The Influence of the War of 1812 on Canada

‘In addition to advancing Canada’s economic growth, the War of 1812 had multiple underlying benefits. A distinct, new-found Canadian identity would be developed by the united actions of colonial Canadians. Over the course of the war, British forces relied greatly on the support of groups such as farmers, landowners, local militias, and Native Americans. The Battle of Chrysler’s Farm is clear example of this. The largely outnumbered British-Canadian force defeated 3 050 American invaders who sought to seize control of Kingston and Montreal. By effectively collaborating, they ended the gravest threat to Canada during the War when, along with efforts from the battle of Chateauguay, they prevented the Americans from controlling these two cities. Actions in battles such as these would begin to unite the separated colonies in Canada into a single nation. Likewise, sentiments of national pride emerged from the conflict through the successful defense of land from the Americans. In August of 1812, American founding father Thomas Jefferson famously described the acquisition of Canada to be a “mere matter of marching”. From having protected their land and from disproving predictions such as Jefferson’s, Canadian settlers developed a sense of national pride. This pride, combined with the sense of unity they had acquired, would catalyse the later development of Canada, translating foremost into the Act of Union in 1841, which merged Upper Canada and Lower Canada into the Province of Canada, and subsequently into Confederation in 1867.’