The War of 1812-1814 : The Francophone Perspective

Two hundred years ago, Canada, which was a British colony at that time, repulsed an invasion by the Americans. The Harper government decided to mark the bicentennial of this 1812-1814 war with much pomp and circumstance. For the Conservatives, this U.S.-British conflict played a fundamental role in creating this country, in ensuring national unity and in preserving the French fact. However, many historians reject this interpretation and minimize the importance of the War of 1812 in this country’s history, especially French speakers from Quebec, which was known as Lower Canada at that time. Danielle Young delves into this aspect of that war.