Sacrifice]

It depends on how you define the word "win."

Teritorially, which is usually how war "victories" are defined, the War of 1812 ended in a draw.
Emotionally, it was a US victory. We had now held off the mighty British in back-to-back wars.
Morally, nobody "wins" a war, IMO.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

It depends on how you define the word "win."

Teritorially, which is usually how war "victories" are defined, the War of 1812 ended in a draw.
Emotionally, it was a US victory. We had now held off the mighty British in back-to-back wars.

Emotionally, Operation Dynamo, the largest mass retreat of an army in world history, was a British victory.

And what do you mean you "held off the mighty British"? The Americans were the aggressors in the War of 1812.

 

[Alceste]

Emotionally, Operation Dynamo, the largest mass retreat of an army in world history, was a British victory.

And what do you mean you "held off the mighty British"? The Americans were the aggressors in the War of 1812.

Is it just me or are you getting the distinct impression US "history" is a little different from ours? I feel like any minute I will have to explain that they lost in Vietnam.

 

[Mercy Not Sacrifice]

Emotionally, Operation Dynamo, the largest mass retreat of an army in world history, was a British victory.

And what do you mean you "held off the mighty British"? The Americans were the aggressors in the War of 1812.

Not exactly. Technically we started the war, but it was in part to alleviate the conditions that the British were putting us through. Remember, we were still bitter enemies at the time.

Is it just me or are you getting the distinct impression US "history" is a little different from ours? I feel like any minute I will have to explain that they lost in Vietnam.

We didn't "lose"; we just withdrew!

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Not exactly. Technically we started the war, but it was in part to alleviate the conditions that the British were putting us through. Remember, we were still bitter enemies at the time.

Extra technically, the conditions were being alleviated anyhow. The British Parliament had already repealed the Orders of Council that the Americans were all worked up about... though apparently word didn't reach America before war was declared.

Of course, once Congress did hear that their casus belli had been resolved, this didn't stop them from continuing their attempted invasion.

And the other part was that the war in Europe with France meant that British forces were already occupied somewhere else, which gave the Americans an excellent opportunity to strike a blow for "Manifest Destiny".